When is the last time you’ve looked at something and said, “That is so cool” without even thinking about it? Well, this happened to me tonight when I was perusing The Animation Collaborative’s website – now let me tell you why. Admittedly, I had heard of The Animation Collaborative(AnimC) before and was aware of their lecture series which involve animation industry professionals (from Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks, and more). But I can honestly say that I’ve never taken the time to truly sit down and learn about them and read through their mission before.
As if having Pixar Animation Studios located in Emeryville, California wasn’t enough to make you want to move to “Sunny California”, The Animation Collaborative is also located there. The brick-and-mortar animation educator takes a slightly different approach than a full-fledged animation college in that it allows you to enter a series of sessions ranging from Beginning Animation to Advanced Storyboarding, to Rigging. What I see as the benefit to this method (and made me say, “That is so cool”) is that I would personally love to enter the animation industry, but as an adult who is unsure which area of animation I would best land in, this would allow someone to “try on” an area of animation to see which area they fit within the best.
That’s not to say that The Animation Collaborative is only for exploratory or entry-level students – they offer many advanced courses and it would be a great way to expand your horizon or “brush up” in the area of continuing education (even if you are in the industry currently).
Details – Animation Demo and Lecture Masterclass
My main reason for writing this was actually not to gab about how intriguing I thought AnimC was though! I actually wanted to inform our readers (especially our international readers) of a way to connect with The Animation Collaborative at an upcoming Animation Demo and Lecture Masterclass being held in Berlin, Germany on August 24-25 (at the Auditorium Friedrichstraße).
The course is the first international Masterclass for AnimC and will be taught by none other than the Annie Award Winning Pixarian, Michal Makarewicz. The official description of the course is below –
This masterclass discusses animation from a variety of artistic perspectives, breaking down and explaining the simplest to the most complex choices. Beats, Rhythm, Texture, Variety and Entertainment, Relatability, Phrasing, Thought Process, Minimalism, and Editing are discussed. Using technical and graphical examples, sound clips from great composers, video clips of famous actors, and film scenes, these lectures demonstrate the dynamic, subtle, humorous & startling effects that various choices will have in your work, and how you can apply them.
If you’re looking to expand your knowledge base or are looking to brush up, you could do no better than attending this Masterclass in Berlin. Register soon as the event is only a few short weeks away. Once the event is wrapped as well — if you’ve attended we’d love to hear from you.