Overview of Experimental Animation
Maryland Institute College of Art
MICA approaches experimental animation as an art form, empowering you to create eloquent and original contemporary work through an understanding not only of the technology for production, but also of the historical sources and contemporary social and artistic context for your work. You’ll begin with the foundation for all compelling animation the essence of character creation and the narrative. You’ll sample both digital and traditional 2D and 3D tools and processes, and then select from a range of upper-division courses that allow you to dive in depth into the approaches that best suit your creative vision. You will be encouraged to pursue original research, experimentation, and production using state-of-the-art processes and industry-standard computer hardware and software systems, and to explore multiple distribution opportunities for your work.
The essence of animation is to give life to images and objects. These moving images then "live" to communicate a culture’s stories or to convey the fundamental rhythms and patterns of being. Animation draws from rich global and historical sources—from the masks and trappings of prehistoric ritual to the kinetic mechanisms and illustrations of the 19th century to the narrative formulas and pictorial techniques of 20th century filmmaking. Animation’s sources retain their vitality even as the field expands to integrate new forms and concepts, and adapts to new cultural conditions.
The interest in animation is greater than ever. A recent Museum of Modern Art exhibition of Pixar cartoon animation drew huge crowds to the museum in New York. Groundbreaking work in animation is in demand for a wide array of uses—computer games, entertainment, courtroom reconstructions, documentation of scientific advances. Computer technologies also enable artists to animate entirely new forms of "synthetic" space, "artificial" life forms, virtual realities, "smart" environments, and lifelike animatronics. These new processes and forms promise to take artists into an unknown and exciting future.
Animation has been energized and transformed by computerized systems that let individual artists create moving images, dynamic objects, and global artworks that once could have been produced only through the efforts of large teams with significant resources. At the same time, the meticulous processes of hand-drawn animation, claymation, and other non-digital forms of animation are experiencing a renaissance around the world. At MICA, you can explore both directions and find your own voice as an artist.
From Character to Narrative
MICA’s animation program builds on the traditional and digital skills you gained in foundation to focus on creating characters that your audience will care about. You’ll learn to use digital tools to animate your character in both 3D and 2D, and in the junior year you’ll focus on using your traditional and computer-based techniques to create a story. Your senior year is spent turning your work into professional-quality finished product in post production.
Hands-on Workshops
One-credit technical workshops in animation let you explore a variety of techniques— from acting to stop motion to creating bones and rigging—that will improve the effectiveness of your characters and animations.
Cutting Edge Experience
Research-focused classes at MICA let animation explore new technologies and work at the cutting edge of the field. Recent classes have partnered the animation department with Big Huge Games and the technology firm Direct Dimensions, where students explored the latest technology in 3D scanning. Internships have put student in a range of industries—a recent sampling: Seoul Movie Company, Ltd, Korea; Sesame Street, New York; Firaxis Games, Baltimore; Smithsonian Institutions, National Museum of the American Indian; Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital Microsurgery Advanced Design Lab, Baltimore; Big Huge Games, Baltimore; Eyemaginations, Baltimore; MTV Networks, New York.
Facilities
Animation majors at MICA have access to a full array of tools for digital and traditional animation. Three animation labs in Brown Center, where the department is based, feature powerful PC hardware and state-of-the-art software for 3D animation, as well as projection and sound equipment for critiques of student work. In addition, students have access to outstanding equipment for sound and video recording and editing.