Diploma in Character Animation

By MARK STORY

The course

The Diploma in Character Animation is a three-year NZQA recognised qualification open to applicants over 16 years old who meet necessary assessment criteria.

Founded by character animator for such Disney masterpieces as The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmatians, John Ewing, and business partner Barry Peace in 1989, the Freelance Art School is a leading provider of animation training.

Graduates form the basis of New Zealand's internationally successful animation industry, producing innovative television, video and feature films for worldwide audiences.

"We work closely with national and international studios to keep students up-to-date with the current skills and developments taking place," says the school's general manager, Cath Fournier.

The Freelance Art School has an internal career paths support programme to assist its students with industry placement.

In fact, 76 per cent of last year's graduates are now working in animation or related industries using the skills developed while on classical and computer generated courses.

The course begins with all students concentrating on animal and human life drawing, character design, and an introduction to rough "inbetweening" and clean-up animation techniques.

Students gain an understanding of physical motion, weight and balance, and the different properties of texture and form. A strong emphasis is also placed on technical and production knowledge, legal requirements and animation history.

In year two the diploma splits into two streams:

Classical, which focuses on traditional animation techniques - where students develop rough and clean-up animation techniques and are introduced to layout techniques - while continuing to develop animal and human life-drawing skills.

Computer-generated imagery (CGI) students also learn 3D animation software.

As well as learning interpretation, storyline development, storyboards, character design, and layout, key animation and key clean-up, students in their third and final year complete major individual and group-based projects.

Those interested in applying for the 2005 intake should schedule an interview with the school's marketing manager. They also need to provide at interview a portfolio including art work demonstrating their enthusiasm and ability in drawing or related 2D or 3D media, evidence of drawing ability of real-life people or objects, and any art work completed at high school or in other courses.

In addition to being 18 years or older, international students must show competency in oral and written English or have achieved an IELTS score of five or more. There is only one intake annually. Following a four-term structure, next year's course begins Monday January 31 and finishes December 9.

What graduates think

Richard Frances-Moore, 29

Pre-visualisation animation, Weta Digital, Wellington

Graduated 1997

The course gave me the opportunity to explore what aspects of the animation industry I really wanted to specialise in. The foundation in 2D animation gave me the confidence to teach myself a lot of the finer aspects of 3D animation technique.

Being more "art focused" than computer technical, the course helps you to develop 2D drawing skills before making you take the leap to computer-generated imagery.

Exciting projects over the past five and a half years with Weta Digital include pre-visualisation - another name for a 3D storyboard - for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm currently working on pre-visualisation for the Peter Jackson remake of King Kong. Feature film 3D animation is the most rewarding part of this industry. You may not make a lot of money within this industry to begin with but the financial rewards increase along with your skill levels and experience.

What employers think

Christian Rivers

Pre-visualisation supervisor, Weta Digital, Wellington


Course completion should show you've got the necessary skills and interest to embark on a successful career in animation. A lot of the fundamentals in animation are still based on traditional methods. Those who get a good grounding in 2D animation - like Richard - typically have sufficient knowledge to grasp more sophisticated aspects of the business like 3D animation.

A tertiary course like this is a prerequisite for getting into the industry these days. What graduates need to embark on a successful career is strong "show reels". As a well as showing the work you've been responsible for they should be geared to the sort of work you want to do.

The qualification

Diploma in Character Animation

Freelance Art School

Phone: (09) 373 4958

Email