

Sample Courses: Stop Motion Puppet Fundamentals, Stop Motion Master Class, 3D Lighting and Texturing, Animation Workshop, 30-Second Film, Animation Writing and Visual Storytelling. As an animation student, you will concentrate in either 2D, 3D, or Stop Motion but be able to explore the other types of animation.” -RIT, CIAS Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), College of Imaging Arts & Sciences (CIAS), Rochester, New YorkĪbout: “The film and animation MFA is a three-year program designed to educate complete filmmakers. Sample Courses: Introduction to Stop Motion, Advanced Stop-Action Animation, Miniature Sets and Action Props, Key Poses and Inbetweening. Many SVA NYC graduates are recruited by animation studios from both coasts. School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC), New York, New YorkĪbout: The BFA program prepares students to work in all areas of the animation industry.

Sample Courses: Stop Motion Puppet Animation, Puppet Making for Stop Motion 1 & 2, Stop Motion Set Design & Fabrication, Stop Motion Animation 1 & 2, Figurative Concepts, Traditional Animation Principles & Pipelines, Drawing and Design for Animation, Traditional Animation, History & Technology of Visual Effects & Computer Animation (includes topics from traditional stop motion). The school also offers an AA and a Certificate in Animation & Visual Effects with 2D Animation and Stop Motion coursework. Here are some options:Īcademy of Art University, School of Animation & Visual Effects, San Francisco, Californiaĭegrees Offered: BFA, MA 2D Animation and Stop MotionĪbout: “The 2D Animation and Stop Motion Emphasis is designed for students interested in acquiring basic to advanced skills in classical, hand-drawn animation.” -Academy of Art (there are dozens overseas), there are many programs that can prepare you for a career in the field. While there are few (if any) “pure” stop motion animation programs in the U.S.

To master the techniques associated with this form of animation, you will need to find an animation program that offers a concentration or heavy coursework in stop motion animation. Just a few excellent examples of stop motion animation can be seen in award-winning films such as Boxtrolls (2014), Frankenweenie (2012), Coraline (2009), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chicken Run (2000), and James and the Giant Peach (1996).Ĭonsidered one of the most unique forms of filmmaking, stop motion animation takes an extreme amount of attention to detail, laser-like focus, skill, patience, time and space, dedication, and a tremendous amount of talent. The most common objects used in stop motion animation are puppets, clay figures, miniatures, and cutouts. Playing all the frames in sequence creates movement. The technique involves moving static objects in increments while filming a single frame per increment. Stop motion animation is one of the oldest and most painstaking forms of animation in the world. Schools With Stop Motion Animation Programs or Coursework SchoolīFA, MFA Film, Video, New Media, and Animationĭigital Form, Space and Lighting, Action AnalysisīA, MFA, Minor Animation and Digital Arts
