What Should You Look Up To Before Choosing A Animation Course?

India is becoming a major hub for outsourcing of work related to Animation.

FICCI EY March 2022 report anticipates that, by 2024, Animation and VFX industry will jump to Rs. 180 billion.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report predicts that from current 10%, India’s market share in Global Animation and Visual effects industry will grow to 20-25%.

Hence, there has been a steady growth in the demand for skilled professionals in this discipline, thereby leading to mushrooming of lots of visual effects and animation colleges offering Animation Courses.

But what is Animation?

Animation is a professional discipline that facilitates utilization of visualization, imagination & conceptualization skills such that Animation artist are able to transform computer graphics or photographs of static objects and/or digital or hand-drawn pictures into frames, which are then stitched together in a sequence to create a simulation or illusion of movement with the help of computer tools. The content hence produced has varied uses in computer games, cartoons, mobile applications, advertisements, films, websites and TV shows, etc.

Skills Required for animation course:

Conceptualization, visualization, ideation, designing & detailing skills
Observation skills: In order to incorporate expressions, movements, structures and reactions etc. in content, you must display keen observation skills to study and understand the same.
Artistic ability: You must display creative skills with penchant for sketching along with an understanding of colours so as to convey the concepts as well as crafting of storyboards
Impeccable Organizational skills: Capability of handling multiple projects as well as working in a team so as to ensure project completion well within time.
Patience, eye for detail & diligence to work for long hours and ensure perfection.
Networking skills: You must display excellent networking & communication skills so as to sell your concepts, collaborate with stakeholders and other teams from varied departments so as to not only complete the projects in time but also land in new business.
Passion to learn new techniques, technologies, software and tools so as to stay relevant.

Eligibility Requirements: In order to enroll into an animation course, students must fulfill the following criteria:

Students, in order to be eligible for entrance test, must have passed their class 12^th in any discipline from a recognised board.
These qualified students need to clear the entrance test, which will then be followed by a group discussion and interview round. On clearing all the three, they are entitles for admission to the college.

Before identifying an animation course, students should look at:

Hone skills: While choosing the animation course, students must determine that the college assists them in honing their skills rather than focusing only on the technical aspects while leaving students to their own devices. The ideal college must help students in overcoming their weakness, while channeling their imagination to craft impactful messaging. The college must offer competencies so that students are geared for experimentation and exploration.
Infrastructure, Latest Technology & Equipment: The college must have apt infrastructure including studios, library and latest equipment and must mentor students in use of latest tools, technologies including simulation, narrative, modeling and prototyping etc, software like Machine Learning & AI, 2D and 3D etc., so that students are not only inspired to develop engaging characters and locations that are essential to storytelling, but also get them to be in sync with the evolving scenario.
Trained Faculty: The students must select a college that has well-educated, trained & experienced teachers on its rolls preferably from the industry so that they can pass on their wisdom in managing of live projects or use of varied techniques or handling issues encountered on daily basis.
The Animation Course must help develop self awareness and empathy along with understanding of environment so that the students evolve as flexible and resilient animation designer.