Animation

[ BFA DEGREE ]

Animation creates not only the illusion of motion—it creates the illusion of life. Recent decades have seen a remarkable expansion in both the production and audience of animation in the areas of film, television, video games, and the Internet. The animation program at BYU is interdisciplinary and consists of exacting coursework offered through the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, the Department of Visual Arts, and the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology's School of Technology.

As a limited enrollment major, animation requires prospective candidates to complete fundamental pre-application courses before submitting an application portfolio for review at the end of the freshman year. Upon acceptance into the program, students must complete several foundation courses in essential areas such as figure drawing, narrative construction, and basic animation skills. Students are then encouraged to enhance this fundamental knowledge through upper-level courses designed to develop their drawing, narrative, and computer skills.

The creative and academic rigor of the animation program is intended to provide students with the skill sets necessary for success in the animation, live-action, special effects, and game industry with emphasis on both the artistic and technological avenues. Coursework in the program thus insists upon a sound understanding of and skill in design, composition, storytelling, and current software packages used in the industry today. For prospective majors, prerequisite emphasis is placed on drawing the human figure, visual storytelling and sketchbooking from life.

At BYU every student accepted into the animation program is offered the opportunity to be mentored by the faculty from each of the departments that participate in the program. In addition to this considerable human resource made available to students, the program also makes accessible multiple traditional and computer animation labs that run the latest industry standard hardware and software. The Interactive Reality Auditorium, a virtual reality screening room capable of displaying images in 3-D through the use of dual projectors and polarized glasses, is also used for industry and student presentations as well as advanced student critiques. The program's remarkable intellectual and technological resources, when partnered with demanding interdisciplinary coursework, generate students who spark inquiry in the development of production and achieve critical and financial success in the industry.

Faculty

R. Brent Adams 265 CTB 801.422.4504 adamsb@byu.edu

Kelly Loosli F-574 HFAC 801.422.1825 kelly_loosli@byu.edu

Ryan Woodward AREA COORDINATOR F-563 HFAC 801.422.1486 rwoodward@mac.com

Darl Larsen F-351 HFAC 801.422.9184 darl_larsen@byu.edu

[ PROGRAM MAP SHEET ]

BFA in ANIMATION Program Map (pdf) Get Adobe Reader here