Academia it seems, has begun to hear industry demands
Past few months one has witnessed quite a flurry of activity in the animation education space and there have been quite a few positive developments both from existing players as well as new ones.
Chennai based Image College of Arts, Animation and Technology (ICAT) has recently announced an elaborate, three year undergraduate course for Animation, Visual effects, Game design and game development.
The institute which was established in Mid 2004 is managed by Image Infotainment Ltd, one of the early players in the field of digital media education.
Speaking to Animation Xpress.com, Image Infotainment Director of Operations R.Madhan remarked, “There is no such specialized three year program in animation, VXF and gaming in this region. The duration being longer, students will have better opportunity to explore the medium”
“Also A recent survey conducted amongst high school students, revealed their eagerness to pursue a career in Digital Media and a want for a full time College level program. To address this need, ICAT has started a 3 year full time program this year that would enable those who have completed schooling to pursue a full time career in Animation, Visual effects, Game design or Game development” he added.
To begin with 30 students will be enrolled per batch for the undergraduate course. The college will also be extending its hostel facilities to these students.
While there’s many a player in the animation education space, each institute has its own positioning and differentiators.
“For ICAT one of the differentiators is our faculty which has a great mix of national as well as international talent” remarked Madhan.
The curriculum formulated by a team of academicians and professionals covers Art Skills, Graphic Designing, Storyboarding, Scriptwriting, Cinematography, Direction and alongside electives in Animation, Compositing, Game designing and programming.
Madhan concluded by saying, “ICAT instills in its students that a craft will take a long time to master-that learning software alone, or just what they need for today, is never enough. It encourages breadth, love of learning, and problem solving and critical thinking skills-all the things that a liberal Digital arts education should do”
