Background Training and education must be an integral component of China’s long-term strategy for a strong animation industry.
From a pedagogical perspective, animation does not fit traditional models of Chinese education. Most Chinese education is didactic and teacher-centered, whereas animation requires an approach that develops technical, artistic, and creative faculties in its students. Chinese universities or institutes of art generally model animation instruction on highly structured classes in artistic replication or software familiarity. These departments historically have all used traditional curriculum designs that have not kept pace with the demands and capabilities of modern 3-D animation.
However, Western studios are looking for a much different type of training. For example, employees are expected to think creatively about new forms of visual expression, as well as new ways of adding depth and feeling to characters. Even in the more advanced studios in China, character eye, face, and body movements are generally much more wooden and expressively limited than typical animated films from the West, even if the image is highly detailed in a unique or characteristic style. The difference in animation quality stems from different training and from different management expectations. Even though the technical proficiency of Chinese animation graduates is often quite good – in both software and drawing technique – this has not translated into animation that addresses all aspects of quality in an integrated whole.
The Oscar Tour strives to answer these questions:
* How can educators meet the current and future employment demands in the animation sector?
* How can general Animation principles be made flexible and adaptable?
* How can you foster and spark student’s creativity and innovation? And apply them in an academic way?
* How can you bring artistic creativity and professional practice to a student’s work?
* How can you master the skill set for entry-level animators and meet the international animation employment standard?
Past Events On July 11-12 2007, DDF brought Scott Stokdyk, Academy Award winner for Spiderman 2, and Robin King, award-winning educator and founder of the Sheridan College’s animation school in Toronto, to Beijing and Shanghai. These renowned figures in animation shared insights into how master artists produce the visual effects in the world’s most successful FX motion pictures. These events were attended not only by animators and students of animation, but also by teachers of colleges and universities, whose graduates will have to compete in a global economy.
Stokdyk was followed in November 2007 by Eric Armstrong, Academy Award winner for Best Animated Short, and Geoff Campbell, Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic, who lectured to an audience of over 300 during the DDF sponsored International Animation Design Masters Forum at the International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo (ICCIE) in Beijing.
Background
Past Events
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