Animation Department Mission
The Animation Department at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design places a strong emphasis on developing creative, visual storytelling skills in our students, whether expressed through hand-drawn animation, computer animation, experimental and stop-motion animation, or a combination of these. Graduates of RMCAD’s Animation Department are ready to become independent artists, animators, and producers, and are well prepared to imagine and create the complex and ever-changing future of animation.
Animation Program Description
RMCAD’s Animation Program awards Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2D Animation and 3D Animation.
The first known artists told stories of the hunt by drawing on cave walls and imparted a sense of motion to the animals in their stories by drawing them with multiple legs in different poses. Thousands of years later, humans are still telling stories but using much more sophisticated animation techniques to breathe life and movement into the characters they create.
The stories of our lives develop out of the choices we each make in response to the challenges and situations we are presented with. These choices, unique to us, arise out of our individuality, our personal histories, and our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual being—our character. This is the essence of character animation; not just making a body move believably but knowing how to make a character express itself through that movement, no matter if your creative tool is a pencil, a computer, or a puppet.
Building on this foundation, the RMCAD Animation Department provides a curriculum designed to balance the aesthetic and technical aspects of visual communication with the realities of the professional production environment. Animation merges the arts of storytelling, acting, drawing, design, illustration, sculpture, photography, and filmmaking with the technology of computers. Knowledge of the rich history of animation in all cultures of the world provides a context for the student’s learning; from the fundamentals of motion studies, through every aspect of animation production, to the output of the finished work. Graduates of RMCAD’s Animation Department are ready to become independent artists, animators, and producers, and are well prepared to imagine and create the complex and ever-changing future of animation.
Animation Program Learning Outcomes
AN3D Program Learning Outcome Rubric
PROFESSIONAL: Demonstrate strong work ethic, punctuality, cooperative attitude, communication skills, time management, organizational skills, and personal initiative.
GROWTH: Demonstrate ability to assess and critique own work, acquire increasingly advanced concepts and production skills with a strong focus on goals, and learn independently.
CRITICAL: Demonstrate critical + analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and effective application of revision based on critique.
COLLABORATION: Demonstrate accountability and cooperative attitude in class discussions, group critique, and classroom communication.
STORY: Demonstrate understanding of narrative and visual storytelling fundamentals as applied to films or games.
TECHNICAL: Demonstrate understanding of software, hardware, and use of materials, sound studio, editing systems, and other peripheral devices and tools used in production.
FOUNDATIONAL: Demonstrate drawing, composition, anatomy, color, perspective, and skills in industry-standard computer graphic software.
CREATIVE: Demonstrate artistry, vision, effort, and a unique voice applicable to the visual entertainment industries.
ANIMATION: Demonstrate knowledge of animation fundamentals and believability in motion, timing, and structure.
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