A painting by Glenda Wharton, another MFA student at USC. Image courtesy of USC.

Glenda Wharton, MFA Animation Program of the Animation and Digital Arts Division of the School of Cinema-Television, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Two years ago, I came to California to study at the MFA Animation Program of the Animation and Digital Arts Division of the School of Cinema-Television. I already had a Master's of Fine Arts from Columbia University, and I was an assistant professor of art at a university in North Carolina. As an art professor, I had created a computer animation lab and designed a computer animation and digital arts program.

I already had two careersone as an exhibiting artist, one as a college professor but still was not satisfied. For all of my life, I had flirted with cinema. There seemed to be something in me that only cinema could satisfy.

I feel that I have found for what I was looking. I came into the program to learn computer animation, but, I have learned so much more. The USC program is special because traditional animation, experimental animation, and the visual expression of pure cinema are beautifully interwoven. We learn creative expression by exploring the diversity of animation techniques.

This expressive melange transmutes digital technology into cinematic art. This rich preparation gives depth to my digital animation, so that I am not merely a "mouse monkey," aping to the crowd, climbing aboard the band wagon of new technology.

This broad vision of animation has allowed me to bring the diversity of my artistic background into animation. I did not have to throw out my painting, sculpture, drawing, dance, theatrical talents or visionary instincts. The mastery of all of these toolsalong with the computeris shaping me into a formidable artist animator.

Because of my heavy art background, I see my introductory place in the industry in conceptual development, storyboarding, or the creation of art for inspiration. I love science-fiction and I would also be interested in visual effects design and animation.

My ultimate goal will be to develop animated films which reflect the cultural diversity of the world. As a woman of color, I can add a distinctive spice to Hollywood's table of delights.

Joanne Chalkey, Bare Boards/Cosgrove Hall training scheme, February to April 1998, Manchester, U.K.
My excitement at being accepted onto the Bare Boards/Cosgrove Hall training scheme was only slightly dulled when, on our first day Barry [Purves] gave us each a black wooden block, stating that we would not get puppets for at least three weeks. We found the block work invaluable, the strong shape showed every judder and mistake and taught us control. My fellow trainees, Justin and Steve, and I all had very different experiences prior to training. This showed in our often different interpretation of a given exercise, allowing us to see there is more than one way to tackle a shot.

We worked on building a move, starting with a simple movement, then adding character, often doing a move wrong to see why it did not work. We were encouraged to be aware of the shot and its position within the scene. We concentrated on balance, strong poses, and how to anticipate a move. Barry stressed we must think from where the energy within the movement is coming. We studied dance, theater and comedy to help our choreography. Starting simply enabled us to build our confidence and by week 12 our puppets were juggling, running, dancing and more.

One quality vital to the animator is patience. Barry tested ours at an early stage by making us move our blocks across the set as slowly as possible. After five hours of nudging the block with the very tips of our fingernails I think we were all ready for a fight! On his more sadistic days Barry would make us work blind by turning off our monitors.

The practical and financial support offered by the Cosgrove Hall Sponsorship allowed us to concentrate on our training and gave us positive input and a wealth of advice from the animators, producers and directors working within the building. Based within Cosgrove Hall's working studios, we were able to relate what we learned to ongoing productions and toward the end of our training we had the opportunity to work occasional days on `live' shows, easing us more gently into the work environment.

We have now each moved on to three very different productions and our training has prepared us well. We are concentrating on building up our speed and bending our skills and styles to suit each program. The best aspect of the training was Barry's hugely infectious enthusiasm for animation and, beyond the basics taught, he has encouraged us to observe life and theater, enabling us to continue to improve our animating skills. I think we are all extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to be taught by Barry.

Joanne is now animating on a series called Rocky and the Dodos, which is currently showing on British television.

Brian G. Smith, MFA Animation Program of the Animation and Digital Arts Division of the School of Cinema-Television, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
My expectations about my career upon my graduation are very high. The Division for Animation and Digital Arts at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television is providing me with a very well rounded experience in all forms of animation and production. I have completed two years of the three year program, and I have tried my hand at everything from scratching on film to fully rendered digital images, and just about everything in between.

I feel confident about having a successful career because the instructors and the classes at USC have done an excellent job in showing us that as long as we're good animators and artists, it doesn't matter what medium we choose, we will have the tools to be successful. So with that in mind, they have taken great strides to train us in traditional character animation, experimental animation and computer animation. They also make sure that we have a strong sense of story, so that even the most experimental projects have very clear themes and narratives.

Not to mention the fact that we are apart of USC's School of Cinema-Television, which is regarded by many as the finest film school in the world. As a result, we have access to all of the film school classes, and are able to mix a well rounded film education with a well rounded animation education. This could prove to be a huge advantage upon graduation.