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from a professional's point of view ...

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from a professional's point of view ...

I would like to hear from those of you who are working in the industry and may have been a position to hire entry level applicants --
What do you hope that graduates possess? school wise, skill wise, experience wise?

What criteria would you recommend to use in selecting a college for the field of animation?

I would like to hear from those of you who are working in the industry and may have been a position to hire entry level applicants --
What do you hope that graduates possess? school wise, skill wise, experience wise?

Ken's got great comments here...
I'd differentiate more for "entry level". Skill expectations are very team and project dependent, so there are many criteria here. A technical artist should bring out-of-the-software-box coding ability, a concept artist should be able to do a lighting paint-over from the get go. But beyond these, everyone should be creative problem-solvers and communicative team members. And of course passionate about this communal thing that film is.

What criteria would you recommend to use in selecting a college for the field of animation?

One thing I can recommend to avoid is anything that smells of 'operator'. I've seen numerous schools teaching software and tools. These things are outdated within a few year's time. The crucial element is learning the principals, the approaches and training the eye, hand and mind.
And Ken points to a great measure that makes these things transparent - alumni that have embraced the processes and learned the approaches will get hired and migrate to top houses - or start up their own. Look for that.

I would like to hear from those of you who are working in the industry and may have been a position to hire entry level applicants --
What do you hope that graduates possess? school wise, skill wise, experience wise?

Ability.

Able to provide work to me that's usable without any additional embellishment on my part.

I want someone who can jump into the work and produce with minimal coaching. This means they should be already working at, or very near, my own level of ability. If they are assisting me, then its their job to make me look good, not worse--AND to save me time.
Experience isn't as important as ability--because coaching on the on-the-job culture is easier than coaching on how to do the work.
After a couple of jobs, the talent is usually experienced enough to work with minimal supervision anyway.
The schooling one has, again, is less important to me than ability. If the newcomer is self-taught, but shows great ability, I'd hire them over someone with an education but less ability.

The only other trait I request is a touch of humility. Having an ego as a newcomer in this biz is a bad quality to start out with and few people have the talent to justify it. Being humble and willing to learn are really good qualities to have alongside ability. Bring me ability and I'll build your damn ego.:cool:

The expression of ideas are fine, but over-enthusiam needs to be tempered as well. A lot of newcomers take it personally when their ideas do not get used. It happens, regardless of your experience. Go ahead and suggest ideas, but be ready if they get rejected.

I expect newcomers to be professional, but not so anal about the job that they are strictly 9-5 in mindset. Sometimes the work has to get done, regardless of the time put in, and anyone with the that kind of focus will keep getting a paycheque from me. Reliability and honesty are important to me, but loyalty is something I need to earn from anyone that works for me.

One last point: I like a newcomer that treats the studio and equipment as if its their own, but understand its not. I look for someone that is willing to clean up after themselves, tend to small tasks they see unattended and generally take care of the place as if it were their own business. I don't mind a messy desk/station but outright slobs just bug the hell out of me. I have been surprised how many people don't give a crap about stuff.

What criteria would you recommend to use in selecting a college for the field of animation?

One that produces graduates and alumni that go on to gain employment in the industry. One with instructors that have experience in their field of instruction--better yet, those that are currently working in that field as they teach. Look for a programme that is art intensive --with a focus on drawing skills regardless of the medium. Any programme that teaches mostly software isn't doing students a service.
I prefer a programme longer than a year, and if only one year-it should screen candidates for the most "near-professional" students. Programmes should ideally be 3 years in length, with a weeding of the weaker students each year.
All programmes should screen portfolios, and those with minimal or no ability should be turned away. Period, end of statement.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)