Animation Mentor Announces Lighting Workshop

Emeryville, CA – Animation Mentor [1] announces the launch of its new workshop designed specifically for animators interested in using light from a filmmaker’s perspective:

 

Lighting Your Shot [2]
Six-Week Workshop | $499
Accepting Registrations for Winter 2013 Term

“Animation is not easy and it requires that passion to continually learn and grow,” says Bobby Beck, Animation Mentor’s CEO and cofounder. “All great animators have that learner mentality that has to be constantly nurtured and cultivated. That’s why we’re so excited about our new Lighting Your Shot workshop — it feeds that yearning to learn and improve that all of our students have.”

The six-week workshop uses Autodesk Maya and mental ray to teach students a typical CG lighting and rendering workflow. Students also learn how to work more effectively in the CG production pipeline and add a new level of depth to their projects. This combination of aesthetic and technical concepts helps students to understand the critical role lighting plays to bring stories to life across the big screen. This is where students learn to integrate lighting to elevate their work to make it stand out.

“Think to a memorable scene from a favorite movie. You always remember your mood at that exact moment” says Ben Fischler, Curriculum Director for the Lighting Your Shot workshop. “And that’s exactly the role that lighting can do — set the mood for that precise moment. Our students will embrace this full cinematic approach and ultimately start to think like a filmmaker. That’s how you elevate your work to stand out.”

Students receive a three-year student license from Animation Mentor’s educational partner, Autodesk.

As Animation Mentor’s Curriculum Director for the Lighting Your Shot workshop, Ben Fischler partners with other departments to develop coursework, secure mentors, and promote the workshop. Ben brings with him over 15 years in the animation and visual effects field, most recently as Visual Effects Supervisor at LAIKA, and prior to that in Lighting and Compositing at DreamWorks Animation SKG. His partial list of film credits includes Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Over the Hedge, Shrek 2, and Shrek the Third.

Animation Mentor is a state-of-the-art online animation school focused on teaching the art and craft of animation. The school catalogue includes workshops (Maya Workshop: Animation Basics [3]) and programs (Character Animation Program [4] and Animals & Creatures: Master Class [5]). Mentors conduct classes online and use the school’s proprietary eCritique tool to hold one-on-one sessions with students where they can draw directly on the work and offer support, guidance, and feedback. By learning to receive and integrate feedback, Animation Mentor students graduate ready to contribute on their first day on the job as real professional animators.

Source: Animation Mentor