L.A.-based Gnomon tops the animation ranking, while Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is the No. 1 VFX school.
The Rookies, an annual awards and mentor platform sponsored by Autodesk for young creatives, has released its Global Rankings Report: Best Creative Media & Entertainment Schools in the World 2017.
Put together with the help of Oscar-winning judges, like Joe Letteri from Weta Digital and 60 more equally influential industry veterans from around the world, the report ranks schools across five categories: Best Animation Schools; Best Digital Illustration Schools; Motion Graphics Schools; Game Design & Development Schools and Visual Effects Schools.
The report’s findings are based on a methodology that assesses the quality of work and performance of students who enter The Rookies.
“We feel that traditional school rankings that include peer and employer reviews, faculty-to-student ratio, citations and other data are not adequate when ranking the best creative schools,” says Andrew McDonald, co-founder of The Rookies. “This might work in an industry that follows a more-traditional career path, however, when it comes to technical and creative roles like visual effects, feature animation and games, it’s a lot more complicated.”
At a time when studios report a lack of skilled students applying for entry-level roles, Alwyn Hunt, co-founder of The Rookies, reveals, “We have students from all over the world ask The Rookies about the best schools. It’s crucial for reports like these that highlight to students where they should study”.
Overview of report results:
Best Animation Schools 2017
1. Gnomon, Los Angeles, United States
2. Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Ludwigsburg, Germany
3. Think Tank Training Centre, Vancouver, Canada
4. Vancouver Film School, Vancouver, Canada
5. University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
6. Bellecour Ecole, Lyon, France
7. Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
8(=). ArtFx, Montpellier, France
8(=). Howest University – DAE, Kortrijk, Belgium
8(=). SUPINFOCOM Rubika, Multiple Locations
Best Digital Illustration Schools 2017
1. Flinders University / CDW Studios, Adelaide, Australia
2. New3dge, Paris, France
3. Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design, Toronto, Canada
4(=). Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, United States
4(=). The One Academy, Malaysia, Malaysia
6(=). 3dsense Media School, Singapore, Singapore
6(=). HOWEST, Kortrijk, Belgium
8. Gnomon, Los Angeles, United States
9. Vancouver Film School, Vancouver, Canada
10. University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Best Motion Graphics Schools 2017
1. Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, United States
2. Vancouver Film School, Vancouver, Canada
3. Billy Blue College of Design, Australia
4. 3D College Denmark, Grenaa, Denmark
5(=). 3dsense Media School, Singapore, Singapore
5(=). Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore, Singapore
5(=). Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida, United States
8. HOWEST, Kortrijk, Belgium
Best Game Design & Development Schools 2017
1. Howest University – DAE, Kortrijk, Belgium
2. The Game Assembly, Malmo, Sweden
3. Gnomon, Los Angeles, United States
4. University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
5. Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida, United States
6(=). Objectif 3D, Montpellier, France
6(=). Think Tank Training Centre, Vancouver, Canada
8(=). Academy of Art University, San Francisco, United States
8(=). New3dge, Paris, France
10. 3dsense Media School, Singapore, Singapore
Best Visual Effects School 2017
1. Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Ludwigsburg, Germany
2. Think Tank Training Centre, Vancouver, Canada
3. Gnomon, Los Angeles, United States
4. ArtFx, Montpellier, France
5. Lost Boys | School of Visual Effects, Canada
6. Academy of Art University, San Francisco, United States
7. Vancouver Film School, Vancouver, Canada
8. New3dge, Paris, France
9. 3dsense Media School, Singapore, Singapore
10. Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Source: The Rookies
Tom McLean has been writing for years about animation from a secret base in Los Angeles.
