BFA (Animation)

At cca, all animation is a process of experimentation. Our program’s collaborative environment encourages students to learn from one another, deepen their understanding of character and emotion, and hone their technical expertise.

• With guidance from animation artists and industry professionals, you’ll learn how to make 2D animation, 3D animation, animation for video games, stop-motion animation, and more. Our BFA in Animation program is STEM-designated.
• Develop your skills in animation to create authentic characters and stories that have a real impact.

Studios & Shops
Approach animation as a fine artist

• At the heart of our curriculum is rigorous interdisciplinarity, meaning you’ll extend your artistic reach beyond the work of a standard animation studio. You’ll study the media of the fine artist—drawing, sculpture, acting, storytelling—to develop your unique film grammar, including the way you build your frames, shots, scenes, and sequences. This kind of immersive, interdisciplinary practice not only shapes you into a well-rounded maker, but also gives you an edge when you enter the industry.

Experiment in our open-lab environment

• Our various studios, shops, and labs are spaces to develop core studio skills, including life drawing, color and design, digital painting, storytelling and dialogue, acting, and character animation. State-of-the-art equipment, such as our 24-inch Cintiq monitors, help students hone their technical expertise in 3D animation, sound effects, layout and lighting, and post-production processes. 

State-of-the-art animation tools

• Drawing light table
• S27-inch iMac workstations
• Wacom Cintiq displays for digital drawing
• Dragonframe, TVPaint Animation, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Toon Boom's Harmony and Storyboard Pro
• Down-shooter cameras for stop-motion animation
• Foley room for voice-overs and sound effects
• Sound studio for mixing and editing soundtracks
• Latest Autodesk software, including Maya and Mudbox
• Hybrid Lab for experimental making

Careers
Well-rounded storytellers

• Our students graduate from the program with a strong foundation in fine arts. Alumni are prepared to combine their love for animation entertainment with the technical skills needed to work in filmmaking and gaming or to establish their own personal art practices. They find success in roles at award-winning studios, such as Bento Box Entertainment; write and illustrate graphic novels; work as 3D artists for game design companies, such as Encyclopedia Pictura; and exhibit their artwork in museums and galleries.

Potential career paths

• Animator at a small- or medium-sized studio
• Animator at a major studio like Pixar or Blue Sky
• Visual development artists for a film or television studio
• Visual development artist for gaming
• 3D asset creator for a gaming studio
• Independent animation artist