Animation Mentor, founded in Berkeley, Calif., by veterans of Pixar Animation Studios and Industrial Light & Magic, teaches students how to create animated characters. The school offers an 18-month Web-based course in drawing characters from the basics to the complex.
Unlike other animation schools, Animation Mentor's teachers don't worry about training students how to use the latest in digital technology, such as the software Pixar uses to create movies entirely on networks of computers.
Animation Mentor also differs from nearly all other such schools in another key aspect: Its classes are offered entirely and solely via the Internet.
"When we came up with the idea for this school, we figured the Internet would work great for our courses," said Bobby Beck, co- founder and chief executive officer of Animation Mentor. Beck teamed up with Shawn Kelly, an ILM senior animator; and Pixar animator Carlos Baena to co-found Animation Mentor in 2004. The company opened its doors in March 2005 and graduated its first class in September 2006.
"With lectures at bricks-and-mortars schools, we found we could only do one or two things really well," Beck said. "We might give a great lecture, but then we were out of time."
By using the Web, Animation Mentor teachers can prepare lectures ahead of time and the students can access the lectures at their convenience.
"A student can log on any time and they can watch the lectures on their own time," Beck said.
Instructors, which the school also call mentors, can work on their own time. Teachers provide students an "e-critique" of their work. The instructor, using software developed by Animation Mentor, can electronically draw on top of the student's work, making suggested changes.
Working with small groups of students, the instructors also can conduct a question-and-answer session. The instructors are animators at studios such as Pixar, ILM, DreamWorks Animation, and Blue Sky.
"When we started, people heard about us through word of mouth," said Beck, who worked at Pixar for about six years. "With the Internet, things are so viral, that our growth has become exponential."
At the end of its first year, Animation Mentor now has 700 students and 28 employees and seeks to hire at least two more, according to a posting on its Web site. The company now occupies 6,700 square feet in Berkeley but is preparing to move to 14,000 square feet in Emeryville, Calif.
Animation Mentor's first four graduation classes produced a placement rate of 74 percent, a figure that Beck calls "pretty high," especially for a relatively new school.
When students graduate, they obtain a diploma in Advanced Studies in Character Animation. A catalog posted on the school's Web site estimated the tuition for the spring 2008 term would be $16,350. The diploma is accredited through the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education.
"Initially, the studios weren't too sure about what we were doing," Beck said. "Now they are very interested. They have hired several of our students."
Mark Paasche, a San Leandro, Calif., resident, started classes in April and is pleased about the experience.
"I was a little skeptical about an online school, but so far the experience is amazing," Paasche said. "It has gone well beyond what I had expected. I never thought I would feel close to a student living in New York or Canada. But we are all in the same boat together. We have all learned from each other."
Some of the most talented animators in the industry help teach the students. Matt Strangio of El Cerrito, Calif., landed contract jobs with Industrial Light & Magic and Lucas Games after he graduated from Animation Mentor.
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