Reader comments
BYU center to develop animation creations
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WaltD | 6:49 a.m. March 28, 2008
BYU must be awash in money, spending millions of dollars on a program so that
Pixar will hire "three or four" students a year. Why is a universiy in
the animation business?
Dave | 8:40 a.m. March 28, 2008
Private donors have provided generous donations to many programs--including
animation which has developed between programs in the colleges of Fine Arts
& Communications and Engineering & Technology. These films involve
skills in many different areas, and most of these students are well-qualified in
many other traditional subjects. In fact, that is a good part of what makes BYU
students valuable is their well-rounded education.
Re: WaltD | 8:53 a.m. March 28, 2008
Pixar is not the only animator. I have friends who have graduated from the
program that work at EA Games, Pixar, Microsoft, NVidea, SkyWalker Ranch and ILM
to name few. BYU places nearly all of their animation grads in thei field
within 6 months of graduation.
Investing in one of the schools most successful programs is what schools should do, as long as it doesn't cause other programs to fall behind the curve.
Investing in one of the schools most successful programs is what schools should do, as long as it doesn't cause other programs to fall behind the curve.
Comments continue below
Robb | 10:16 a.m. March 28, 2008
"Why is a universiy in the animation business?"
Because computer animation and computer graphics are the wave of the future. Did you know that from cars to kitchens, everything is first designed on a computer these days?
The skills learned in this animation program are transferrable any number of computer modeling fields. Thank goodnes BYU is at the cutting edge! I only hope my son will be able to get into the program or one like it at the University of Utah.
Because computer animation and computer graphics are the wave of the future. Did you know that from cars to kitchens, everything is first designed on a computer these days?
The skills learned in this animation program are transferrable any number of computer modeling fields. Thank goodnes BYU is at the cutting edge! I only hope my son will be able to get into the program or one like it at the University of Utah.
BYU wife | 11:51 a.m. March 28, 2008
Being a wife of a member of this animation program I can tell you that the money
is well spent and the students in this program work hard. They know that Pixar
is not the be all end all, they are happy to get a job anywhere in the industry.
It's not about what studio they work at, it is about doing something they
love.
Waste | 11:58 a.m. March 28, 2008
The university also invests millions of dollars on undergrads who get a degree
in the humanities who can't get a job in their field of study and resort to
waiting tables and other low-skill employment. The animation program is a
success
Jaded | 2:57 p.m. March 28, 2008
What about the hopeful students who pour their lives (and funds) into the
university and get nothing? I am now competing for work with graduates of trade
schools and some who didn't even attend school. I graduated from BYU with
honors and didn't borrow a dime for my education.
Joe Solomon | 10:50 p.m. March 28, 2008
I think Walt's point is that animation students are only focused on their
one area and could probably gain their skills in a tech school setting - they
don't need to be in a university setting. The church could save a lot of
money by moving this and similar programs to the LDS Business School (which has
Graphic Design and Interior Design programs)and making it a 2-3 year program.
BFA Degree | 1:50 p.m. March 29, 2008
Yes, except that these students graduate with a BFA degree and get a well
rounded education instead of a trade school education. There could be long
arguments about whether this is a good or a bad thing, but let me tell you that
studios like Pixar who hire a lot more BFA degrees than trade-school graduates
think it is a good thing.
Chris | 11:25 p.m. March 29, 2008
The program only exists because of private donations. The university alone
couldn't even come close to covering the costs.
Chris | 1:03 a.m. March 30, 2008
The animation program could not exists without private donors. The university
couldn't come close to funding the program without external support.
Pixar Employee | 2:49 p.m. March 31, 2008
My husband went to BYU and graduated a few years ago.He had wonderful mentors
like Brent and Kelli.He went to Pixar on an internship and now works there full
time. This new program will be excellent for future graduates.Pixar loves hiring
people from BYU because they're good people and they know what they're
doing (thanks to great instructors who model their production process after
Pixar!).It's true that Pixar does hire according to skill and experience,
and not necessarily a degree, but it's always nice to have something to
fall back on!And usually Pixar wants their technical directors to have
experience before being hired.Pixar is hiring BYU students basically straight
out of school!That's awesome!It's great that BYU has received the
funding for this new center.It really puts BYU on the map!
Idiots | 6:02 p.m. March 31, 2008
Wow, instead of being impressed and proud of an educational institution for its
excellence, you morons (WaltD and Joe) have nothing better to do than think of
ways to cut their level of education and funding. Have you even investigated
where the funding comes from? Have you ever heard of private donors? Are you
so myopic as to think that your field of "expertise" is the only
worthwhile one? My talents happen to be in music, but of course that just
won't pay well or contribute to society, so all universities should just
cut music, along with humanities, dance, art, and so on.
insider | 10:56 a.m. April 1, 2008
The argument that they could learn this skill at a tech school is short sighted.
A BFA isn't just about learning to run a mouse around the desktop. In
order for art/animation/or any other creative form to be more than just copying
what was done before, it must be informed by cultural literacy. That is why this
program excels. BYU is able to offer graduates that aren't just technically
proficient, but also well traveled, well read, well schooled. It is the
difference between an architect and a draftsman, a physician's assistant
and a doctor, a studio musician and a composer. This doesn't even touch on
the necessity for understanding the technology not just as a tool but to a depth
that allows them to push for even more innovation. Think private pilot vs test
pilot...one is more likely to have the experience to say, "hey, why
don't we try this...it's never been done before, but I think if we
just..." THAT's what makes Pixar the best in the business, and it is
what they are looking for in an animation program.
Adam | 8:31 a.m. April 3, 2008
I think it is worthwhile for us all to look at where we spend out time and money
(in this case, Walt suggests that Animation may not be the place for BYU to
invest). But I would say, other than the comments about external funding for the
program, that the animation program serves, as the football program and others,
as a recruiting tool. The animation program is a complete and continuing success
and many high school students recognize that a successful animation program
means that the arts and sciences are alive at BYU. Even if the student has no
intention of applying for the Animation program, it serves a purpose.
Education is education | 12:38 a.m. April 10, 2008
The animation program has a very useful place at BYU for many reasons. Training
a person for a job is only a small part of a university's mission. There
are many skills taught at universities which could easily be (and often are)
taught at tech schools. The university may, or may not, teach those skills as
well as or better than the tech schools do, but that misses the point.
University students not only learn skills necessary to get a job, they receive
an education that hopefully makes of them a more creative, informed,
well-rounded individual. Education has great value completely apart from the
ability to get a job. This is true even for humanities majors. I never spent a
single day working in the field in which I received my undergrad degree at BYU,
and I am still very grateful for that education. I took interesting courses from
interesting professors that continue to affect my life 30 years later for
reasons that have nothing to do with my profession. Why can't we just value
education for the sake of education?
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The BYU Center for Animation's newest film, "Pajama Gladiator," features a boy named Eli battling alien adversaries.
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