While film companies seem to be closing down their 2-D animation
studios in favor of digital work, UCLA’s animation department
is keeping its doors open.
As 3-D animation becomes an increasingly popular and accepted
form, many UCLA students are finding that making the switch
requires more than putting down a pencil and picking up a
mouse.
“It’s a mix between still being an artist and
learning the software, and then going back to being an artist
again,” said third-year animation student Mark Nelson.
The increase in 3-D animation projects among students has been
very apparent, according to third-year animation student Ellen
Brenner. While last year she only saw a few students doing 3-D
animation, this year, she said it seems like everyone has chosen to
be involved in 3-D projects.
“Part of it is that 3-D is a lot more accessible,”
said Brenner. “The computers are really smart, and as a
student, you can create something pretty professional, and
that’s a big draw.”
Still, that doesn’t mean 2-D animation will fully be
erased.
“The fact is everyone has to draw at the very
beginning,” said Brenner. “Pre-planning will always be
picking up the pencil.”
For Nelson, the choice to focus his work on 3-D animation had
more to do with finding a good job rather than personal taste.
“I can do whatever I want, but I guess I sort of sold
out,” he said. “(3-D is) where all the work is. You
literally can’t get work if you don’t have at least the
ability to do 3-D.”
And while people certainly are consciously aware of digitally
animated movies like “Finding Nemo” or
“Shrek,” they may not realize how much 3-D animation
they see on a daily basis.
“One hundred percent of all commercials these days have
moving graphics, and a good number of those are incorporating 3-D
graphics as well,” Nelson said. “Whether it’s
Chevron talking cars, or cruising magic cleaning bubbles, 3-D is
being seen everywhere.”
However, not everyone agrees that the future of animation will
be necessarily dominated by 3-D. Dug Ward, manager of UCLA’s
Animation Facilities, says that in a field where people are
constantly looking for something new and exciting, 3-D animation is
just the flavor of the month.
“The films that have come out in 3-D have had good quality
stories guiding them,” said Ward. “All it will take to
put the nail in the coffin for 3-D is for Pixar or Dreamworks to
release just a few flops, and people will start believing that 3-D
is over.”
Digital technology is always changing. Many colleges are
changing completely, but Ward says the answer is in keeping it
simple. According to Ward, many colleges buy expensive software and
have students teach themselves the programs before they’ve
even learned the basics.
“We teach our students the same basic stuff we’ve
been teaching for years,” said Ward. “It’s just
like learning how to drive a car: No matter how you learn to shift
and steer, in the end, you still have to drive the car and not hit
anything.”
Learning the new software required for creating 3-D animation is
no simple task. According to Brenner, many students devote an
entire quarter to learning how to work MAYA, the 3-D software
program used by the UCLA animation department.
“I think 3-D is more difficult, because there’s like
a million things you have to learn. It’s sort of like flying
an airplane,” said third-year animation student Anahita
Mobarhna.
But while animation’s form will continue to change, the
formula for a successful film will always remain the same.
“You can do animation with a pencil and some paper and a
camera, or you can do it with a $50,000 computer,” said Ward.
“But in the end, the way you put together a story is always
the same, and that’s what’s most important.”