As one of the largest private accredited art and design colleges in the US, Academy of Art University works to create spaces for students to learn real skills from hands-on experiences with working professionals and projects. Some of its major partnerships have included working with Subaru, Jaguar, and more.
Catherine Tate and the School of Animation and Visual Effects
One of the leaders working to make these opportunities possible is Catherine Tate, the Director of 3D Animation for the School of Animation and Visual Effects. Tate has worked on over sixty motion pictures and short films throughout her career as both VFX Supervisor and compositor. She worked on set and post production for Fruitvale Station, the 2013 winner of the audience and grand jury awards at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition she worked at Industrial Light and Magic for a decade as a compositor where she participated on several projects such as “Star Wars” and “Men in Black.”
Studio X
At Academy of Art University, Tate is widely recognized for her collaborative studio based classes called StudioX, a student run experience that emulates what a real animation and VFX production environment looks like. Students are given the chance to work with real clients on the creation process of films and games where they have real deadlines and problems to solve. The ‘X’ in Studio X emphasizes the powerful eXperience students can gain by preparing for their animation careers.
Catherine Tate
StudioX has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, East Bay Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, KGO News, and more.
Recently several students contributed to the Oscar-nominated film for Best Foreign Language Film, “Theeb” by taking on many of the effects including explosion sequences and cosmetic adjustments. Producer, Rupert Lloyd described his positive experience with StudioX, “The Academy’s contribution to this film was invaluable, they were so professional.”
StudioX also features FAT (Feature Animation Training) Tuesdays where classes are offered and taught on Tuesday nights by major industry professionals who have worked for notable companies such as Pixar, Magic, and Industrial Light. The program is tailored for students who are interested in getting into the animation industry and perfecting their skills to jump start their career after graduation. Classes include principles of animation and more performance based classes.
This program has also helped lead students into thriving animation careers. Several Studio X graduates now work for Cosa VFX as digital artists, compositors, and animators who specialize in a wide array of visual effects. They’ve gone on to work on major projects such as “Stranger Things,” “Gothom,” and “Agents of SHIELD.”
Catherine Tate goes more into detail about her career at Academy of Art University and her passion for StudioX and animation:
Can you tell us your career background and your journey to Academy of Art University?
I worked as a compositor on dozens of feature films and commercials for Industrial Light and Magic and other large post production companies for over 12 years.I’ve always been interested in teaching and the opportunity came up here at the Academy. It felt like I was meant to be here. Working with the students, has been, by far, the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. As we started to evolve the visual effects program, I was able to bring in independent films for the students to work on in a studio environment. This allowed me to continue to be active and grow as a Visual Effects Supervisor and artist with the priority of helping the students get real world experience working on shots in a structured educational environment. We got to be onset and produce visual effects with Ryan Coogler on his first feature film, Fruitvale Station. How cool is it to get that kind of experience in college!
What is the one thing that you enjoy the most about working at Academy of Art University?
The people I get to meet and work with. The students inspire me every day. I feel connected to them whether they are just starting to learn about the industry or have some experience coming in. We get a wide range of students from around the globe with variable skills . This challenges and inspires me. I also get to work with the top people in the animation and film industry. I’m very lucky.
Academy of Art University students gather around at StudioX
What sets Academy’s School of Animation & Visual Effects apart from the rest?
I think StudioX is unique to our school. We have been supporting the students working in a supervised production environment for over ten years. This not only is great for their portfolio but also for their success working in a pipeline with a team. It doesn’t make sense for them to work on their own all of the time. We also have a world class team of instructors who are currently working in the industry.
We all know the importance of a portfolio in application to a good job. What do you think, are the most critical factors or characteristics in a successful portfolio?
A successful portfolio (or demo reel for animation and visual effects,) should only have your very best work and showcase a variety of skills in your area of focus. It should usually be no longer than two minutes. For someone coming out of school, it may even be less than a minute long. It is important to let go of any work that is not excellent. For animation, the work should have something unique to you in it. This often is the element that brings the work to life.
What is the one (or more) trend in the animation and visual effects industry that excites you?
I’m especially excited about how animation and visual effects is expanding in areas like high definition streaming, and real time rendering on a live action set. Also the 360 environment work is an exciting medium and it will be interesting to see how that settles in and integrates in entertainment and other industries. Our work is more visible and high quality than ever!
Catherine Tate is one of the many passionate faculty members working to create an innovative learning environment for students to gain real world experience at Academy of Art University.
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