Animation. How to get in?

gapmunky

I wish to apply for animation this year in IADT, the requirements are 635 points whihch includes a portfolio of a maximum possible 600 points.

i have a decent portfolio built so far with my best drawings, sketches, digital work, life drawing, hand drawings, feet drawings, even some flash animations such as walk cycle and bouncing ball and leaf fall.

the only problem is the competition, apparently 600 people apply every year to a class of 25, and since the points have gone down from 800 to 635 im guessing that means more people will be applying!

ive already taken a year off to work ony portfolio, and couldnt bare another year of waiting so any tips anyone? especially if you're a current animation student?

p.s im also doing a portfolio preparation class every saturday in IADT, and a FETAL LVL5 multimedia course twice a week which apparently links in to animation.

thanks,
Zenith:p

Rhyme

Not in animation myself but i know a few people in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of the course so i can ask a few questions tomorrow and get back to you then. Hopefully might get some word back from some of their tutors as well, fingers crossed.

What i've seen though, details like line quality in drawing (both imaginative and from life) is important and some of the folks that i know in the course had a leg up by having storyboards and the like in their portfolio.

With those flash animations you've done, you have a nice advantage as a lot of those cycles appear in first year and are the basis for much of the work then and in second year.

gapmunky

Rhyme wrote: »

Not in animation myself but i know a few people in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of the course so i can ask a few questions tomorrow and get back to you then. Hopefully might get some word back from some of their tutors as well, fingers crossed.

What i've seen though, details like line quality in drawing (both imaginative and from life) is important and some of the folks that i know in the course had a leg up by having storyboards and the like in their portfolio.

With those flash animations you've done, you have a nice advantage as a lot of those cycles appear in first year and are the basis for much of the work then and in second year.

yeah i forgot to mention i have 2 storboards done, and they're pretty well sussed out, one of them i even coloured out on photoshop and the portfolio preparation class teacher/past student, johnathan byrne thought they were good and told me what mistakes to fix! thanks again

Sammag

I did animation in DLCAD - now IADT - back in '94 (showing my age )
To sum up, long story short etc.. just make sure to have tones of (good) life drawing in your portfolio - at least 50-60%. They're looking for candidates with a strong eye for observation and being able to translate that onto paper, not for people with a book full of the stuff they're going to teach you how to produce properly. Don't waste your time photoshopping stuff, whilst they may look good and of a good standard, realistically they aren't interested in showing you how to use a computer program, knowing IADT they'll be keener to instruct you in the hands on basics and introduce computers at a much later date.

Best of luck.

Mad - just re-read your original post - Johnathan Byrne was in my class back in '94...

gapmunky

haha cool yeah john showed us the videos of his classes final year, which one was yours??

Sammag

gapmunky wrote: »

haha cool yeah john showed us the videos of his classes final year, which one was yours??

Unfortunately I have no final movie as I moved to Graphic Design/Design Communications aka 'DL009' after realising peg bars and watching Manga cartoons every lunch weren't quite part of my grand plan in life

Tell me - is John still tall and skinny with light brown curly hair?

gapmunky

haha well hes not skinny anymore and his hair is disappearing rapidly.. in fact id class him as a monk if he wore robes and sandals!

Sammag

Yeah - that's the same guy alright. Even when he was tall, skinny with short-ish floppy curly light brown hair - he always looked like he's make a perfect monk

If you get talking to him again - ask him if he remembers Trevor from Ballinteer from his original '94 class?

Also - do you know is the head still there - can't for the life of me think of his name now - he was an old-ish dude with a grey beard. Came across as a really decent sort but was a pr*ck underneath... *God am now wrecking my head trying to think of the bugger's name*

gapmunky

i dont think so! if is he i havent seen him ! yeah ill be seeing John tomorrow ill ask him!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2BCVQWODP0

thats johns youtube!

gapmunky

Kevin Rafteris the head now,

benjyboo

Are the points expected to go up/down in this course or to stay roughly the same??

gapmunky

they went down from 800 to 635 in the last year so i doubt theyd go down further

atgate

gapmunky wrote: »

they went down from 800 to 635 in the last year so i doubt theyd go down further

The fall in CAO points was partly due to them taking more students in last year. I'm not sure how many they're taking this year but I suspect the points may go up a little.

benjyboo

Yeah i think the points could go up too, apparantly the number of applicants to Art and Design courses(through the CAO) went up by about 70% this year... :eek:

Saruwatari

I'm heading in tomorrow to have my portfolio assessed.
What do they expect out of you storyboard wise? What size are they meant to be?
Also, I hafta' stay from 9 till 5 later tomorrow, its gonna be a draining and boring day...

atgate

Saruwatari wrote: »

I'm heading in tomorrow to have my portfolio assessed.
What do they expect out of you storyboard wise? What size are they meant to be?
Also, I hafta' stay from 9 till 5 later tomorrow, its gonna be a draining and boring day...

I don't think they look for a set size. In film we like to see them laid out left to right landscape with like 6 panels on a page, but there's no hard or fast rules (except that they're not cr@p )

If you have an urgent need to make a train, oral exam, dentist appointment etc.tell them when you drop it in and they might rush it through

irishmonkey

Saruwatari wrote: »

I'm heading in tomorrow to have my portfolio assessed.
What do they expect out of you storyboard wise? What size are they meant to be?
Also, I hafta' stay from 9 till 5 later tomorrow, its gonna be a draining and boring day...

Get the dart into town, then return later in the day

Saruwatari

atgate wrote: »

I don't think they look for a set size. In film we like to see them laid out left to right landscape with like 6 panels on a page, but there's no hard or fast rules (except that they're not cr@p )

If you have an urgent need to make a train, oral exam, dentist appointment etc.tell them when you drop it in and they might rush it through

Ah, thanks for the prompt reply! I better get cracking on it then...
I don't really have an urgent need to go anywhere though.
Also, what bus route from O' Connell street is it that takes you pretty much straight up by IADT?

Rhyme

Saruwatari wrote: »

Ah, thanks for the prompt reply! I better get cracking on it then...
I don't really have an urgent need to go anywhere though.
Also, what bus route from O' Connell street is it that takes you pretty much straight up by IADT?

46A.

Catch it from the Talbot Street side of O'Connell St.

The 746 leaves from the same place and goes the same route as the 46A by Bakers Corner.

Saruwatari

Thanks a bunch Rhyme! I couldn't remember it nor work it out through IADT's map directions...

Rhyme

They're a little vague on the site and they don't take into account where you get off the bus and the numerous stops involved.

I dropped a map into another thread in case it's needed (i got off at the wrong stop two days in a row myself)



If you're coming from town, you'll be coming from the right fork.

gapmunky

now to play the waiting game.. tick..tock

benjyboo

Oh good luck, when will you know if you've been accepted?

gapmunky

i find out what grade i get in my portfolio early May,
and i dont know if i get into the college till August ..
T_T

benjyboo

Have you applied for anything else or is that your one and only?
Oh and are you applying through the Fetac award or with your LC results?

Sorry if i seem nosey... i'm just really interested in doing animation!:)

gapmunky

im aplying through leaving cert results and the fetac is going to be included,
and ive applyed for animation in a place called cholaiste dhulaigh in coolock and they just told me straight away im in at the interview, but id rather not go there tbh!

benjyboo

Yeah iadt is a lovely place,i was up for the open day and i fell in love with it!!Oh yeah cholaiste dhulaigh...you'd have 2 years at iadt if you went that route wouldn't ya?
What about ballyfermott?

gapmunky

benjyboo wrote: »

Yeah iadt is a lovely place,i was up for the open day and i fell in love with it!!Oh yeah cholaiste dhulaigh...you'd have 2 years at iadt if you went that route wouldn't ya?
What about ballyfermott?

yeah ideally i should've applied to ballyfermot i think i can apply in a couple of months as a late applicant im not sure, dont know why i didnt apply really! i want to go to iadt , nowhere else really!=s

Rhyme

gapmunky wrote: »

im aplying through leaving cert results and the fetac is going to be included,
and ive applyed for animation in a place called cholaiste dhulaigh in coolock and they just told me straight away im in at the interview, but id rather not go there tbh!

Dhulaigh is a nice place but is more of a transition in my opinion. I did the portfolio course there and it's served me really well.

Good luck with the application, hope all goes well.

gapmunky

I got 600 points in my portfolio so very happy! But i still haveto wait till August to see if i get accepted! Is it likely i will?

atgate

gapmunky wrote: »

I got 600 points in my portfolio so very happy! But i still haveto wait till August to see if i get accepted! Is it likely i will?

With 600 in you portfolio you stand a very good chance. What did you get in your mocks? And what are your (realistic) expectations in the LC?