Digital animation: Wave of the future

If you look at the Classified Ads sections of newspapers, there are the job openings that you will mostly likely find: multimedia specialist, graphic designer, desktop artist, computer layout artist, art director, video editor, videographic artist, Web developer/designer, computer software instructor, flash animator, 3D animator, animation in-betweener, scan operator, digital 2D painter/compositor, information editor, visual merchandiser and other related positions.

Equally diverse are the companies and industries that are looking to hire well-trained digital artists: a furniture export firm, an international ATM/credit card company, a franchise and business consultancy, a leading clothing manufacturer, a top TV network, architecture and design firms in Saudi Arabia and Papua New Guinea, an international school, call centers, drug laboratories, a conglomerate which is into logistics, transportation, warehousing and distribution, a pre-need plan corporation, real estate developers, IT and business process outsourcing providers, a government agency, a respected accounting firm, a leading newspaper, and the Philippine Animation Studio.

This shows that Filipinos have a whole lot of options other than careers in the call center, medical transcription, nursing or caregiving industries.

Given the present global trend and their superior creativity, Filipinos should, in fact, pursue a career in digital animation.

Animation revenue worldwide is projected to reach $70 billion before the end of the year and as high as $142 billion by 2008.

However, the Philippines only captured a mere $40 million in revenue last year or less than one percent of the global market despite its well-earned status as one of the leading providers of backroom animation services.

Local industry figures show that a 25 percent annual increase in revenue is foreseen for the country’s 24 animation service providers. This will boost the local manpower demand to at least 1,500 computer animators over the next two to four years.

This is where the First Computer Arts Academy (FCCA) comes in. The school, located on the second floor of the Saville building on 8728 Paseo de Roxas Avenue corner Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, offers extensive, short-term courses like Digital Arts Program, Print Media Arts, Advanced Graphic Arts, Animation Media, Web Design and 3D Animation.

Visual arts

The school aims to provide a new and more cost-effective way for Filipinos to discover their talent in visual arts. Its modules were designed with the working professional in mind. Courses take only a few months to finish and there are classes at night and on weekends.

"We take away the nitty-gritty and give our students what they need to excel," says Wilfredo Lao, FCCA managing consultant.

The school is no diploma mill either. A student must submit course projects like digital art studies, retouching, composition, illustrations, identity design, color matching and composition studies, photorealistic imaging, color correction, and art exhibition development.

To maintain quality, each class is limited to eight students. There are four kinds of certifications: attendance, completion, proficiency, and excellence. A serious student must aim for the last two.

"Our students are already considered employable once they graduate and walk out our doors," affirms Lao.

Students come from all walks of life. There are children, high school and college students, professionals and even retirees.

Just two months after graduating from an intensive three-month, thrice-a-week Digital Arts Program from FCAA, 23-year-old Diana Dy applied for and got accepted for her first job as a video-graphic editor for a leading TV network.

Dy had a Fine Arts/Industrial Design degree from a top university. However, she felt that her knowledge of computer design software was inadequate. She decided to check out several short-term certificate courses and finally opted to pursue fine arts, her initial passion and what she had trained for, but in its more current and popular reincarnation, digital arts.

Dy breezed through the modules in print media, advanced graphic arts and animation media, allowing her to compile a portfolio that demonstrated her potential for digital artistry.

"With digital arts training under my belt, I am better qualified for a career in a number of industries," Dy says.

First Computer Arts Academy offers a free three-hour workshop for those who want to know if a career in digital arts is for them.

For more information, call 898-2274 to 26 or log on to www.firstacademy.net.