Enrolling in an animation class as a high school student is highly beneficial.
In recent years, animation has become more critical than ever for filmmaking, television production, and video making. Animation is the process of creating the illusion of motion by creating a rapidly changing display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other. This creative field blends technology and art to produce dynamic content across various media.
Thankfully, the best animation classes for teenagers can help them transition into various college courses and career roles by naturally building their skills and introducing them to many different subjects. These include essential drawing, designing, and technological skills that can enhance a teen’s animation and make it more effective. Any teenager who loves animation should take these courses to become more skilled in this advanced subject.
Ways Teens Can Learn Animation in and Out of School
Teenagers fascinated by animation can utilize various types of learning opportunities to advance their skills. These include a broad range of unique classes handled by multiple training teams, including classes directly in school and beyond. The sheer diversity of learning options should make it fairly easy for teens from all walks of life to master animation in exciting ways:
- In-School: In many schools, teenagers can take graphic design or animation classes to get started in this field right away. For example, high schoolers can build their abilities during these early classes before transitioning into more hands-on learning opportunities. Even better, they’ll work hands-on to produce fun work for a portfolio.
- After School: Teenagers who already have a lot on their plate during class or who can’t get into or find appropriate graphic design or animation classes could sign up for after-school programs. Some learning facilities provide fun and fast-paced after-school courses, while others pair with private institutions and colleges.
- Dual-Enrollment: Students who live near a college may find dual-enrollment courses a fantastic opportunity. Taking these classes earns high school and college credits, which helps teens build their experience and gain better skills. Any teenager serious about animation and wanting to attend college should try this option to learn more.
- Private Learning: Teens in rural areas with minimal learning opportunities can take online summer camps with a boot camp feel. These camps are designed to quickly introduce teenagers to a subject and immerse them in it completely. Often fast-paced and affordable compared to college, they’re an excellent opportunity for high schoolers.
Animation Lessons Teens Learn in Their Training
During their animation courses, teenagers will learn a myriad of different skills arranged in three tiers: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each section covers specific topics and builds on them slowly for teenagers. For example, editing techniques learned in early classes will later be used to craft more advanced work, including full-length films. By progressing through these levels one step at a time, teenagers can ensure that they learn the following skills:
- Beginner: Teenagers start by learning fundamental animation principles like squash and stretch, anticipation, and timing. They explore simple sequences, focusing on motion and weight. Introduction to basic animation software such as Adobe Animate or Toon Boom covers essential tools and functions. They may also learn storyboarding.
- Intermediate: At this stage, teens delve into character design and rigging, learning to create expressive characters and manipulate skeletons for animation. They explore intermediate techniques like lip-syncing and secondary motion, adding nuance and realism. Additionally, they learn to animate complex scenes and integrate characters.
- Advanced: Teens master advanced software like Blender or Maya, diving into 3D animation and sophisticated techniques such as advanced rigging and particle effects. They explore storytelling through narrative structure, pacing, and cinematic techniques, including camera movement. Then, they complete a useful portfolio of awesome work.
Understanding Animation and Its Uses for Teenagers
Animation is not just about cartoons (though it’s still used to produce fun kid’s shows and even more advanced adult-oriented shows); it is a versatile medium used in numerous fields. In fact, it moves well beyond entertainment and falls into some pretty surprising areas that should capture the imagination of just about any student. Just a few options to consider here include:
- Film Production and Movies: Creating animated sequences and effects for films can be a very rewarding experience for teenagers. Today’s modern animation scene is arguably the best it's ever been, with companies like Pixar making true works of art. Teenagers who want to express their visions with animation will enjoy these courses.
- YouTube Content: Developing engaging animated videos for educational or entertainment purposes lets teenagers build engaging and unforgettable YouTube channels. With some makers earning millions of dollars, YouTube and other platforms, at the very least, provide a powerful platform for people to express their creative animation.
- Personal Projects: Even if teenagers don’t become professional animators, learning these skills helps them bring personal stories and ideas to life through animation. For instance, they could make fun projects with simple-to-use software that streamlines this creative process and makes it easier for them to capture their vision and present it.
- Advertising and Marketing: Crafting eye-catching animated adverts that capture viewer interest and convey information dynamically helps teenagers market themselves and others. For example, teens who master animation may literally become marketers or simply try to advertise themselves and their artwork to capture a larger audience.
Benefits of Learning Animation for High School Students
Studying animation offers significant advantages, particularly for high school students. Learning these lessons early can help high schoolers master basic concepts early and take them to more advanced courses. That’s huge if teens plan on becoming professional animators or if they simply want to enhance their skills for personal use. Just a few benefits of mastering animation early in a teen’s educational career include:
- Ease of Use: Modern software has made animation more accessible than ever, even for beginners. As a result, it should be surprisingly easy for teenagers to master the basics of animation. That said, it will still take some time to produce professional-level work, meaning that it’s important for them to keep their expectations balanced.
- Transferable Skills: Animation teaches valuable digital literacy skills, such as coding and graphic design, applicable to many technology-driven careers. Even better, teenagers can use animation later in various other areas of their lives. For instance, they could create fun presentations for work that use clever and engaging animated sections.
- College Support: Having animation skills can enhance a student's portfolio, which is beneficial for applications to college programs in digital media, film, and fine arts. Knowing animation before starting university studies can make it easier for high school students to complete their programs and ensure they’re comfortable with their work.
- Potential Careers: Animation skills open doors to various roles in film studios, advertising agencies, video game companies, and freelance opportunities. Freelance animation can be particularly exciting for people who prefer working for themselves. Hustling for work can be a very rewarding financial experience for many people.
Related Skills Teens Should Learn Alongside Animation
Combining animation with other disciplines can enhance a student's versatility and employability. Often, these concepts are at the very heart of animation itself, meaning that learning them naturally expands your abilities and provides better learning opportunities. Just a few ideas that teenagers need to master alongside their animation courses include:
- Design: Understanding fundamental design principles helps teenagers when creating visually appealing animations. Common design principles, like proper image layout, anatomy (for human characters), and storyboarding make it far easier for teens to master animation. These skills can easily be transferred to other important careers.
- Editing: Skills in video editing complement animation by enabling the integration of various multimedia elements. For example, teens can use editing concepts to streamline their videos or films and create more appealing work. Even more excitingly, they can utilize these techniques in YouTube careers, where some people earn very good wages.
- Film Production: Knowledge of film techniques can improve the storytelling aspect of animations. Understanding these ideas not only helps teenagers produce more attractive work but also makes them more appealing job candidates. For instance, filmmakers may want animators who understand basic background and character creation concepts.
- Drawing: Traditional drawing skills are invaluable for character and storyboard creation in animation. Even though most modern animation is done digitally, knowing how to draw can help teenagers handle some basic creation when producing their work. Just as importantly, it can provide them with more advanced techniques for art production.
- Web Design: Animated elements can enhance the user experience on websites, making web design a useful skill for animators. For example, animators can put their work online on various websites to highlight their skills and create a fun and engaging portfolio. Furthermore, they can also use web design to jump into various related careers.
Careers in Animation Teenagers May Greatly Enjoy
With animation expertise, students can pursue diverse career paths in a variety of fields. These include many creative and exciting jobs that can earn six figures or more and progress well into management-related fields. By understanding these unique possibilities, teenagers can prepare for each by focusing their training and education on their specific skills. Just a few options that they may want to consider when jumping into their animation training include:
- Animator: When working as an Animator, teens create animated films, television shows, or video games. However, they can also work in various other fields that might be fascinating to try. For example, marketing animators may work directly with advertising companies to produce attractive and engaging work that stands out from competitors.
- Visual Effects Designer: Visual effects designers work on motion graphics and effects for movies and television and can create fascinating and effective results for a variety of productions. For example, they might create small animated elements for films and television shows that help them reach a broader audience.
- Video Game Designer: Developing engaging game environments and character animations is a rewarding career that people who love video games in particular will greatly enjoy. As a constantly growing market (and one of the largest entertainment fields in the world), gaming provides a unique field for animators to join.
- Digital Content Producer: As digital content producers, teenagers will produce content for digital platforms, including social media and online advertising for various clients. Teens can create this content for themselves and others, depending on their work. Digital animation jobs like these can be very rewarding and exciting.
NextGen Bootcamp Courses in Animation for High Schoolers
NextGen Bootcamps offers specialized animation courses designed to equip students with both foundational and advanced animation skills. As one of the only training teams explicitly designed (and only) for teenagers, NextGen provides engaging and hands-on courses that teenagers will enjoy. Most take only one to three weeks to complete and often provide great portfolios of work that they can share with potential employers and college recruiters.
Animation Summer Bootcamp NYC
Animation Summer Bootcamp NYC provides students in The Big Apple with a hands-on course that studies traditional 2D animation techniques, as well as various important theoretical principles and the history of this art. Teens also learn about design, character production, background designs, and much more. By working on real-world projects, they’ll craft a portfolio they can use. Animation Summer Bootcamp Live Online works well for teens outside the area.
Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate NYC
Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate NYC teaches students how to edit videos using Premiere Pro and utilize After Effects to create motion graphics. All these skills translate easily into animation because they use many of the same concepts. For example, motion graphics and animation are quite similar and knowing both can improve a teen’s career opportunities. Video Editing & Motion Graphics Live Online provides the same lessons in a virtual environment.
College Courses in Animation for High School Students
While specific AP courses in animation are not available, many colleges offer comprehensive animation programs. These courses cover everything from traditional animation techniques to cutting-edge digital tools. By taking early training animation classes in high school, teenagers can boost their knowledge base and feel more comfortable in college. Just a few reasons why teens may want to jump head-first into this training before college include:
- In Depth Learning: Taking these earlier courses lets students gain a thorough understanding of both 2D and 3D animation techniques. Working through this comprehensive training helps teenagers become more skilled animators before starting college. It also covers diverse topics that can greatly improve their full career scope.
- Portfolio Development: College prep programs emphasize building a strong portfolio, which is crucial for career opportunities in the creative industries. By crafting an attractive and engaging collection of work, teenagers can more easily transition into a college program and use that material later whena applying for work later.
- Internships and Industry Exposure: Many programs connect students with internships that provide real-world experience in animation. Even though many internships don’t earn money at first, they can easily transition into a part- or full-time career, especially for students who carefully craft their skills smoothly and efficiently with minimal difficulty.
Taking an animation class in high school is a worthwhile investment that can lead to creative expression and open up numerous career opportunities. Whether through specialized bootcamps like NextGen or college degree programs, students can acquire the skills needed to succeed in the ever-expanding field of animation. By working on these subjects in a guided course, teens improve their chances of understanding them more comprehensively.