SVA VS. Ringling (Computer Animation)

[bklyndude326]

Im a junior in highschool, i am definitely going to apply for both schools for fall 2009. I really want to learn computer animation and major in it so i can work for pixar or disney (hopefully, lol :D) I have been to sva, i live about 45 minutes away taking the train and of course all my family lives here in NY. But Ringling is so far away, so if i had to choose, would it be worth it to go to college in florida or will i have the same amount of opportunity in computer animation NY. I really like Ringling a lot and i think the CA at Ringling seems better but its a hard choice to make between the two.

Im planning on taking a pre-college course at SVA for CA over the summer and see how it is.

If any of you guys attened SVA or Ringling for CA, please post some information about the the schools, Both bad and good. I just got the catalogue today and i want to go to ringling more and more but i really dont want to go that far.

And anyone who got accepted, can you please post the portfolio you submitted, im currently working really hard on my portfolio, i like drawing people more than anything, still lifes such as random objects set up like in school or nature (outdoors stuff) bores me a little, lol, people are alot more interesting to draw. Anyway i would like to see accepted portfolios so i can get an idea on what my portfolio should have in it.

thanks :)

[Meloncov]

There was an extremely similar thread not long ago. Look through the last few pages.

[bklyndude326]

theres only 2 pages in this section (at least thats all i see), lol. :D I checked before i made the new thread.

[Clux Deluxe]

The first entry in my sketchbook has stuff I submitted for Ringling. Basically they love stuff from observation, especially the figure. I don't think it'll be that big of a deal if you're a little light on the still lifes if you do a lot of good figure drawings, cause I sure didn't do many either. (Heck, the fruit picture has my hand in it to make it more interesting for me) Do a variety of figure drawings, both gestures and long poses. Be sure also to include some of the other "given" pieces, such as a self portrait (from observation, not a picture) hand studies/foot studies, perspective doesn't hurt either.


Good luck!

[bklyndude326]

wow that hand is amazing, i need to practice hands and feet some more. The figures are great too!, Im assuming you used charcoal for the 2 women but what is the hand done in? the background looks like paint but im not sure about the hand,, is is paint to?
I hope my portfolio comes out good, i saw an sva portfolio once and it had the most realistic colored pencil drawing i have ever seen in my life, i mistakened it for a photograph, then when i was told it was done in color pencils, i was like oooohhh, i feel like i wont get in now lol.

[Clux Deluxe]

Thanks! All of the figures and gestures are done in charcoal, but the hand and the apple were done in colored pencil. I've seen some really amazing color pencil work myself, which makes me wonder why I don't see more color pencil work here on ConceptArt. Really wish I could be doing more of that right now, but Ringling keeps me pretty busy.

But like I said before definitely keep at it with the figure drawing- that's what the animation department here really loves to see. Assuming there's a place nearby that you can go to, if you go regularly by the time you come here (or really at any school for that matter) you'll probably be much farther ahead in terms of you figurative skills than your classmates.

[Meloncov]

They go back further if you set it to show post from the begginig instead of just the last month. However, I can't find the thread I mentioned earlier, so it must be buried deeper than I thought it was (that or I'm just having really bad deja vu). As such, I'll retype what I said in the first thread:

Ringling's student work, at least to my eye, is far better. Go to their websites and decide for yourself, or if your internet connection is slow, send them an email and they will give you a DVD of student work. Also, Ringling's students come of as far more dedicated than SVA's. I can't really comment on other factors, as I haven

Whether the difference in education quality at Ringling vs. SVA is enough to justify moving is a purely personal decision, but there are a few things to think about. Will being close to home matter as much to you in a year or two? It seems entirely possible that by that time you'll be sick of your parents and want to be further away for a while. Also, you'll proably (though not necessarily) have to leave NY to find a job in CG: going to school in state is just prolonging the inevitable. Finally, starting somewhere new could be a great expierence that leaves you a more rounded person.

The Ringling threads here have some pretty detailed breakdowns of what they want to see, so I won't bother repeating it.

[copperfire]

I see A LOT of threads like these, but it is ok.
Here's my observation

1.Ringling posts their job placement percent
SCAD does not.

2.From what I hear SCAD does not require a portfolio
Ringling does.

3. it is MUCH harder to get into CA at Ringling then into scad.

Hope that helped :D I was faced with the same decision, but I chose Ringling in the end. :) My portfolio is in my sketchbook as well. Good luck!

[bklyndude326]

Whether the difference in education quality at Ringling vs. SVA is enough to justify moving is a purely personal decision, but there are a few things to think about. Will being close to home matter as much to you in a year or two? It seems entirely possible that by that time you'll be sick of your parents and want to be further away for a while. Also, you'll proably (though not necessarily) have to leave NY to find a job in CG: going to school in state is just prolonging the inevitable. Finally, starting somewhere new could be a great expierence that leaves you a more rounded person.

The Ringling threads here have some pretty detailed breakdowns of what they want to see, so I won't bother repeating it.

yeah, i guess your right, i will end up moving far away anyway.



I see A LOT of threads like these, but it is ok.
Here's my observation

1.Ringling posts their job placement percent
SCAD does not.

2.From what I hear SCAD does not require a portfolio
Ringling does.

3. it is MUCH harder to get into CA at Ringling then into scad.

Hope that helped I was faced with the same decision, but I chose Ringling in the end. My portfolio is in my sketchbook as well. Good luck!

i said SVA, lol :D
Thanks for showing your portfolio, its great!

[copperfire]

i said SVA, lol :D
Thanks for showing your portfolio, its great!

Harhar, sorry I was in a hurry, go figure, like I said I see A LOT of these threads, most of the time they are SCAD though, I saw the S and was like Scad "again?" Oh well, the same things are applied I guess, aside from the portfolio. ;) And thanks!

[MyOrangeHat]

I applied to and got into SVA. I applied to the Fine Arts department though. Not sure if there's much of a difference for what they look for with the Fine Arts portfolios and the Animation though.
http://www.freewebs.com/myorangehat/svaaplicationportfolio.htm

[CatHicks]

i want to go to ringling more and more but i really dont want to go that far.



If you want to be an animator you'll most likely be living in California. Get used to being far away from your family. A GOOD animation school will work you so hard that you won't have time to see them anyway.

With that said, SVA does not post their computer animation student's thesis work online, but you can watch their shorts on youtube. I just took a look at a handful of them and in my most humble opinion I will say that the quality of character animation in SVA's thesis work is about 3-4 standard deviations below that of Ringling's. I'm not saying that as a Ringling CA, I'm saying that as an animator. Keep in mind however, that Ringling CA is harder to be accepted into and even harder to stay in, so overall there are most likely more talented individuals in this department. I would also do some research regarding the backgrounds of the faculty for both schools.

Just sayin'.

[Meloncov]

I just took a look at a handful of them and in my most humble opinion I will say that the quality of character animation in SVA's thesis work is about 3-4 standard deviations below that of Ringling's. I'm not saying that as a Ringling CA, I'm saying that as an animator.

Is the sample size even large enough to have 3-4 standard deviations in both directions?

Based on what I've seen, the best two or three students at SVA are at roughly the same level as the Ringling students, but there is a far sharper falloff after that.

[CatHicks]

Is the sample size even large enough to have 3-4 standard deviations in both directions?


I think what you mean is is the sample of quality varied enough to have a 3-4 standard deviation difference. And yes, it is. Take another look at your youtube search results.

[Meloncov]

I think what you mean is is the sample of quality varied enough to have a 3-4 standard deviation difference. And yes, it is. Take another look at your youtube search results.

I thought two standard deviations from the norm was roughly one percent of the sample set, so with only a few dozen people per program there wouldn't be enough data points to have 4 standard deviations. Of course, I could be totally wrong; my study of statistics has been rather rudimentary.

[Dara1409]

I went to SVA pre-college last summer (07) for darkroom photog. The class was good...but if you know what youre doing you can slack off alot and still get an "A".
Unfortunately...I was drunk the entire 3 weeks and didnt take too much of an advantage of the program. I did get a few prints for my portfolio...
But honestly...the teachers at the program are awesome...they want to help you and are more than understanding...about generally anything.

Take advantage of the trips that SVA will take you on...FOR FREE...and be prepared to make some of the best friends you will ever have.

Dorm if at all possible...I did and I felt like I got more of the 'college' expirence. It reveals what you would need to work on and prepare yourself for, not only as an artist, but as a person out on your own. There will be alot of parties and bullshit, and alot of people have gotten kicked out because of it. Just focus on the reason why youre there...and it will seriously be the best time of your life. It was for me. Minus the alchohol.

[Fr0gdude]

Personally i saw all the shorts and animations from both schools, SVA and Ringling and i have to disagree, I think the SVA ones were a lot better. They were also a lot more interesting to watch then Ringlings pieces. Actually I thought most of the ringling ones were pretty stupid. Quality wise was ok but story wise.. most sucked.

[thesinfulsaint]

Personally i saw all the shorts and animations from both schools, SVA and Ringling and i have to disagree, I think the SVA ones were a lot better. They were also a lot more interesting to watch then Ringlings pieces. Actually I thought most of the ringling ones were pretty stupid. Quality wise was ok but story wise.. most sucked.

I'm not taking this personally--but which ones did you see? From both schools? Post links if possible. I'm curious.

Not only that, but unless you're going for a job in the story department, the story itself of your film probably isn't what will have you hired (unless it's highly inappropriate or disturbing, it shouldn't matter too much). It's the quality of the animation/lighting/texturing/modeling etc. that will get you that job.

[Fr0gdude]

just go to youtube and type in sva computer art and ringling animation.. plust that kiwi thing from sva student. Also your right about the story not mattering much, but i consider it to be part of a creative process. Isn't an artist that can create good image and has a creative mind better than just a robot artist who just creates image? Arent art schools creative schools? It does depend on what part of the industry you want to get into, all i am saying, during college i think exploring a variety of fields are good and being good in 2 areas are better than one.

[Meloncov]

just go to youtube and type in sva computer art and ringling animation.. plust that kiwi thing from sva student.

Kiwi was from a MFA student, giving them something of an advantage over BFA Ringling students.

[Supialoctopod]

I applied to Ringling and SVA and got into both of them. I visited both of them (and did pre college program at SVA) and in the end I decided to go to SVA for Computer Arts.
Here's an album my recent art, some of which I used in my portfolios: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007525&l=d64e1&id=1333020615

I chose SVA because first of all, the location is pretty perfect for me. I live in New Jersey so going to school in the city means i can come home very easily if I ever need to but... it's new york city! so I probably wont (want to) very often. When I visited Ringling, I felt awkward because the lifestyle there is like sloooow motion compared to here. The campus was pretty dead and the town is really relaxed. It's nice that it would be warm in the winter but... i don't think that lifestyle is really for me. Also, i wouldn't be able to come home very easily or cheaply from Ringling for things like holidays when I'd like to be with my family.
Another reason I chose SVA is because I really liked the teaching style of the professor when i went for the pre college program. I can't compare it to Ringling because I've never taken classes there but why risk giving up a style that works for me.
Lastly, I chose SVA because I feel like I'll have more luck getting jobs during and after school there.

[Meloncov]

Lastly, I chose SVA because I feel like I'll have more luck getting jobs during and after school there.

What made you think that SVA would give you better job prospects?

And your portfolio is awesome, by the way.

[Supialoctopod]

What made you think that SVA would give you better job prospects?

And your portfolio is awesome, by the way.

Thanks!
I thought SVA would have better opportunities because you're located in the city where many many studios are located. I know after graduating I won't get hired based on the school I went to and instead the quality of my work, but if I decide to work while I'm still in school, I feel like it would be easier to find a job in NYC.

[Meloncov]

I thought SVA would have better opportunities because you're located in the city where many many studios are located. I know after graduating I won't get hired based on the school I went to and instead the quality of my work, but if I decide to work while I'm still in school, I feel like it would be easier to find a job in NYC.

Okay, while in school New York is pretty obvious that you'd have better job prospects. Still, it seems that Ringling students get plenty of attention for post-college jobs.

[dguy]

Lets face it. New York City is the PLACE to be...especially for a kid from Jersey. Lol.