Education
Students looking for educational information may find the following of some help. Please consider that other studios are likely to have different requirements, and I can only comment on the requirements for ARL.
Most of us here at ARL have backgrounds in computer science, but equally important is some experience in graphic design and art. Out of the twelve animators who work in ARL, eight of us have at least a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Otago, and the other qualifications range from a degree from the Otago School of Art to the Media Design School in Auckland. All of us majored in Computer Graphics in our prospective degrees. I would also mention that if you opted for the design side of the education, that you make an effort to learn as much about computers as you can, even to the extent of taking a computer programming paper.
There are a number of courses that specialize in computer graphics, television, and animation around the country. To find out when and what they offer, you would need to get in touch with the different universities, polytechnics, and education institutions.
The NZ Qualifications Authority has registered the unit standards (#15323-#15337) for Computer Generated Imagery. Using the search framework page from the NZQA web site and searching for the unit standards numbers you will bring up a list of “accredited providers” for that unit. However this is a specialized unit and there are other broader subjects that you can use to get into the industry.
For more information contact:
Standards Setting Body
NZQA Film and Electronic Media
Roger Booth
NZQA National Qualifications Services
PO Box 160
WELLINGTON
Phone : 04 802-3000
Fax : 04 802-3115
University of Otago
Free Phone : 0800 80 80 98
Otago Polytechnic School of Art
Pat Jackson – School Secretary
Phone : 03 479 6168