Our talented Game animation student, Olov Johansson, shares his thoughts on his time here as well as his animation journey. Read his write up below & watch his action packed reel.

Still being new to animation I never had the chance to talk to other animators before getting into iAnimate. It has been a great way to get to know people with a common interest and to be in an environment where people talk about animation with sincerity and intensity. It is really valuable and inspiring to have instructors that are invested and enthusiastic about animation and each students work.

I just finished the Creature Animation Workshop 1 with Johnny Spinelli and wanted to let you know how much fun I had with the course!  Johnny was an amazing instructor and I learned a lot from his lectures/reviews and he was also kind enough to give us a tour of ILM Vancouver, which was super inspiring.  : )

I wasn't sure what to expect before taking the class, but it really surpassed all my expectations.  It's super motivating to be surrounded by people who are so passionate about animation and it's given me a real fresh perspective on a lot animation techniques.

I'm looking forward to taking some more iAnimate classes in the future and chatting with you guys soon!

Thanks again!
Henry Truong

Feature Alumni, Sebastian Kalemba, was picked up by CDProjekt Red about 8 months ago and was able to make a big contribution to the highly anticipated Witcher 3 game. He's now currently lead of CDProjekt Red next big release 'Cyberpunk 2077' and the expansion packs.

iA: Why did you decide to enroll into iAnimate?
Back in 2010 I was out of work and struggling to break into the animation industry. I attended CTN-X thinking that I might somehow land a job. It turned out everyone who reviewed my reel thought I needed more training. I was pretty disheartened after hearing that, as I had already spent a year going to a school in Vancouver, BC, had worked a 3D job for almost 3 years, and I didn’t have the time or money to attend a brick and mortar school again. That’s when I stumbled across iAnimate’s booth, and met Jason Ryan in person. He told me about the school and the fact that I could take a break between workshops if I needed, and he seemed so genuine that I was sold. I first started out with the feature programs, then after a year’s break decided to pursue gaming animation. I completed the gaming program in August, 2014.

When I heard a few years ago that Jason Ryan was about to start iAnimate, I was instantly excited about the idea and wanted to be part of the first group of students. I had taken online classes before, but I felt I needed to refine my skill set. You can imagine that I was really excited about the iAnimate concept to prepare animators for feature productions by working closely together with top notch feature animation instructors and mimic a production environment during the classes. I was blown away by the quality of the classes and the knowledge of the mentors during the one-on-one weekly reviews. It’s a very special feeling when you can discuss your work directly with your mentor in person when you are at the other side of the ocean.

Also the rigs that iAnimate provides are top quality fast rigs that are a joy to work with. They have so much appeal that I felt at times that we were spoiled a bit with these new toys that were given to us every workshop.

In our 33rd episode and last podcast for 2014, we interview three iAnimate students who had the opportunity to work on a very unique and exciting project here in our Game animation workshops. Peter Thorneycroft, Ryan Haynes, and Chris Figat help lead in the participation and development of this project titled Lune. Lune is essentially a test 'game' level created in Unity for our students to mimics the pressures and expectations that will be placed on them in the professional environment, as well as showcase their talents as valuable artists. A playable demo reel, if you will. It was interesting and fun to hear about their ups & downs with working on such a project, along with having our very own Ric Arroyo be their director.

Project Lune | Peter Thorneycroft reel | Ryan Haynes reel | Chris Figat reel

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iAnimate is an online training course like no other. With iAnimate you are in direct contact with veteran animators from around the world, from leading studios in our industry, all from the comfort of your home and at a fraction of the price of a brick and mortar school.

Would you like to know more? Watch the video below.

In this, our fifth podcast, we speak with iAnimate alumni Darrell Vasquez, and working professional Jeff Williams. Both guest work currently at Insomniac Games, and give this fun interview a different perspective from some of the past guest, since both have or are also students at iAnimate.net. Join us in this informative & entertaining podcast.

Interview with Richard Lico mentioned in the show HERE.

Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assult trailer | Fuse trailer.

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