Animation started out as an experiment. Nearly a century ago, people discovered that you could create an artwork that tells a story by animating series of hand-drawn images, and so they tried it out. Then in 1937, the first-ever full-length animated film — Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — was released, and it blew everyone’s minds.
Soon enough, animation started to get traction, and in our time right now, we’re witnesses of its popularity. Practically everywhere, you can see animation at play — from movies to TV shows, to video games, and many more. In other words, we can truly say that animation may be one of the youngest art forms, but it is definitely one of the most flourishing.
The rise in popularity of animation comes with the rise of the number of aspiring animators out there. More and more people want to tell stories through an animated medium, which is a good thing to hear.
But learning the craft of animation is no easy task. It requires so many skills for an aspiring animator to succeed. They should have the creativity and imagination, the drawing skills, computer literacy and familiarity with graphics software - since computers are their primary art tool - the patience, and attention to detail, and the communication and storytelling abilities. And the most effective way for an aspiring animator to master all these skills is to attend an animation school.
This will then lead to the big question: how much does it actually cost to attend an animation school in Canada?
The Cost of Animation School in Canada
Long story short, animation schools in Canada don’t come cheap. It costs a lot to be able to attend art classes, studying the craft of animation, and to hone your own skills as an animator. It’s a little tricky to determine a definitive price because each animation school is different. That said, the safe estimate is that an animation school would charge between $4,000 to $5,000 per term. This would mean that in its entirety, you’d have to spend between $16,000 to $30,000, depending on the school and the diploma program.
To give you an even better and more in-depth look, here are three examples of animation schools in Canada and their costs:
Toronto Film School
Toronto Film School offers two diploma programs: you can either opt for the 18-month diploma program or the 12-month one. One term costs $5,745, which means that if you chose the 18-month program (which has six terms), your total fee would be $35,158. And if you choose the 12-month program, the total fee would be $22,980.
If you’re an international student, you will have to pay an extra fee. For the 18-month program, the international fee is an additional $18,458, and for the 12-month one, it’s an additional $12,064.
Vancouver Animation School
Vancouver Animation School offers three different options of class bundles for an aspiring animator.
The first is the Introductory Online Courses, which are intended for students to discover new learning areas by bringing awareness and application together. There are no pre-requisites, and anyone — whether you’re a beginner or advanced — can choose to attend. This option costs $499 per month (or per class, since the classes here last one month). The total fee that you might pay is going to vary from person to person because there is no required number of months or classes that you have to take. So, if you only choose to study one class, you’ll only have to pay $499. But if you want to take more, then, of course, you’re also going to pay more.
The second option is the 1-Year Online Diploma Program. This is a 12 months accredited diploma program that is career-focused and structured like a typical semester in college. This diploma costs $18,500 in its entirety.
And the final option is what they call as the 1-Year Combined Diploma. What this means is that the student’s time is divided between online and onsite learning. Every Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., students have to spend three hours with in-person sessions and interacting with their peers and other industry professionals.
In other words, this program is designed to let students take advantage of experiential learning. This one costs $24,500 in its entirety.
Vancouver Institute of Media Arts
The Vancouver Institute of Media Arts offers a ton of degrees and programs, ranging from 2D/3D character animation to acting for film and television to other aspects of media arts. For its 2D/3D Character Animation program, it consists of four terms, and all in all, it costs $25,750 for Canadians and $31,750 for international students. Its program duration is 12 months.
Takeaway
Animation has become one of the most popular art forms in the world. So, it’s just understandable that more and more people have also expressed their passion for it. Thankfully, animations school exist, and aspiring animators can go there to broaden their knowledge and hone their skills.
However, it should be noted that animation schools are expensive. The total cost can usually be estimated to be roughly between $16,000 to $30,000, depending on the school and the duration of the program that you choose. So, yeah. If you plan to go to an animation school, then you better be prepared to shoulder the possible expenses.
But at the end of the day, it will all be worth it. This is because, at the end of the day, you are learning to become a better animator. And someday, you’ll be able to produce your own animated artwork that will take everyone’s breath away.
Sources:
http://www.torontofilmschool.ca/admissions/international-students/tuition/
https://www.vanas.ca/admissions/tuition-fees
https://www.vanarts.com/programs/2d-3d-character-animation/
http://www.indiaeducation.net/animation/animator-qualities.aspx