Inspiring future animation students in first-of-its-kind camp

The animation field is a fast-growing industry. From feature films to video games to health care, animation is widely used in everyday life.

Augusta University’s animation program continues to grow and is aiming to have 400 students in the coming years. Some of those future students may come from the university’s first-of-its-kind animation summer camps.

A.B. Osborne, Animation Program director in Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, said nearly 30 high school students participated in two week-long camps as they were introduced to the field and the many different aspects of it.

Osborne said there has been a push for these types of events, and these camps filled up quickly with interested students.

“Most of the students are drawing already on their iPads and their sketchbooks, but when it comes to 3D animation, the techniques used in most modern video games and movies, nobody really shows them the ropes. Really this is an outlet to explore those things,” said Osborne.

Madison Ali-Hale is a rising ninth grader and wanted to learn more about the field. Ali-Hale isn’t a big gamer like many who get into animation but became involved by watching cartoons and animated shorts. She said the camp left a lasting impression.

“It did exceed expectations because there was a lot of stuff that I learned a lot more about,” said Ali-Hale. “I learned more about motion capture, which is a method of animation where you basically record someone’s real-life movements and then put them onto a character. Also, I learned about rendering, which takes a long time. It was fun to get to experience those for the first time.”

“I think a lot of people think they know what animation is, but there’s more to it. It’s more than just drawing characters; there are a lot of ways to bring these worlds to life. I’ve been talking with the parents, I’ve been talking with the kids, and a lot of them are very interested in this.”

A.B. Osborne

Those taking part were given a lot of information in a short period of time but were able to create their own animated short. Osborne said he was trying to get the students’ creative sides out, and they were able to handle most of the concepts thrown their way.

“I think the best thing is when they make themselves laugh,” added Osborne. “When they make something that they’re just so tickled about and they want to show everybody, that’s when you feel like you’ve succeeded is when they’re having fun with what they made.”

There were two animation camps: a June and July session. In the first session, the students were coming up with their animated short by themselves. Osborne said he wanted more collaboration for the July camp. They were divided into teams, resembling a professional animation workplace, which would help foster more ideas. Even the students recognized the importance of working on a team.

“The way I thought of it was that we were going to be working on our own projects, but it actually made it a lot better to collaborate because other people brought in ideas that I didn’t even think about, and that made our short way better,” said Ali-Hale.

While college is still a few years away, Ali-Hale is looking at possible dual-enrollment at Augusta University and is excited to see what the future holds.

“It’s good to just get a sense of what you like and what you want out of a career, so you can be more prepared for the job field,” she said.

Osborne said he is excited about the future of the field, especially in North Carolina and Georgia, which already have large markets for film, television and video game production. He said there are growing opportunities for employment.

He also knows the early introduction to animation and all the profession has to offer inspires future students, and he hopes they come to Augusta University.

“If they come to AU, I want them to come to AU with a clear picture of what this is,” said Osborne. “I think a lot of people think they know what animation is, but there’s more to it. It’s more than just drawing characters; there are a lot of ways to bring these worlds to life. I’ve been talking with the parents, I’ve been talking with the kids, and a lot of them are very interested in this.”