Let's Talk About Animation Mentor

[@SirWade]

I extended my Maya for Animators Workshop early bird sale (50% off) for 2 extra days because of a weird 'stock issue' that some of you noticed. Link in description :) Also I'm SO PROUD of this video!!! I hope you love it and get a ton out of it :D All the animators' links are in the description as well if you want to follow them.

[@danielnorton9803]

will you do a blender for animators workshop someday?

[@yajastudio8241]

Animation Mentor is amazing and there are a lot of awesome and talented people that come out of that school. In fact, I would recommend it over most traditional art schools if your goal is purely 3D animation. HOWEVER, be careful not to use cookie cutter assignments in your portfolio. I've been in the room during portfolio reviews at my old animation job and the entire room would roll their eyes when the "medium shot behind the table" acting assignment came on or the "character lifting an object" assignment, no matter how good the animation was. Also, try not to use rigs that are too common. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the generic Animation Mentor rigs or the Truong Dragon rig in a reel. And don't be afraid to animate the camera! The people we hired always had standout reels that didn't look the others. Animation is a creative industry and your reel should reflect your creativity. Just some words of advice from a fellow animator ;)

[@TipToey]

I just graduated from college with a degree in animation and I feel light-years behind these pieces. TIME TO PRACTICE

[@QwecySlim]

Same with me

[@doeeman1]

@@QwecySlim failing is key. dont be scared to fail because failing is how you evolve. dont be afraid to do bad animations. we all have to start somewhere. my biggest flaws were : spacing, timing, and copying the reference vs applying the 12 principles. the more i failed the more i improved and became better

[@QwecySlim]

@@doeeman1 Thanks for the motivation. Really appreciate

[@gracechan3039]

Don’t feel bad. Some students have already graduated college / Uni and had a few years work experience before going to animation mentor to get to that next level.

[@ediscoveredinchrome]

I've been in the industry for almost 2 years now and I did not have anything close to this in my demo when I got hired. Don't worry, you will make it.

[@jakelearningandstuff-zy5fj]

It made me happy to see some older folks in your video. I'm 35 and just exploring animation and really enjoying the process so far.

[@mariemorganhenry9072]

I am 58 and about to start. Never too late right😮

[@cartooncaleb24]

It's so crazy to see all these people I went to AM with not only being interview by you Sir Wade, but seeing them go onto create such spectacular animation and go on to extraordinary things. I couldn't be more proud to call many of these guys my peers.

[@bobbyboombeck]

Hey Sir Wade, great to see everyone sharing their process. It was really great to see everyone bubbling and doing so well. I'm so proud of each and every one of them. Go AM!

[@sydkne]

I would love to see an animschool interview as well (: it’s always great to see various options

[@AnimSchool]

What do you say Sir Wade? Let's talk :D

[@SirWade]

👀

[@sydkne]

@@SirWade omg I’m very excited, animschool is a bit more affordable so I look forward to seeing what people have to say :D

[@BennieWoodell]

That one tip around 9:30 about speeding the reference up 10-30% is a great idea! I'm so going to have to try that. I'm halfway through class two right now and am very much enjoying AM and seeing what these folks were doing and what they went through is really neat.

[@1515JCM]

Hey Sir Wade! This is among my favorite videos that you've done so far, and I've been a fan of yours for quite some time! I think this is a great idea, and I hope that you do more videos like this; showcasing the animator behind the work and picking their minds on their creation process (while also showing some behind the scenes video reference, or blocking passes). I went through AM with a lot of these animators, and I really respected their work! While AM pushes for a collaborative environment, and a supportive community, going through AM (or any online school, I would imagine) can be a pretty independent journey along side other independent journeyers, and can result with a wide variety of different types of animation styles and qualities. It was exciting to hear more about their thought process, and how they got such great results! Thanks for putting together this great selection of participants, and thank you to all who participated!

[@AnimatorHeadSpace]

Really cool video idea man! Great idea to get the recent AM alumni to give their thoughts, ideas and experiences.

[@wateruga]

I've been slowly saving since the end of last year and will hopefully have a good amount of money saved up before applying to Animation mentor in 2023. I hope they accept me when I apply lol

[@mars_q]

Feel free to send me a message when you're ready to apply. I'd be happy to help you!

[@wateruga]

@@mars_q oh ok thank you! I have a few questions I'll message you about soon

[@Displant]

i enjoyed this next one should be interviewing AnimSchool students

[@vickmure]

man! this is very interesting, enjoyable as well. I have been working on my shot for 3months now, did the cartoony workshop, and for those out there, patience is key, took me almost 2 years saving up for that workshop alone. Currently saving up for the advance classes. Thank you Sir Wade for this amazing motivation. God bless you!

[@brooshka]

What an AWESOME idea to do these kind of interviews. Absolutely LOVED it, thank you so much. Its almost like a critique session that we had in class. So much to learn from this. Thanks a bunch! - That's a subscribe from me, I know its not much, but still haha !

[@sarahpunzel]

This inteview was super interesting to watch! Having a peak behind the buidlup of this amazing shots is very helpful! Thank you Sir Wade! :)

[@confusedmari555]

Awesome interview. Enjoyed hearing where they were hired at the end.

[@danijonker2001]

I love this man. It’s super interesting to learn more about the creation process of these shots!

[@CryptTheNecromancer]

I've been working on a big project for several months now. And after looking at all of these, and hearing these people in their journey, I feel like my adventure isn't quite done yet

[@filipepereira844]

So much value. Thank you for the video!!

[@SaChInRaJpUt-pc7wp]

These interviews are really helpful please bring more of these

[@BigMeeech876ja]

thank you for your amazing videos... you are a blessing in this space..

[@alimariwankamal1937]

I wish you had the one of the mom and her two kids, it was the best one out of all of them. The one that starts with "Just because people doesn't understand you, doesn't make you an artist"

[@SirWade]

I LOVE that shot, but unfortunately not everyone was available for the interviews :P

[@owenferny]

Banger vid tbh Sir, loads of great tips in there!

[@everythingzchris]

This really inspired me and helped me see animation in a new perspective ✨

[@babekmadatov8361]

@Sir Wade Neistadt Thank you very much for inspiring us)

[@seekertosecrets]

I recently finished my Associate's Degree in Design and Media production dealing with Motion Graphics, but I still feel Iike I fell short of my goal focusing on being an animator. This is still viable option, but the only problem is that I want to do it all in one tour instead of bites at a time. Only problem is that I don't have 15,000 dollars lying around. At this point, I may have to go at it alone for now.

[@neatnateable]

I'm with ya. I did the same by getting an associate's in "Multimedia Technology." What I really wanted to learn was animation. There are definitely some great ways to learn that aren't as expensive as AM, and, of course, just starting somewhere is often that thing that gets you to where you want to be eventually.

[@joshwolowhatever]

If you watch tutorials online and are motivated enough you'll get there don't worry

[@mars_q]

Animation Mentor has payment plans too. Most students just take it one course at a time!

[@sabrinademers1896]

Loved hearing all the student experiences! Great video :)

[@Jdisegno]

amazing love how this interview turned out!

[@AnimatorsJourney]

Hey thanks for the shoutout! @19:40

[@SirWade]

Thanks for making a great video :D

[@Eindrew9]

I would love to hear some AM experiences from people who work full time and do AM at the same time! I am doing it right now and organizing my time is my biggest struggle

[@adnanerochdi6982]

Why KZbin placed me right in the middle, center of the video's progress, when I clicked the notification. How weird?

[@bricengorai363]

Loved the video, hope to see more videos like these!!!

[@Jekkyboi]

Madison Erwin, professional animator and reference for hire

[@MrJJAbrans]

Great video, Sir!!!

[@user-gq1ij]

25:50 I have heard about using green screen for mirror, but I don't get any specific tutorial on how this is done, can anyone help please This channel is a animation school for me itself

[@jrfk3d]

It was really entertaining and helpful your interview series Sir, thank u (:

[@NightSpyderTech]

I've been looking at Animation Mentor stuff for a while and the price of the course had me take pause, but it's good to hear they are legit (so hard to tell these days, Full Sail U was a dud). I'll def be taking a course or two from them once I have the dough.

[@miguelrosales7239]

Great video man. So inspiring

[@MichaelHurdleStudio]

Reall good video bro. I was listening to this while animating a tree as funny as that sounds.

[@Micamila]

Anyone here from the stream?

[@celanimaddr]

7:45 the happy tree friends throwback really caught me off guard haha

[@BumblesAnimation]

Not gonna lie, wish I took those courses instead of the college I went to for animation.

[@Levi_Zacharias]

This is super inspiring!

[@kmufti6783]

super insightful!!

[@naowao6207]

I first saw your video about Blender animation around a year ago. Looking at your other videos like this one made me so excited about changing my career to 3D animator!! I plan to attend this school soon when I'm ready in 2024. What's your advice on deciding on which school though? Animation Mentor is definitely on my top list!

[@الرياني-د8ك]

thanks for making this video i really love it

[@vall-e3132]

How awesome is that Bee movie feauture...

[@neatnateable]

Great video! These are all some wonderful and talented people. I saved up for quite awhile to take the first Animation Mentor class. It’s not for beginners, and I found the mentor and the company support to be unhelpful. At the time, the tutorials were old and seemed more romantic than realistic. It is a very expensive program that is not worth it in my opinion. I found the structure of iAnimate a much better fit. What Animation Mentor is really looking for is for you to pay them thousands of dollars so that they can weed out those who don't immediately pick up on the most complicated software and on of the most complicated professions there is. If you are just wanting to learn some quality animation skills and don't have the time to dedicate your entire life to the endeavor, they will pick you like a weed while nicely letting you out the door. Again, iAnimate was not like this, and I was able to develop my skills much better there.

[@simeon6669]

I don't really agree with this at all. The tutorials being a few years old doesn't change anything about the concepts or workflows that they teach. Also If have no experience at all then you are supposed to take the maya course before you do the animation one. What probably happened is that with iAnimate you were relearning concepts so you naturally took to them better than when you were exposed to them for the first time in AM. In reality you probably would have been blaming iAnimate if you had went to them first.

[@neatnateable]

You are right. It doesn’t change the concepts but the software does change. I was just expecting better quality on the tutorials. They have probably updated them. No, iAnimate doesn’t “weed out” people like AM did for me. They gave me the guidance I needed. It wasn’t about my level of knowledge after leaving AM because I only took one course and was already familiar with the concepts.

[@neatnateable]

You’re definitely allowed to your opinion. I’m just expressing my experience with it. If others have a great experience with AM, I’m glad for them.

[@simeon6669]

@@neatnateable Most of the tutorials have not been updated, though there are newer ones, they generally are using an older version of maya and a rig that is not really used, but again that doesn't actually change anything about what you are doing or where things are located in the software. AM doesn't "weed out" people either, I don't understand where that criticism is coming from. There are literally hundreds of hours of supplemental videos and every concept is covered multiple times. There are 9 video calls and streams throughout the week (this term at least as it changes a little) where you can seek help, there are tutoring sessions with alumni if you need it, and you can set up extra sessions with other mentors if you are struggling.

[@neatnateable]

That’s fine if you found it beneficial. I did not, and it was a terrible experience for me. No amount of features and content can change a bad experience.

[@Scarlov87]

I love Animation Mentor! I'd love to study there, but right now is out of reach hahahaha T-T

[@24mjohnson]

Great video! I would love to go through anmimation mentor but unless there's a way to get it paid by scholarship then I wouldn't be able to do it. I heard great things about the school though. I went to Platt college when i lived in san diego california way back in like 2003 or so but havent done much with it since. Need to get back into it. Just need to get the umph to do it.

[@YggdrasilReviews]

Thank you sir for making this I’m currently trying to save up cash so I can finish my journey❤ keep up the great content 😊

[@Drummer8nimation]

Is straight ahead similar to working in a layered method starting from COG and work towards the extremities?

[@laughing-out-loudhd996]

How much does it cost to learn animation at animation mentor ??.. I mean the total cost

[@cloudshifter]

It's on their page, every university site has how much the payment is in their information.

[@animationmentor]

Hi there! You can find a breakdown of our tuition costs on our website: www.animationmentor.com/admissions/tuition-breakdown/

[@ashcroftvfx]

great video!!

[@ashcroftvfx]

@♜ Pínned by Sir Wade Neistadtbruh

[@MikaiGamer1286]

Wasnt the name changed to something else or they were bought or something i recall like pre covid or first year of it an animation centric site was bought out. Hell i havent even heard of Gnomon in a long time either.

[@CryptTheNecromancer]

I'm having trouble joining the discord. Its telling me to verify my number, which is fine, but when I type in my number and tell it to send the code, I get a message from my phone saying "An existing Discord account is already using this number. Please remove it before it can be used with a new account." Like...what? I dont wana start a new account, I wana enter with the one I have! Help please? 🥺

[@GravityTrash]

I'm actually curious about Straight-Ahead, I'm usually a pose-to-pose kind of guy, how can you utilize it in 3d animation like these guys do?

[@GravityTrash]

Is it, as they mention in the video, animating by 2s and moving along with the reference or is there more to it?

[@Cautioned]

@@GravityTrash it's just what you have said. you don't really plan out the animation at all, you just kinda "go with the flow"

[@3dmotion20]

a blender workshop for animation will be help pls...pls

[@RobertsReviews]

I am guessing the Animation Mentor is more for animation then how to draw your character?

[@SirWade]

Definitely yes

[@bara_abudhair]

WOW

[@laughing-out-loudhd996]

How can I learn animation for free.. Or pay it later after getting job ??

[@PierreMcCray]

Start with youtube just to see if it's something you'd actually like to pursue. You can become amazing from self teaching, paying for a course can make it much quicker tho

[@i47]

@@PierreMcCray any good courses u recommend?

[@SirWade]

@@i47 I'm currently offering a Maya for Animators workshop in case you're interested :) bit.ly/mayaanimworkshop

[@joshwolowhatever]

Blender tutorials

[@joshwolowhatever]

@@SirWade bruh they said free😐

[@cris_ahz]

How relevant do you think is still 2D animation? Does it give the same amount of work opportunities as 3D? I saw that some of these students got an opportunity to intern or work at big studios like Pixar and Illumination, though I suppose the others didn't get a similar chance by the end of the course? or you simply didn't show them in your video? It's well known that a good portfolio is what matters, a bachelor is not important.. but let's be real, the competition is high, good animators are everywhere nowadays.. like what's making any of these people standing out and have a chance even? It's kind of disheartening to say the least,.. I've never pursued this path due to many reason related to my location, age, and little experience. I live in Italy, I'm sure being physically in the US would give people much higher appeal to get noticed and hired by companies like Pixar? even an internship sounds difficult to get.. Idk what are your thoughts about it? What's your experience as an Animator?

[@docwaritsaladraws]

20:52 Cope with Maya. Blender IS faster.

[@GlitchingPixelStudios]

Yooo

[@rufogaray7674]

ngl i have a crush on Madison

[@user-aaaabb]

hi ,check your email or spam pls~