Perhaps the dream job of every digital artist is to be able to work for major animation companies like Pixar. just like some of our fellow Filipinos who have made a name for themselves abroad. Rey Bohol, Gini Cruz, Ricky Nierva, and Ronnie del Carmen all from Pixar have worked on Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, Cars, The Incredibles, Wall-E and a lot more; Giovanni Nakpil from ILM worked on Transformers, War of the Worlds, Van Helsing, Star Wars, Star Trek to name a few; and Anthony Ocampo who won the Visual Effects Society award for his Trojan horse work on the USA Network Productions special, Helen of Troy. Working for Pixar, Dreamworks or Disney is possible for a talented Filipino digitalartist. Just remember the more skills you know, the more competitive you become.
Q: What are the basic skills one would need to enroll in the courses offered by First Academy of Computer Arts? How is First Academy different from other computer schools?
A: You need to be passionate about digital arts. Internet and computer proficiency is preferred, but if a student needs to learn basic computer skills, the school can provide training as well.
First Academy is the only school that offers comprehensive, career-specific digital arts certificate courses. Career-specific means that the training enables students to develop both the real-life and the technical skills needed to succeed in their chosen field of expertise. Students learn about the creative and technical aspects of their course. More than that, they also learn to brand and market themselves as professional digital artists. First Academy students are not jacks-of-all-trades; they master a specific set of useful skills. The curriculum does not include minor or irrelevant subjects, only important techniques needed to make students highly successful digital artists when they graduate.
Q: What digital arts techniques and software will I learn to use? How about if I want to learn professional corporate presentations or non-traditional media?
A: There are many kinds of software one can learn depending on their chosen specialization. For instance, in the Visual graphic design program, students learn how to conceptualize, design and implement various creative projects like marketing collaterals (brochures, calling cards, posters, infographics, packaging, etc.).They also learn how to layout magazines , books, and other publications both for print and interactive. Students learn to use a variety of industry-standard software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for use in the development and execution of their projects.
For people who want to learn how to create professional presentations that utilizes non- traditional media, the Multimedia Arts program is the one for them. Students taking this program learn how to conceptualize, illustrate, and animate different styles of video projects. These projects may be used for advertising, marketing, presentations or simply as a story to tell. Students learn to use a variety of industry-standard software such as Photoshop, Flash, and After Effects. The 3D Animation & Design program enables students to become 3D artists with a specialization. The complete 3D pipeline will be learnedfrom Modeling, to Texturing, to Rendering up to Animation and DigitalEffects/Compositing. Students will learn Maya, Photoshop and After Effects. While the Web Design program teaches students how to design and create different types of websites, from responsive and CMS types to Flash microsites. Students will learn Photoshop, Dreamweaver, WordPress, HTML5/CSS3 and Flash.
Q: Who are the trainers/teachers/mentors? Do they have industry experience?
A: First Academy of Computer Arts instructors are professionals in their respective fields of specialization and have TESDA competencies. They are digital artists who have the passion to teach and inspire a new breed of Filipino digital artists.
Q: Is there a free workshop offered to the students who want to try out?
A: Yes. FREE workshops are offered to prospective students who would like to know more about course offerings and career opportunities in the field of digital arts. Workshop participants will be able to take a glimpse of what it would be like to be a digital artist and experience it through learning basic techniques in animation, photo editing, motion graphics, 3D and/or web design. Attending the FREE workshop makes course selection easier.
