Our Animation/MotionMedia BFA program will educate you in the fundamentals of animation and digital motion media, and then offer you a wide range of choices to deepen your skills and even to concentrate in a specialty. This will enable you to find your preferred media and materials, and to express your personal artistic vision. We emphasize excellence in concept as well as in graphical and cinematic quality.
View current student Animation work here.
Our curriculum offers instruction in a wide range of animation and motion media tools: both physical and digital; both 2D and 3D; from pencil sketches to armatured puppets to digital CGI characters; from storytelling to pure abstract art to interactive games. Within our very comprehensive program, majors can specialize in traditional narrative character animation, in motion media art, or in interactive animation: this covers animated cartoons, stop-motion, digital video experiments, motion graphics, advertising spots, special effects, storyboarding, gaming art, and more.
To support this curriculum we have cutting-edge facilities, including a state-of-the-art computer lab and a multi-station down-shoot room, with a full array of digital video, sound, and photographic studio equipment. And we have a faculty of professional practitioners with the experience and expertise to help you give strong action and voice to your artistic and professional vision, in lots of amazing one-on-one time.
You will be immersed in a rich education experience, in an intimate and collaborative studio setting in Boston, from your first year through graduation. You will graduate from AIB with a professional portfolio of animation and motion media work that gives you the edge to succeed in the professional and artistic world. Our alumni have been hired by major companies like Nickelodeon, HBO, Soup2Nuts, CloudKid, Blue Sky, Rock Star, Film Roman, and many others.
Featured Courses
Character Development
Develop story ideas around the personalities of characters. Focus on character designs, model sheets, layouts, and descriptions of how the character behaves in different scenarios. “Star” characters from the history of animation serve as inspiration, and a broad range of approaches are discussed.
Game Production
Examine the whole game-building process, including game design, architecture of a game engine, 2D and 3D asset creation, and level design. We will recreate the basic mechanics of a 2D side scroller and a 3D first-person adventure game. Students will design and create their own interactive application.
Faculty Spotlight
Tim Finn | The Art Institute of Boston (AIB) at Lesley University
Animation Faculty
Read Bio »
Brandon Strathmann
Assistant Professor of Animation and Motion Media
Read Bio »