Experimental Animation promotes and supports animation as a fine art, and students in the program explore animation in varied contexts and forms, developing a personal aesthetic over a body of work. Experimental Animation is for artist-animators looking for an individualized curriculum that supports creative growth, enhancing technical skills, developing form and content, and collaborating with fellow students to create animated works.
In making admissions decisions, the program’s faculty looks for animation and other creative works that express a strong personal aesthetic in whatever media you choose. Applicants should submit portfolios that contain examples of unique, personal, expressive art that reflects their individual style, including samples of animation if at all possible. Group projects are discouraged because they are harder to assess. Class assignments such as technical exercises, CGI character rotations, or figure, landscape, still life, and perspective drawings are generally not acceptable. Please put time into your written statements, to reveal the breadth of your creative influences and your vision for what you would accomplish if you were enrolled in the program. It is important to explain why you are seeking experimentally oriented coursework.
Portfolio Submission Format
Portfolios must be submitted using our application's online portfolio submission.
- The application accepts MP3's, documents, images and video. You may scan or photograph your drawings to submit them digitally.
- Submit individual images of individual works. Do not submit a pre-formatted portfolio. Do not submit composited images, PDF’s, and please make sure that the image fills the slide. Otherwise, we will not be able to view the work.
- Enter any captions, descriptions, or titles of your work in the fields provided under "edit details" of the portfolio upload. Do not add captions, descriptions, titles or other extraneous text within the area where you upload your image.
- Once your portfolio is uploaded, it can be viewed and rearranged until the final submission is made. No changes can be made following the final submission of your portfolio. Be sure to submit your portfolio to the correct degree level and program.
If you experience technical difficulties while uploading your portfolio, you may send an email to the Review Coordinator, Ani Kazandjian, at akazandjian@calarts.edu.