Schools
& campuses
From Montpellier to Nantes, Lyon to Toulouse,Bordeaux to Rennes, and all the way to Montreal, ESMA relies on an effective combination of teaching and a functional campus, offering comfortable and practical student residences in the heart of major cities known for their historical and artistic heritage.
Schools
& Campuses
The life on campus
Because the artistic environment and the educational tools are a top priority in order to help our students reach their goals, ESMA pulls out all the stops to ensure the best work conditions they could expect. Thereby, on each campus, they are offered large workspaces with all the required facilities, where they can fully express and improve their artistic and technical skills.
The Artemisia students residences, located on each campus, were also thought in this same purpose : with 182 apartments in Toulouse, 224 in Lyon, 135 in Nantes and 103 in Montpellier, ESMA aspires to make its students’ everyday life easier.
Studying at an animation school
The process of digitalisation, which has been underway for over a decade, has not only affected the economic and communications sectors.
Artistic disciplines – such as video and video games – have also been affected by the digitalisation of society, and today, alongside live performances and the classical arts, other forms of technology-based artistic expression have developed.
3D technology is becoming increasingly popular, and many people can no longer imagine watching a film without their 3D glasses. Given the strong growth of this phenomenon, more and more students are turning to higher education in 3D animation to make it their profession.
What is 3D Animation ?
Firt and foremost, animation refers to computer-generated images. Theses images ar not obtained using a camera or by observing things happening in nature. They are created using animation software. We can therefore say that these images only exist in a computer reality. 3D is a significant evolution of 2D.
3D animated images incorporate the 3 dimensions of the external world in which we live and attempt to reproduce it. These are height, width and volume. Volume is what gives 3D images relief and therefore makes them more real.
Now that you know a little more about the art of 3D, it’s important to know how to choose your course.
How do you choose a 3D animation school ?
As the industry has developed and demand for 3D artists and technicians has grown, a number of schools in France (Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Lyon, Montpellier, etc.) have sprung up, offering courses ranging from bachelor’s to master’s degrees.
ESMA is one of the best animation schools in France to offer this type of course, a 5-year professional course in 3D animation and special effects (VFX), with Level 7 RNCP certification (master’s level, equivalent to a BAC+5).
This is not a sandwich course, but you will need to do some work experience in a company to validate your diploma. To choose your 3D animation school, you need to pay attention to criteria relating to the content of the courses. Entrance requirements are also factors that should not be ignored.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree? It’s up to you to choose the level of excellence you want to achieve.
Extensive training
To become a technician capable of designing and creating 3D animation films, you need to master a number of skills in addition to your innate talent.
In animation schools such as ESMA, the 5-year course (BAC+5, Master’s level) is designed to equip you with a wide range of skills. In concrete terms, by the end of your studies in animation, you should have in-depth knowledge of how to produce an animated film :
- pre-production (scriptwriting, cutting, character design, storyboarding, layout, etc.),
- production (modelling, rigging, lookdev, texturing, shading, ani-mation, lighting, image rendering, etc.),
- post-production (finishing, composition, editing, special effects, etc.).
Programme and subjects taught
To enable you to acquire all these skills, animation schools have to teach you certain subjects. ESMA 3D is one of the schools that has drawn up a timetable adapted to this.
In the curriculum of a good 3D animation school, you will generally find the following subjects.
general techning
• Visual arts
• Image analysis
• English courses
• Scriptwriting
Artistic courses
• Drawing and plastic expression
• Illustration
• Character design and graphic research
• Storyboarding
• 2D/3D modelling
• Rendering, lighting and shading
• Rigging or set up
• 3D animation and special effects (VFX)
• Compositing and finishing
This is obviously not an exhaustive list of subjects, but bear in mind that drawing is one of the most important. Depending on the school, there may be many more subjects to learn.
You will also be taught general subjects such as mathematics and English, which are essential if you are to learn how to make a successful animated film.
How do I become a 3D animator ?
Training to become an artist or 3D animator generally takes place over 5 years. During the first and second years, students learn the basics of drawing and 3D animation and become familiar with the various tools and software.
The final two years are devoted to specialisation. At this stage, students focus on the prerequisites of animated film. A good animation school like ESMA (a member of the RECA – Réseau des Écoles de Cinéma d’Animation) will offer you the chance to meet professionals (freelance artists, animation studios and workshops).
These meetings will give you a more concrete idea of the jobs in the sector and help you prepare for the professional world.
What career opportunities are there ?
With their degree in hand, animation graduates have a wide range of career opportunities. 3D is everywhere in the video games, film and audiovisual, advertising and television industries.
It is also used in the medical world, industry, architecture, town and country planning, civil engineering, design, etc.
In terms of animation professions, 3D training offers a wide range of possibilities :
- 3D studio manager,
- 3D animation supervisor,
- 3D lighting/render supervisor,
- VFX supervisor, Art director –
- Project Manager
- etc.
How do I get into an animation school?
Higher education in 3D animation is open to everyone if you meet certain admission criteria. While some schools require you to sit an entrance exam, our animation school offers you the opportunity to take a year’s preparatory class in animated film (Prépa Entertainment) after your baccalauréat, to learn the basics of 3D animation.
How do I get into ESMA?
ESMA, an award-winning animation school
Founded in Montpellier in 1993, ESMA has been a member of RECA for many years, and is currently one of the best schools for training in 3D animation, with numerous award-winning animated films at festivals and in the top rankings of animation schools in France and around the world.
The school has been in existence for 30 years, with campuses in Bordeaux, Lyon, Montpellier, Rennes, Toulouse, Nantes and Montreal.
The school’s professional curriculum is spread over four years (no sandwich courses, but compulsory internships in companies) and enables students to acquire all the knowledge they need to work in 3D with complete peace of mind.
However, future students must take ESMA’s Prépa Entertainment. This preparatory year will give them the foundations they need to excel throughout the course. If you have a Bac STD2A, ESMA offers you the opportunity – under certain conditions – to apply directly for its 3D animation and VFX course. You will then need to prepare an artistic portfolio (optional but strongly recommended) for your admission interview.