Is Film Animation an “industry” program?
No hiring studio in the entertainment sector of Montreal asks their applicants for a degree of any kind. All they really want to see is your demo reel. They don’t have a criteria for the kind of achievement and experience you get in a university.
When we say “industry”, we tend to think of the entertainment industry that employs animators to create video-game, television and cinema content. However, there are other kinds of industry for animation. For example, the Indie Animation Studio industry which is very strong in Montreal. Some of the most successful independent animation studios in the country are run by former Concordia students. Otherwise, there’s the industry that funds professional artists in Canada. Concordia produces animation students that have the best portfolios for this kind of industry.
Also, since it is no longer possible to be employed by or do research in a university without a master’s degree of some kind, if you plan on building your career in the education industry, you will be considering graduate school. Film Animation at Concordia is a great program to get you into grad school.
In sum, the focus and philosophy behind the program’s curriculum it is to drive individual practice in students toward independent filmmaking, artist grant work, or education sectors of animation rather than entertainment.