Master (MA) in 2D film animation

Be part
of the future
of 2D animation!

5-years Master (MA)

The Master’s degree in 2D Animation Cinema trains specialists in 2D animation and pre-production. Storyboarding, staging, character research and definition of their attitudes and movements, creation of sets and character animation. At the end of this program, students master traditional animation techniques and their creative use in digital tools. They learn how to use these techniques within the artistic universe they have developed through workshops supervised by professionals, which them leads to the production of a final film team project, in real production conditions.

ARTFX is a founding member of RECA, an association that currently includes 28 French animation film schools clearly recognized by the professional world, both in France and abroad.

POST HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL ADMISSIONS

Apply directly with the school
Tests + portfolio + interview

Find out more about admission

Montpellier
or Lille

1 class of 25 students is created yearly on each site

International

🇫🇷 Course in French only
More information

A PROFESSIONAL STATE-ACCREDITED TITLE

Awards the title of “digital producer” (lev.7, equivalent 5 year degree), registered in the Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles (national directory of professional certifications) on 14 September 2020

The academic year runs from October to June

The 2D Animation Master’s degree is a 5-year course that allows students to practice drawing (morphology, character research, mounting, set creation, etc.), enrich their visual acuity, experiment with different styles and assert their artistic sensitivity using traditional and digital techniques employed in animation studios. 2D animation students trained at ARTFX can effectively work as soon as they leave the school, and are comfortable with studio working culture. They also stand out for their ability to adapt and their knowledge of all the positions along the production chain of an animated film. During their studies, students complete at least one internship lasting at least six weeks and benefit from masterclasses with partner studios. In the 5th year, they make an animated short film which is screened before a professional panel, giving them an understanding of the different production stages of an animated film from storyboarding to post-production.

Year 1 Artistic Foundation Course

The 1st year at ARTFX offers a common core for all courses. This system allows students to acquire a common base, but also to experiment, to discover and practice the different stages of filmmaking or game creation. The strength of this pedagogical choice is that through experience, the student better understand the production chain, learn to collaborate with colleagues and discover the trade.

→ Artistic foundation course: observational drawing, figure drawing & anatomy, sculpture, perspective, color & light, digital painting

→ Cultural development: creativity, storytelling, image grammar, photography, screenplay, culture and language of cinema and video games

→ Workshops to discover the professions: film practice, introduction to 3D (modeling and animation), matte painting, programming, storyboarding, traditional and digital 2D animation, character design, video games

→ Collaborative projects: preparation of an exhibition
Individual project: portfolio

→ English

Year 2 Professional Foundation

Acquisition of animation techniques and storyboard

Character and set animation, puppet rigging, compositing

Staging and storytelling: script, storyboard, layout

Visual development: concept art, character design

Animation culture, anatomical drawing, blocking drawing

Personal and collaborative project

Year 3 Improvement

Acquisition of animation techniques and storyboard

Character and set animation, puppet rigging, compositing

Staging and storytelling: script, storyboard, layout

Visual development: concept art, character design

Animation culture, anatomical drawing, blocking drawing

Personal and collaborative project

Year 4 Directing

Project: production of a professional demo tape

Project and team management

Masterclasses with partner studios

6-week min studio internship

Specialized workshops: character animation, acting

Year 5 Directing

Graduation project: creation & direction of a 2D animation short film

Professional coaching in English

Presentation to a professional jury

Professional meetings

Job dating

Learning objective

Learn about different occupations in 2D animation, including concept art, character creation, set design, storyboarding, animatics, layout, color, rigging and more. Learn the traditional drawing techniques and the digital tools used by studios. At ARTFX, you get to work alongside 3D animation students with matching skills. While the latest French 2D animated feature films are spared any “hybrid 2D” such as 2D-styled 3D animation*, many current productions demonstrate the complementarity of 2D and 3D, each of which has its own sense of meaning, depending on artistic choices and budgets. ‘Klaus’, witch was produced by Netflix and nominated for best animated film in the 2020 Oscars, thus exploits recent technological developments (character animation via 3D models, computer-generated light, following the action in real time, etc.) and beautifully illustrates this convergence cultivated at ARTFX.

*‘Calamity, a childhood of Martha Jane Cannary’, ‘The Summit of the Gods’ or ‘Chien Pourri, la vie à Paris!’

Requirements

Any high school degree OR art foundation year
Applied art focused high school degree is an asset
A predisposition for drawing is necessary to succeed in this field
Direct admissions are possible into 2nd and 3rd years
Your level will be evaluated during the admission session to assess your orientation.

Tuition fees

Years 1 to 5 :

Fees

Software used

Harmony
Storyboard Pro
Toon Boom
Krita
Affinity
Dragonframe
ARTFX is a recognisied Toon Boom Centre of Excellence

Careers and occupations

France is the leading producer and exporter of animated films in Europe (3rd in the world, behind the United States and Japan). No less than 120 French studios deliver international television channels, cinemas and video-on-demand platforms (Netflix, Disney+, etc.). ‘Yakari’, ‘Josep’, ‘Calamity’, ‘Little Vampire’, ‘I lost my body’, ‘Pachamama’, ‘Dilili in Paris’, ‘Ernest & Celestine’, etc. Over the last 10 years, a quarter of the animated films released in cinemas have been made in France (2D and 3D combined, split equally). This trend is due to the constant support of the CNC, the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image, but also to the quality of French animation schools, which rank among the best in the world. ARTFX is one of them. France also boasts a rich cultural heritage of images and drawings, from the great painters to Franco-Belgian comic strips. The animation sector is growing fast and currently employs 7,500 people. Forecasts predict that it will reach 10,000 by 2025.

The 2D animators trained by ARTFX are supported to enter the professional world through masterclasses given by partner studios, an internship lasting six weeks min. and a job dating session organized following the graduation panel, that French and international recruiters from the most prestigious animation studios attend.

Careers:
•2D Animator
•Storyboarder
•Puppet Animator
•Layout Artist
•Background Artist
•Character Designer
•Concept Artist

Production samples

Talent display

ARTFX_2020_FORGOT_YOUR_PASSWORD_KEYSHOTS_03

ARTFX has given me a lot, both in terms of technique and in terms of preparing me to real work conditions. There is also a very good atmosphere in the school. After I graduated, I worked for almost a year as a Storyboard Artist at Cube Creative, on the series Where's Chicky season 2 by William Hoareau, and Athleticus season 3 by Nicolas Deveaux.

Manon Mergnat Storyboard Artist Cube Creative – Class of 2020

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Be part of the future of 2D animation!