The New Media and Animation program was only initiated at Southeastern a few years ago, but today the program has been recognized by the Animation Career Review (ACR) as one of the top programs in the South.
“The New Media and Animation concentration has defined itself as an area of study unique in the state of Louisiana and the surrounding region,” said John Valentino, an associate professor in the department of fine and performing arts who teaches classes for the program. “In 2003, it was the first visual arts curriculum in the state to incorporate subtractive 3-D rapid prototyping technologies into its courses.”
According to the ACR website, the program encourages students to use a variety of media, some outside of their comfort zone, and graduates are great indicators of the program’s success. For these reasons, ACR ranks Southeastern’s new media and animation program among the top 20 in the South.
ACR formulates its rankings based on academic reputation, feedback from industry firms, the depth and breadth of the program and geographic proximity to the industry’s leading firms.
“The New Media and Animation area classes expose students to twenty-first century tools that are becoming more prominent in the design world and overall work place today,” said Cristina Molina, an assistant professor of new media and animation in the department of fine and performing arts. “Individuals whose training includes the knowledge of digital input and output, digital design and the principles of time-based media are highly coveted among work places because of their basic understanding of technical interfaces and their problem solving abilities.”
According to Valentino, the new media and animation program at Southeastern offers fifteen diverse courses for the major, which is more than twice as many courses as any other institution in the state.
Students receive a broad education in the new media and animation program, covering photography, video art, compositing, audio, 2-D and 3-D animation, because the department of fine and performing arts has some of the best studios and equipment for students to use.
“Students in new media and animation explore non‐linear video and a variety of 2-D and 3-D animation techniques, from primitive stop motion to advanced graphic effects,” said Valentino. “Recent graduates of the program have worked on productions like MTV’s ‘The Real World,’ ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’ The Discovery Channel Reality Show ‘The Colony’ and the TV films ‘Ghost Shark,’ ‘Hijacked’ and ‘American Horror House.’ In addition to working on films, recent graduates have worked in television at Cox Sports Television and the New Orleans‐based 3-D Media Company TurboSquid, Inc.”
Laura Moore, a recent graduate who majored in new media and animation, now works as an import coordinator at Crate and Barrel in Chicago, Illinois.
“I thought the department not only taught me the technical skills in order to prepare me to find work in my field, but also taught me how to think, speak and produce work like an artist,” said Moore. “Most new media and animation programs try to focus on just the technical aspects, but the SLU new media program was about making art in the digital field.”
Nearly 75 students are currently majoring in the new media and animation program.
“The future of the program is very bright,” said Paul Todd, a senior majoring in new media and animation at Southeastern. “I must say I am incredibly jealous of the up and coming students. The department is likely to engage in a partnership with Bayou FX, which would open internship possibilities for students and allow them to get their feet in the door of the highly competitive visual effects field. Along with that, we are due for further computer, software and equipment upgrades. With the added notoriety of our spot in the Animation Career Review, we are likely to see a sizable influx of new and talented students, more funding and improve our ability to stay in pace with increasingly better technologies and equipment.”
With an already advanced program, the university plans to continue enhancing the new media and animation program through new technology and to find internships that will give students in this major better career opportunities in the future.