Introduction to Acting

Take Your Performance to the Next Level

Try on a New Role

In the Introduction to Character Acting animation course, you’ll tackle two of the most challenging aspects of character animation: pantomime acting and animating dialogue. Through pantomime acting, you’ll learn to show your character’s emotions to the audience without narration or dialogue. Then you’ll move on to the most exciting concept in character animation: dialogue acting. Watch as the improvement in your animation directly impacts the quality of your characters!

Introduction to Character Acting Animation Course

12-WEEK COURSE

$2,499 USD

Start the Week of
March 25, 2024

Apply By
March 24, 2024

Pro Animators Mentor You to Be Successful

Our mentors are the heart and soul of Animation Mentor. They are professional, working animators from studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, and Industrial Light & Magic, who will teach you the ins and outs of production-level animation. Take the stage in Introduction to Character Acting animation course, the fourth of our Core Character Animation Courses.

Ray Ross - Introduction to Acting Mentor

Ray Ross

Senior Animator
Epic Games

Ray Ross has been a professional animator since 2006 and is currently a Senior Animator at Epic Games. He started at Blue Sky Studios on Horton Hears a Who! and worked there for nearly 13 years before joining Walt Disney Animation Studios.

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Keith Sintay - Introduction to Acting  Mentor

Keith Sintay

Senior Character Animator
Industrial Light & Magic

Keith Sintay has been a professional animator since 1994 and is currently a senior character animator at Industrial Light & Magic. He started as a 2D animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios working on hits like Mulan and Pocahontas and has since worked on many blockbuster films in the Marvel and Star Wars franchises.

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Nick Kondo - Introduction to Acting Mentor

Nick Kondo

Supervising Animator
Sony Pictures Imageworks

Nick Kondo has been a professional animator since 2005 and is currently a lead animator at Sony Pictures ImageWorks. He worked on the Oscar-winning, groundbreaking film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and other films including The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

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Choose Your Mentor

Once you've applied and been accepted into Animation Mentor, you can choose your mentor and register for class.

Registration is open from

January 22 - March 24, 2024

Studios that Hire Our Character Animation Students

On-Going Rig Access

AIA

JULES

MOYA

VIKTOR

QUINN

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Personalized Mentorship

Our mentors are working professionals with years of experience under their belts, and they’re passionate about training the next generation of animators. In this course, you will learn from your mentor in live sessions as they share insights about what studios are working on and what qualities they look for in an animator. Your mentor will work directly with you to grow your skills, sharing weekly 1:1 feedback and reviews to help you improve your animation.

Studio-Level Animation Tools and Assets

We teach our students how to work in a studio environment so they are ready for jobs when they graduate. This training starts from day one, with exclusive access to professionally designed assets and character rigs. We ensure that they learn using the same tools and animation workflows that professionals use in their day-to-day work.

Course Requirements for Introduction to Acting

Course Details

LIVE Q&As | Weekly 1-Hour Q&As

LECTURES | 12 Pre-recorded Lectures

ASSIGNMENTS | 2 Animation Exercises

ACCESS |Over 150 hours of additional content

SOFTWARE | Autodesk Maya

HARDWARE | Meet Minimum Requirements

AGE | 18 Years or Older

LANGUAGE | Taught in English

Skills You Need Before You Start

This character animation course requires you to have a working understanding of, and experience with, Autodesk Maya software. If you don’t you can take our Maya Basics Workshop.

 

What You’ll Learn

Now that your body mechanics are solid, let’s focus on introducing more nuanced character performances. In this course you will:

  • Craft impactful performances through pantomime and body language
  • Learn the basics of full facial animation, including lip sync, and how facial acting is incorporated into the full performance
  • Elevate your acting skills by utilizing the techniques of subtext and subtlety
  • Enhance your shots with secondary action, adding believability and appeal to any performance
  • Apply polishing to facial animation and lip sync without sacrificing the clarity of your poses

Animation Mentor Interest-Free Payment Plans

Animation Mentor offers interest-free payment plans. Payment Plans allow students to distribute the $2,499 USD tuition into flexible payments throughout the school term.

$333
Per Month

$500 to save your seat and
6 monthly installments of $333.

$500
Per Month

$500 to save your seat and
4 monthly installments of $500.

$625
Per Month

$624 to save your seat and
3 monthly installments of $625.

FAQ for Introduction to Acting

What is the difference between method acting and character acting?

Method actors try to embody the characters they are playing. To perform method acting, an actor will transform into the character by memorizing the script and diving into the character’s background and inner life. Character actors, however, follow lines and blocking more closely, without disolving fully into the character they are playing.

What is pantomime in acting?

Pantomime acting is the art of acting without speaking any actual words. In pantomime, actors use facial expressions and body movements to convey emotions and move the story forward.

Why is pantomime important to acting?

Pantomime is a very important element of acting. When you can tell a story solely through body movement, that movement will enhance any added dialogue that the character delivers. Mechanics and dialogue work together to tell great stories and bring exciting characters to life.

Related Courses

If you’re interested in 3D animation, we think you’ll love these courses! Our Core Character Animation Courses provide a great foundation in animation and will help prepare you for a career in the industry.

Maya Workshop: Animation Basics

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Master this key software before diving into the art of animation.

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Body
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Learn to animate realistic bipedal movement.

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Advanced Body
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Advanced
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Tell a complex, two-person story with dialogue.

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Feature Animation
Acting & Polish

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Animate a shot the pros would be proud of and finish your demo reel.

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