ACTIVITIES AND VISIONS OF THE ACADEMY OF ANIMATION
I got the idea of founding the school of animation
at Christmas in 1993. I was fascinated by the process
of creating reality from a mere idea with the aid of
computer animation in 3dimensional programmes.
In the future, computer animation will not be used
in artistic endeavors only, it will become a part of
many human activities, from medicine, biology
and genetics, through aviation, astronomy to
archaeology, criminology, or architecture.
Initially, the people around me did not take
me seriously. Problems of Slovak animated film
industry were widely known and to found a school
like this would mean first of all to create a new
curriculum, which seemed impossible then.
Till then just art education was provided. I knew
that there is no future in a purely artistic curriculum,
because technologies were moving forward
extremely fast. I realized that a school, which would
fulfill my ideas, would have to be built from the basis
with the resources I had.
As a child I was fascinated by the movement of
a human body and drawing it. Therefore, I wanted
to establish a school by play which will be full of
optimism and enthusiasm in combining classic
animation and computer animation, linking artistic
and technological aspects complementing each
other, creating inner harmony of technics and
art. So, I linked classical animation and computer
animation with making of multimedia programmes,
later there was graphic design, photographic design
and clothing design. In January 1997 I started to
organize classes of classical and computer animation
under the heading of UAT – a new educational
system -university of animation, at the department
of design of the Faculty of Architecture of the Slovak
University of Technology and INTERLINE company.
This 5-year period seemed to me very long, but after
some time I realized that it had had an enormous
significance for me, I found numerous new friends,
experts in animation, who later started to teach at
my dreamed school.
The Academy was approved by the Ministry of
Education of the Slovak Republic and entered into
the network of Slovak secondary vocational schools
under the number 4402/2000-45 on January 17, 2001.
In the school-year 2001/2002 the school accepted
the first students for a a four-year full-time study
in a new study programme – Animation and later,
other programmes were opened - Graphic Design,
Photographic Design and Clothing Design.
The Academy of animation annually organizes
international festivals devoted to secondary school
students. ANIMOFEST is the international animated
film festival of secondary schools, UAT Graphic
is the international graphic design competition
of secondary schools and UAT Photo – it is the
international photographic design competition
of secondary schools and UAT Fashion - it is
international clothing design competition of
secondary schools. The presentation of school
leaving works at given competitions serve as
a confrontation or feedback that is essential for
their work. A constant development in organizing
animated film festivals is an effort to contribute to
the revival of traditional animated productions and
support gifted students The Academy of Film work
and Mulimedia (AFTaM) was established in 2014.
Our effort is to enable students to become a part
of working process and thus maximalize their later
career chances. The mentioned study programmes
bring out the students´ intellectual, creative and
visual abilities. After graduation, many students will
work in companies, media or other mass media. Many
students continue in their studies at universities
in Slovakia and abroad (University of Performing
Arts, University of Fine Arts, Faculty of Architecture,
University of Filmmaking in Zlín, Faculty of Education,
Faculty of mass media and communication...) or they
just decide either to work for a Slovak or foreign
company or in mass media.
www.uat.sk
Mgr. Viera Zavarčíková, Founder and GD
Academy of Animation