Animation Preparatory Year

The purpose of this preparatory course is to experiment with various creative techniques in order to build a study project or an artistic portfolio and then to be able to present it in a constructive way with an adapted vocabulary. This year will allow you to acquire the basic artistic and technical skills required for further studies in Animation Cinema.

animation prepa year

Duration

1 year

Pace of study

Full-time

Location

Paris Saint-Marcel

Candidates holding a French Baccalaureate (obtained in France or abroad) regardless of nationality:

  • Graduates of the «Bac Général, Technologique or Professionnel» in the current year (2024) or the previous year (2023)
  • Candidate with a Bac + 1 in the artistic field:
    In view of their achievements, only admission to the Bachelor of Arts program is possible
  • Candidate with a Bac + 1 in another field (for exemple: a year of preparatory studies in a business or engineering school, a year of medicine, etc.):
    Possible admission either to the Gobelins preparatory program or to the ARFA Bachelor of Arts program
  • Candidate with a Baccalaureate from the current year:
    Possible admission either in Prépa Gobelins or in Bachelor of Arts ARFA, depending on the candidate's level

Candidates holding a foreign diploma equivalent to the French Baccalauréat regardless of nationality:

  • Graduates with the equivalent of the baccalauréat in the current year (2024) or in the 2 previous years (2023 and 2022).
  • Candidates holding a Bac + 2 in the artistic field:
    Based on prior learning, only admission to the Bachelor of Arts program is possible.
  • Candidate with Bac + 2 in another field (for example : one or two years of preparatory studies at a business or engineering school, one or two years of medicine, etc.):
  • Candidates with a current-year Bac :
    Possible admission either to Prépa Gobelins or to the Bachelor of Arts in Animation, depending on the candidate's level.

  • Strong interest and ability to draw
  • Creativity and artistic sensitivity
  • Curiosity for art in all its forms
  • Good general knowledge
  • Open-mindedness
  • Ability to search for graphic trends
  • Ability to analyze them and to express oneself through all forms of visual creation 

You will be eligible to apply to:

  • GOBELINS’ Bachelor of Arts in Animation
  • Entrance exams of animation schools from the RECA network and other Animation programmes in France and abroad

Tuition fees

  • €8.950 per year for European Union citizens
  • €15.000 per year for non European Union citizens

Eligible for scholarship

Admission process

Shared entrance exam with the Bachelor of Arts programme  

Admission process :

  • Pre-selection based on graphic file
  • Oral interview

Download the admission process

Programme

GENERAL ARTISTIC EDUCATION

  • History of Arts and Animation Cinema, chronological landmarks and methods of analysis of various artistic sectors, including photography and cinema
  • Semiology, analysis of existing work

ARTISTIC EDUCATION – FUNDAMENTALS

  • Observation drawing: knowledge of the different modes of translation of reality
  • Drawing of space: rules of perspective, outdoors sketches, scenery approach
  • Live model: nude sketches, fixed and moving, morphology
  • Composition of an image
  • Creativity: colour, volume, creative techniques

ARTISTIC EDUCATION – SPECIALTIES

  • Discovery of Animation techniques: stop motion, posing....
  • Narrative in images: notions of staging, creative biases
  • Character and set design: construction, model sheet, appropriation of existing characters, stylization, ...
  • Jobs presentations, curricula and specificities of the schools
  • Assistance in the definition of the study goals, in the choice and preparation of entrance exams
  • Presentation of artistic portfolios through peer-to-peer interactions and in front of juries composed of teachers and professionals
  • Training sessions for entrance exams (mock exams...)
  • Preparation and development of the portfolio
  • Learning by doing : specific experimentation workshops
  • Personalised follow-up of students throughout the year (choice of orientation, portfolio, etc.)
  • Mentorship of each preparatory year student by a first year Bachelor of Arts student
  • GOBELINS is a member of RECA (Network of French animation schools) and the American IPAX 
  • Projects
    Construction of a graphic portfolio, mock exams
  • Internship
    Not mandatory but recommended (during school holidays periods)

Continuation of studies

Animation Preparatory Year

Bachelor of Arts in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking

The purpose of this course is to enable students to master all traditional and digital animation techniques (2D and 3D) from pre-production to post-production.

Timeline of selection process

Registration opening date

November 10th 2023

Registration closing date

February 22nd 2024

Interview dates

From April 2nd to April 12nd 2024

Start of training

September 2024

End of training

June 2025

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