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International Summer Workshops 2015
St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television
is calling for international students and professionals to take part in the Summer School
“CONTEMPORARY ANIMATION - IN-DEPTH ANATOMIC CHARACTER SCULPTING FOR GAMING INDUSTRY AND 3D FEATURE-FILM PRODUCTION”
St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television, Computer Graphics and Design Department.
Location: Pravda Street 13, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation.
Metro station Zvenigorodskaya
Time: 20 - 25 July 2015
The working language of the School - English.
Submission deadline: July 1st, 2015.
Participant fees: Package:490 euro
The program of Summer School is dedicated to 3D animation technologies. You can find detailed information about the course below.
Classes at the international summer school will be held from Monday July 20th to Sunday July 25th 2015 from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television is the oldest Russian institution in the fields of photography, cinematography and television. It was established in 1918 as the first institution in Russia to offer higher education in the field of photography. Its first name was the Institute of Photographic Science and Engineering. From the very beginning the Institute provided training in two degree programmes covering scientific and art photography. It became the Institute of Motion Picture Engineers in 1930. It has developed into a multidisciplinary institution offering degree programmes in the fields of audiovisual engineering, economics and audiovisual arts. It was granted official state university status in 1998.
Our University proposed higher education in Creative, Technical, Economical and Management areas corresponding to all range of modern specializations in Cinematography, Television and Mass Media industries. There are several dozen professions that are involved in production of video content: Scriptwriters, Screenwriters and Directors, Film and TV Cameramen, Sound Engineers and Sound Producers, Light Engineers, Video and Audio Equipment Engineers, Editors, Photographers, Animation and Computer Graphics, Producers, Economists, Managers, Market Managers, Advertisers and PR specialists, and finally, Journalists, Film Experts and Critics.
The training provided by St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television differs from the training provided by other institutions in the field. Whereas the training provided by the other institutions in the field of information and television technology is usually technical oriented, the students at the St.Petersburg University of Film and Television study image and sound as a means of artistic expression as well. Students of the technological faculties can take the opportunity to carry out projects with an artistic emphasis, just as students of the Faculty of Audiovisual Arts make a close study of production equipment. Students of all the faculties work together in training production crews and acquire both artistic and technical and administrative skills. This is a fundamental element of the education provided by St.Petersburg University of Film and Television. This element is fruitful. The University attracts an increasing number of students. Graduates of the University hold responsible positions at a number of film and television broadcasting companies of Russia and the CIS. St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television has established its branch in Moscow.
St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television is a full member of the International Corporation of Soviet High School Graduates (INCORVUZ) which has UNESCO consultative status. It is also a full member of Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et de Television (CILECT), also University takes an active part of activities of international organizations, such as Society of Motion Picture and TV Engineers (SMPTE), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and liaises with international organizations such as the International Congress of broadcasters IBC, International Association of broadcast Equipment IABM. The University collaborates with institutions from Finland, France, German, Great Britain, Spain, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden, South Korea and USA.
ABOUT THE TUTORS AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND DESIGN DEPARTMENT
Professor Vassily A. Konovalov
Associate Professor Mikhail V. Konovalov
A week-long training course will be held by tutors of CG & Design department, guided by Associate Professor Mikhail V. Konovalov, coordinator-at-large Professor Vassily A. Konovalov, in St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television from 20 to 25 of July, 2015.
The history of CG & Design department as an animation and film-making school dates back to the year 1994 when by the initiative of its new head, Prof. Vassily A. Konovalov, it began its ongoing transformation from once purely technical "Graphics & Standardization" division into a more universal section of the Institute, so as to embrace the rapidly growing CG techniques and instrumentary field catering to the artistic needs of film and animation industry.
Being in its day the first department in the Institute to become equipped with up-to-date computer inventory, both creative research and educational process has never halted its development since, adapting classic animation techniques to modern technological achievements of computer industry.
Despite stemming from a technical background, the department has entirely reconfigured the educational process relating to creative fields to be solidly based on the fundamental artistic education. This way, modern CG techniques serve a mere extension of a wide toolset of a modern animator and CG artist, retaining the artistic tradition of classic animation. There's no conflict of jusxtaposition of "computer" vs "pre-computer" animation techniques in the education pipeline, both modern and classic technologies merging harmonically into a modern artist's instrumentary.
The first 4 specialists graduated from the CG & Design dept in 1998, and their number has been constantly growing since, to currently average 20 specialists graduating yearly and finding application of their professional skills in areas of animation, film post-production, interactive arts, industrial and applied design, computer gaming and entertainment industry in Russia as well as abroad. Some of the graduates started animation studios of their own: Tatiana and Olga Poliektovs (www.poliektovs.com), Olga Tavastsherna (www.kinoartel.spb.ru), to name a few.
As years of creative development passed, the CG & Design dept has grown to be a highly acclaimed film and animation school with solid reputation in the screen arts and interactive arts industry. Classic light table and tracing vellum neighbor peacefully with the modern motion capture studio, clay stop motion goes in parallel with 3D mesh modelling and high-poly computer sculpting, digital tablet and watercolor brush are equally frequent in the students' hands.
The first proprietary developments in animation film production technology had been presented by the department at the GraphiCon' 95 international conference. Since then, the dept's achievments had been presented widely in Russia as well as abroad. International relations of CG % Design dept stretch across Eurasia from France and Italy all the way to South Korea, as well as to Finland northwards.
The base for partnership with our Finnish colleagues had been laid in 2010 when Prof. V. A. Konovalov paid a visit to the Arts & Design University in Helsinki. Later in 2014, Associate Professor of the department, Mikhail V. Konovalov together with four graduate-year students held a 4-days practical master-class on using Motion Capture technologies in animation arts, within the framework of the Illumenation-2014 international film festival in Aalto University in Helsinki (www.illumenation.fi). Within the 4 days of the master-class, a short feature film had been made starting with a clean slate, to the original scenario and plot made up by participants on the spot.
This way of practical learning, not so much by listening and watching but more by doing, is a trademark of CG & Design department educational method, students largely acquiring new skills and knowledge while working on their personal creative ideas. Ideas first, knowledge of the tools to serve them -- is the motto of the entire training process at CG & Design dept.
THE DETAILED PROGRAM OF SUMMER SCHOOL COURSE
“IN-DEPTH ANATOMIC CHARACTER SCULPTING FOR GAMING INDUSTRY AND 3D FEATURE-FILM PRODUCTION”
Program of the course:
6 days, 8 academic hours daily, no less than 4 academic hours of practice per day.
3 tutors, maximum group of 10 attendees.
Day 1:
Pixologic ZBrush sculpting instrumentary overview. Tools and interface.
Building a basic character skeleton out of Z-spheres, creating a raw character dummy.
Getting the raw character dummy ready using Dynamesh.
Practicing all of the above by the individual attendees’ sketches.
By the end of the day a character sketch is ready in both paper sketch and ZBrush dummy model.
Day 2:
Detailed study of the interface, building user’s own custom layout.
Sculpting brushes overview; polygroups, Alpha-brushes.
Hiding tools.
Practicing all of the above under tutors’ supervision. Detailing yesterday’s character model, creating custom Alpha-brushes as needed.
Day 3:
Curves, “Insert mesh” brush. Creating the objects’ arrays using Insert Mesh.
Creating custom sculpting brushes.
Divide technique, drilldown character detalization.
Practicing all of the above under tutors’ supervision, using created custom brushes.
Day 4:
Detailed overview of using the Subtools. Subtraction, combining of meshes. Merging the Subtools, dividing with polygroups.
Noise tool. FiberMesh tool.
Detailed overview of the application settings. Radial symmetry option. XPose tool.
Practicing all of the above under tutors’ supervision, adding details with custom subtools, finishing the character’s shape and surface.
Day 5:
Texturing the surface. Polypaint technique.
Creating the user’s custom textures. Spotlight tool.
Setting up the lighting. ZBrush render settings.
Creating user’s custom materials witin ZBrush. Glass, metal and such-like.
Practicing all of the above under tutors’ supervision. Texturing the attendees’ character models.
Day 6:
Optimization & retopology. Getting the character model ready for animation in other applications.
Character model requirements for using in CG games.
Baking the character’s texture maps.
Practicing all of the above under tutors’ supervision, finalizing the attendees’ character models, adjusting them for animation and for use in the CG games engines. Low-poly character with textures.
Evaluation of the acquired skills, showcasing the characters, discussion.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Students of Film Direction, Cinematography, Animation & Multimedia, or Computer Graphics Department, and also all professionals who would like to improve their skills, are welcome to the Summer School!
The minimum age of applicants to attend the summer school is 18 years old and there is no maximum age limit. The working language of the School is English so you must have a level of English which will allow you to follow the lectures and workshops.
A previous experience of character animation is normally required for applicants, in order for the students and trainees to get the most benefit from it.
There will be no entrance exam.
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
Submission deadline: July 1st, 2015.
Contacts: to send submissions or to contact project coordinator Evgenia Grinenko: evgenia.grinenko[at]gmail[dot]com
The subject line of the e-mail should include “International Summer School-Contemporary animation”.
Accommodation: St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television provides student dormitory for the accommodation for the Summer School participants (included in summer school fee).
The dormitory is situated at Prashskaya Street 14, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation. The nearest metro station is Mezhdunarodnaya- 10 min. (on foot). It takes about 15 min. to get the University (Zvenigorodskaya station).
The International Summer School will not be held responsible for covering your travel expenses: air tickets, Russian visa, and medical insurance. The Russian visa may be issued only by the Russian consulate in your city or country. Please, take this information into consideration before applying. St.Petersburg State of Film and Television will provide the invitation letter that is required to apply for the Russian visa.
PARTICIPANT FEES:
After notification of admissibility, final admission to the International Summer School “Contemporary animation” will be confirmed only after the school receives scan copies of your valid Russian visa and confirmed travel documents (air, train, bus tickets to St.Petersburg). Also every participant should sign an agreement with the University. Participant fees will be charged in St.Petersburg University of Film and Television, when you arrive.
To pay participant fees: By cash in St.Petersburg State University of Film and Television accounting department.
Package:490 euro
- The complete program of master classes, lectures, and workshops.
- Accommodation in student dormitory for a week (from July 19th till July 26th).
- Breakfast in the dormitory canteen (from July 19th till July 27th)
- Lunch during the week at the University canteen.
- Travel pass or tickets for the metro and buses within St.Petersburg for the period from Monday July 20th to Saturday July 26th. (Each participant will receive upon arrival a travel card or tickets for use on the metro and buses serving in St.Petersburg for the period of July 20th through July 26th.)
- City tour in English.
The International Summer School in St.Petersburg is a great chance not only to get extra knowledge and improve your professional skills, but also to investigate one of the world's most beautiful cities St.Petersburg during the wonderful period of white nights. The International Summer School arranges a tour around the city (in English) for its participants. St. Petersburg has all the ingredients for an unforgettable travel experience: high art, lavish architecture, wild nightlife, an extraordinary history and rich cultural traditions that have inspired and nurtured some of the modern world's greatest literature, music, and visual art (http://www.saint-petersburg.com/)
YOU ARE WELCOME
