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Film and Television Summer Institute – Traditional Animation

Aspiring animators learn to write and draw their animated movies – no drawing experience required, just limitless imagination

Aspiring animators learn to write and draw their animated movies – no drawing experience required, just limitless imagination

As of 6/15/2024, the Traditional Animation Summer Institute is closed to new applications.

Make your own animated film and meet Hollywood’s most accomplished professionals at the world-famous UCLA Animation Workshop. The Traditional Animation track teaches students how to write, storyboard, and draw their own animation film. No drawing experience is required, just limitless imagination!

The Traditional Animation Summer Institute will be offered as an online program with synchronous course meetings, practical exercises, and guest speakers. Students will learn traditional hand-drawn animation methods using a Wacom tablet/mouse, and utilize Pencil2D and Adobe Premiere to complete their animated projects.

Under the supervision of UCLA faculty, students will complete a series of exercises and learn the animation process from storyboard to post-production. Throughout the course, students will learn about the history of animation as well as contemporary industry practices, and prominent guests from the industry will visit the classroom to share their experiences and answer student questions about their career and working in Hollywood today. Each student will create an animated short film with sound and these final projects will be screened at the conclusion of the program – friends and family are welcome!

Fees and Payment Info

The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.

Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.

Program Fee
$5,498.00
Registration Fee
$350.00
IEI Fee
$61.00
Document Fee (for first-time Summer Sessions students)
$50.00
Total Estimated Fees:
$5,959.00
* Fees only apply for certain student types

Meet your instructors

Instructors for the UCLA Film and Television Summer Institutes are UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media faculty.

Jay Shipman

Instructor – FTV 180A Introduction to Animation (Traditional Animation)

Jay Shipman is a returning summer institute instructor and a 2018 MFA graduate of UCLA’s Animation Workshop. Jay’s student film, The Lineman, screened at several festivals and was chosen as a semifinalist for the Student Academy Awards.

Since graduation, Jay has worked in production, puppet fabrication, and animation on various stop-motion projects throughout the industry. Productions include Alien Xmas, Crossing Swords Season 2, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Mickey Saves Christmas, Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats, and Doc McStuffins: The Doc and Bella Are In!

Evan English

Instructor – FTV 180B Writing for Animation (Traditional Animation)

Evan English is an adjunct lecturer at UCLA and Riverside City College. Specializing in character animation and its history, his work is dedicated to breaking down the lines between different animation methods across the world. His clients have included Yohannes Studios, Gallery Nucleus, and Mushka Productions.