| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Foundation Year in Animation
The Atelier de Sèvres offers a foundation year in animation. The goal of this year is twofold: to refine your career direction and to develop the necessary skills to create and compile a portfolio that meets the expectations of top animation schools in France and abroad.
Succeed in the Competitive Examination for Animation Schools
The animation preparatory course enables students to develop their creativity and discover and assimilate the techniques needed to enter the most prestigious animation schools. Students can take the course in English. Admission is not through Parcoursup.
In 2024, 92% Success Rate in Animation School Entrance Exams
Every year, students in the animation preparatory program at Atelier de Sèvres pass a large number of competitive exams. They go on to train at leading animation schools such as Gobelins, ArtFx, Rubika, EMCA...
Training
The teaching on the Animation foundation course is divided into three branches:
- A core curriculum of academic and applied courses in animated film
- Workshops
- Experimental workshops in animation techniques
As part of the core curriculum, students acquire the basics and fundamentals and then develop these in greater depth with classes that are entirely focused on drawing—perspective and life drawing—and classes that are specific to animation, such as storyboarding, character design, an introduction to 2D, illustration, history of art/animated film and computer graphics applied to filmmaking.
The year's syllabus also comprises:
- Workshops of 32 hours each, with the possibility of making films in stop motion, painted or sand animation, 2D animation
- Workshops of 24 hours each, in layout/scenery, writing and anatomy
Successfully Passing the Entrance Exams
Pedagogy
The teaching program is built around a core of practical lessons divided between fundamental artistic practice and technical and artistic apprenticeships directly applied to animation.
A typical week includes classes of live models, perspective drawing and illustration (for the artistic basics) and animation techniques, character design, storyboarding, narration, the history of animation and computer graphics (for animation). The various exercises are carried out on paper or digitally, using professional software. These lessons are complementary and essential to the creation of your portfolio and demo reel, and enable you to produce varied, solid and well-argued personal work.
Networks
A Network of Professionals
Throughout the year, students meet professionals—as teachers but also during seminars—with whom they have the opportunity to exchange ideas and create, and also consider a more precise career path.
A Network of Schools
Thanks to the Graduate School Forum, organised every year in November/December, students can attend a presentation of the course programs, see the end-of-study films, and be informed of the dates and procedures for applying to animation graduate schools and the specificities of each one (2D, 3D, writing, technical, VFX, etc.).
Organisation
Organisation
- September to December: acquisition of the fundamentals of drawing (observation and imagination) and animation, cross-disciplinary courses in artistic culture/animated film, computer graphics, preparation of artistic portfolio, animation school forum
- January to end of February: classes/workshops, joint projects, animation, storyboarding, model-sheeting, character placement in space, staging...
- From February onwards: students can sign up for additional courses
Admissions Procedures
Admission to the Atelier de Sèvres is done outside Parcoursup, through an interview. It takes place in 3 stages:
- Sending the application form and making an appointment
- Interview
- Admission
Courses
- Observational Drawing
- Perspective
- Life Drawing
- Illustration
- Designing Characters and Scenery
- Animation Techniques
- Storyboard
- Narration
- Computer Graphics
- History of Art and Cinema and Animated Cinema
- Festival and Viva Exams
Student Projects
Discover the projects students have presented at the competitive exams for art and animation schools
Portfolios
Discover the projects students have presented at the competitive exams for art and animation schools
Workshops
In addition to the classes taught by professionals and the teaching methods implemented, Atelier de Sèvres provides its students with some of the best and most extensive technical and teaching equipment, which is fully included in the tuition fees: studios and workshop for sound, video and computer graphics, digital tablets, line tests and cameras (on-camera techniques), as well as the computer equipment and software necessary for their training.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The foundation year in animation at Atelier de Sèvres is designed to introduce students to the world of animation and provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in higher education animation programs. The program is available in both English and French and provides individualized support through a common core curriculum, animation workshops, and masterclasses. The goal of the program is to prepare students for the competitive entrance exams of specialist higher education institutions.
Outline:
The foundation year in animation program at Atelier de Sèvres features an array of courses and workshops aimed to develop students' artistic skills and technical proficiency in animation. The program is divided into three branches: Core Curriculum: The core curriculum focuses on developing the fundamentals of animation, including:
- Perspective and life drawing
- Storyboarding
- Character design
- 2D animation
- Illustration
- History of art and animated film
- Computer graphics applied to filmmaking
Workshops:
- 32-hour workshops in stop motion, painted animation, sand animation, and 2D animation
- 24-hour workshops in layout/scenery, writing, and anatomy
Assessment:
The assessment methods used in the program include:
- Mock exams and interviews to prepare students for the entrance exams of higher education institutions
- Portfolio creation and development
- Class tests
- Oral exams
Teaching:
The teaching team at Atelier de Sèvres is committed to supporting students and enabling them to develop their artistic personalities. The program features:
- Personalized support
- Common core curriculum
- Animation workshops and masterclasses
- Innovative teaching methods adapted to individual personalities
Careers:
The foundation year in animation program at Atelier de Sèvres prepares students for further studies in animation at the bachelor's and master's levels. Graduates of the program have gone on to successful careers in the animation industry.
