Minor in Animation

Program Scope

The Animation Minor is open to all majors. The program is a production emphasis in creative storytelling, social issue documentary, and artistic experimentation.

Using techniques like drawing, stop-motion, 2D/3D digital, and mixed media, students apply their research to short animated projects. Students gain a foundation in animation principles and methods applicable to fine art, creative, entertainment, industrial, scientific, and humanities fields. The Animation Society welcomes all students to the club meetings.

Minor in Animation

Enrollment in the Animation Minor is limited and requires a portfolio review. Upper-division standing students of any major can apply. Five animation courses totaling 15 units are required.

Animation Advisors

Students whose last name begins with:

Animation Portfolio Review

The portfolio review is online in the spring semester (deadline April 20th). Students should meet with an animation adviser in fall and prepare their portfolios during their freshmen and sophomore years. Up to 14 students will be admitted after the spring portfolio review; they will receive permits to register for CINE 444 Animation I (3 units). Others with strong portfolios will be wait-listed. All students must upload their application materials (application, portfolio, unofficial transcripts) to SF State Box by April 20th.

Transfer Students Admitted After May

Transfer students admitted late to the university should upload their portfolio by August 15th. Only transfer student portfolios will be considered in August. Upon successful portfolio review, transfer students will get permits to enroll in CINE 444 Animation I (3 units); students on the spring waitlist will receive permits in August if there are available seats.

Portfolio Guidelines

Portfolio Application (pdf)

Sample Portfolio (pdf)

Students should take a beginning drawing and a life drawing class before the review. Portfolios should include only student’s strongest work and be limited to 20 pages assembled as a digital pdf.

  • Required: 10-15 pages of human and animal life drawing, gestures & sequenced motion (not cartoons or doodles)
  • Each page should have several drawings (See sample portfolio)
  • Optional: 2-4 pages of color, design, painting, photography, sculpture or other art samples
  • Optional: Up to 2 animation or film samples (2-minute max each, include URL on the application for online streaming submissions

How To Upload Your Portfolio Using An Sf State Box Account

  • Download the application and sample portfolio above.
  • Sign up for an SF State Box account
    • A Box at SF State individual account is created for all current faculty, staff, students, and community members the first time they access the service via the Web using their SF State ID and password.
    • SF State Box Website
  • Make a folder for submission materials and submit the following:
    • A portfolio
    • An animation application
    • SF State unofficial transcript or DPR report
    • Unofficial transcripts from other transfer schools (if applicable)
  • Share the folder with animation advisers Martha Gorzycki and Ben Ridgway
    • Locate the folder/file you wish to share and click once to see more options
    • Click the Share button
    • Select sharing type: Link
    • Set the link permission using the People in this folder drop-down
    • Copy the link and share, or enter the email address(es) in the Email Address field to share immediately
  • Send Box links to:

Recommended Drawing Books

  • Force, Dynamic Life Drawing For Animators. Michael D. Mattesi. Focal Press, MA 2006

  • The Art of Animal Drawing. Ken Hultgren. Dover, NY 1993

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Acquire basic skills in the formal and critical analysis of animation (including representations of race, class, gender and sexuality), focused by the analysis of representative works from a range of periods and cultures.  
  2. Gain basic understanding of the relation of animation to other arts, to the development of new technologies, and to the industrial-social basis of domestic and international cultural production.  
  3. Acquire the basic technical skills necessary for cinematic expression with animation. 
  4. Develop basic skills in the organization and creation of meaningful form and content in animated works.  

Animation Minor — 15 units

Students must maintain a grade of C or better in the required animation classes.

A minimum of 6 upper-division units are required to complete the minor.

All coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

Required Courses

CINE 365History of Animation3
CINE 444Animation I3
CINE 445Animation II3
CINE 664Animation III3
CINE 665Animation IV3

Other Courses of Interest for Animation Minors 

CINE 440Animation Pre-Production3
CINE 443Drawing for Animation3
CINE 446Stop-Motion Animation3
CINE 4482D Animation & Visual Effects3
CINE 450Fundamentals of Screenwriting3
CINE 651Experimental Animation & Visual Effects3
CINE 652Documentary Animation3
CINE 6603D Computer Animation3
CINE 6613