tdu : online school & 5 week lighting workshop announced

what is tdu?
tdu is the brainchild of two lighting tds who decided to explore a new way of educating students on the non animation disciplines of animated features and visual effects.

we felt that while there are many options for students and current professionals to improve their skills in character animation, there was nothing out there that focuses on the other disciplines within computer animation.

tdu is here to change that!!
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what can you expect from tdu?

students are trained by current working industry professionals to learn the most up to date practices and techniques.

the goal of tdu is not to teach students specific software packages. instead we focus on teaching the art of creating a beautiful image and arming individuals with the well trained eye needed to succeed in this industry.

tdu is an online education that encourages as much interaction between
students, peers, and professors as possible.

tdu is an affordable, reasonable way to get aspiring artists from where
they are today to the career they want.

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visit our site to learn more about the 5 week lighting workshop lead by two lighting tds
come check us out! at http://td-u.com

Looks like it might be of interest. Thanks for the heads up.

To make this news more up to date here is the schedule of the next courses:
Principles of Lighting - February 3 – March 10, 2014



COURSE OVERVIEW

Lighting plays a crucial role in animated films. It sets the overall mood, directs the audiences’ eye, creates visual shaping and interest, and creates a level of believability that is essential to allow the audience to become connected with the story being told. Conducted by Senior Lighting TDs Jasmine Katatikarn and Michael Tanzillo, this workshop is designed to give you the tools and skills needed to build and develop your 3D lighting skills. The workshop will focus on teaching the fundamentals of lighting a stunning image that can be implemented regardless of which software package is being used. And while this is just an introductory course, you will exit with a solid lighting foundation that can be utilized in lighting both animations and live action integrations.

Each week a video tutorial created by our industry professionals will be uploaded covering that week’s topic. At the end of each lecture, the instructors will give the students a challenge to complete. The students will spend the rest of the week working on the challenge, posting updates to the forum-style site to be reviewed by the other students and the instructors. Along with these updates, the students can also post questions to be answered by the instructors, not only about the specific challenges, but general questions as well. Then at the end of the week, students will submit his or her completed work for a final video critique conducted by the instructors. For an example of a course lecture, the various critiques, and an example website click here.



Lighting for feature animation - January 13th – March 3rd, 2014



COURSE OVERVIEW

Most lighting classes teach you “how to light”. Create a key light put it over there, this is a fill light etc. What you learn once you enter the industry is ‘why to light.” Answering “why to light” gets to the fundamental core of creative, visual storytelling. It’s not just making the scene look pretty but understanding how each light influences the environment, characters, and the audience’s involvement with the story. This course aims at teaching you the “whys” of lighting.
This advanced level lighting course, taught by longtime Pixar alum Principles of Lighting course, Lighting for Feature Animation will give you an inside look how an industry leading professional transforms a scene from simple geometry to a visual storytelling.

Each week a video tutorial created by our industry professionals will be uploaded covering that week’s topic. At the end of each lecture, the instructor will give the students a challenge to complete. The students will spend the rest of the week working on the challenge, posting updates to the forum-style site to be reviewed by the other students and the instructor. Along with these updates, the students can also post questions, not only about the specific challenges, but general questions as well. Then at the end of the week, students will submit his or her completed work for a final video critique conducted by the instructor.