Flamin' and Arcade Myself!

Are you an animal lover? Are you interested in working with animals? As we all know, people who will most probably enter a career that handles animals are natural animal lovers. And, if you are one of these people, you can engage in some animal career training to help you get into the specific animal-related profession you want. A range of animal career training modules and courses for every animal-related career are available. There are a lot of courses to choose from such as animal training, medical classes for animal care, and courses that train one to assist in different animal-related professions. In general, there are two main classifications of animal career training courses that you could engage into.

1. Caring for Sick Animals
Training courses that are related with animals involve certain aspects of animal care. Veterinary courses are one of the more popular animal training courses that one can get into. If you want to become a veterinarian, you will get a lot from this training because these courses simulate real life situations that provide hands-on training in taking care of sick animals and let one practice medicine as well.

If you do not have the time to go out and attend classroom courses, you can still study through the Veterinary Assistant Program. It is a program that lets you take animal career training courses online. Enrolling in the Veterinary Assistant Program helps you to become a vet’s assistant by following a module that draws special attention to animal behavior, veterinary pharmacology, care during urgent situations, and so on. Anyone who displays enthusiasm in the subject in spite of their lack of any background regarding the work can take this course. Another possible animal care course you can engage in are pet grooming courses. By taking this course, you will get the chance to enter the business of pet care with pet grooming as the main focus.

2. Training Animals
Obedience and training is another focus to get involved in. Most animal career training institutes has courses that center in dog obedience and training but there are also some who offer training modules that also involve horses and other animals.

Courses centering on obedience and training can be obtained not only in traditional school setting but also through online schools. Your pet-loving nature can indeed lead you to a career that features contact with animals on a daily basis. Searching the Internet about courses that give animal career training can help you decide the course to take be it in dog grooming or dog training, or even training other kinds of animals such as horses and other aquatic animals.

Technology and star power have contributed to the animation phenomenon, and animation—a genre that has its roots in children’s entertainment—is now more widespread and widely respected than ever before.

Animated films have been a part of our culture for just over 100 years. In 1906, a newspaper cartoonist named J. Stuart Blackton released the first fully animated film, “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.” Since then, animation has used drawings and illustrations to entertain and delight many generations of viewers.

In the past decade, the animated film industry has seen a number of exciting changes. Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) is increasingly used, as well as using individual cells drawn by animators. Animated film budgets are also much higher than they once were. As a result, animated films are now receiving greater recognition and are not simply relegated to being kids’ films. Animation studios and their work are also garnering more attention because high-profile actors are doing voiceovers as opposed to relatively unknown actors.

During the first 90 years of animation and animated films, each cell of a film was drawn by animators. Any of the classic animated films by Disney, including “Snow White” or “Aladdin,” used this method. Hand drawn animation is still used in tandem with Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). But, like everything else in our culture, animated films are advancing technologically, with CGI animation used for special effects. In 1995, “Toy Story” became the first feature-length animated film to use CGI.

Technology has raised the status of animated films, but star power has helped as well. When Disney’s “Aladdin” was released in 1992, it was one of the first feature-length animated films to feature the voice of a famous actor—Robin Williams as the Genie. Three years later, with the release of “Toy Story” viewers enjoyed being entertained by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. This led to the phenomenon of other high-profile actors being cast in feature-length animated films.

Perhaps because they are making use of advanced technology and established actors, animated films are also more critically recognized than ever before. In 2002, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added the Best Animated Film category to the Oscar awards. “Shrek” was the first to win the award. But, this category came after a long wait by animation studios to have animation recognized as an artistically valid medium of filmmaking. Before the award was introduced, “Beauty and the Beast” was the only feature-length animated film to be nominated for Best Picture.

The addition of this category to the Academy Awards Ceremony in 2002 had an affect on animation overall and increased interest in the medium. As animated feature films rise in popularity, animation has become more accepted and can now be found in a wider range of television commercials and even films not in the animated category such as Richard Linklater’s “A Scanner Darkly.”

The movement extends even beyond Hollywood; advertisers, web designers and marketing firms are now using animation due to its wide appeal with audiences. It is not unheard of for a branding agency to have an in-house animation studio to take advantage of this popular medium.

From the movie screen to your computer screen, animation is becoming more prevalent. Technology and star power have contributed to the animation phenomenon, and animation—a genre that has its roots in children’s entertainment—is now more widespread and widely respected than ever before.

The computer animation field has quite a prominent part to play in the entertainment industry. Gaming animation is so famous at this moment of time that high quality games are being developed into movies. The example in this regard can be of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and DOOM. If you manage to earn a degree in arts specializing in gaming animation or computer animation you can perhaps work in the entertainment industry.

Course Structure
The course structure of online animation degree program consists of visual effects, gaming animation and computer animation. When earning an online degree in animation, you will also get to know about the new software programs and latest multimedia trend. If you are only interested in video game animation, it is advisable that you go for a specialization in video game animation.

Online Bachelor of Science in Animation Degree
If you are looking for training in the practical aspects of animation then Bachelor of Science in Animation is the way to go. The most intriguing thing about this online degree program is that it also includes combination of general education and management concepts, which can come in real handy when you are doing project work. You can attain entry-level jobs by earning an online Bachelor of Science in Animation degree. It includes multimedia designer, assistant animator and graphic artist.

Online Masters in Animation Degree
An online Masters degree in Animation prepares students to use computer applications and various sound imaging techniques. Other important features of this online degree program are specialized camerawork, CAD applications, image capture, equipment operation and computer programming.

Career prospects
If the Bureau of Labor Statistics is to be believed, the annual salary of animators is more than $50,000. When you earn an online degree in animation, you will surely face no problems in acquiring a job. However, to advance your career it is of paramount importance that you go for a higher degree. If possible, go for a Bachelor in Animation or Masters in Animation. Opportunities for animators are expected to grow by more than 10 percent by 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Earning Online Degrees in Animation
To earn an online degree in animation, first you need to find an accredited university that is conducting online degree programs in animation. Details of some accredited online universities that offer online degree programs in animation are:

Westwood College Online: Westwood College Online offers Associate, Bachelor and Masters level degree programs in animation. The best part about Westwood College is that their degree programs also provide hands-on training in areas like physics, special effects, psychology, video production techniques and 3D animation. Instructors at Westwood College Online are quite good.

Penn Foster Career School: Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, Penn Foster Career School is one of the world’s biggest distance learning college conducting Associate and Diploma programs in the Animation and Graphic Design. The faculty at Penn Foster Career School is highly qualified and experienced so as a student you do not need to worry about the quality of education.

Whether you need a gift for Christmas, a birthday or other occasion, anime fans can be hard to buy for, especially if you know little about the world known as “anime”. First, let me explain a little about anime. Anime is a type of animation that started in Japan. Basically, you can call it a Japanese version of cartoons. However, anime has some big differences. Where American animation tends to be geared primarily towards children, there are actually many types of anime, geared for many ages and interests. For instance, there are anime series targeted squarely at young boys, young girls, young women and so on. There are also adult anime series, with more adult themes and content. There are also many different thematic styles of anime, including those centered around robots (called mecha), romantic anime, fighting anime and so on.

In order for you to choose a fantastic gift for the anime fan in your life, you first need an idea of what anime series or at least what kind of anime series they enjoy. Find out by perusing their DVD collection or checking what they watch on TV. Once you know the series they like, here are some suggestions for surefire gifts for anime fans:

Manga

Manga is simply the Japanese version of comic books or graphic novels. Many anime series are based on a manga series. Any anime fan would love the original manga their favorite anime is based on. For original Japanese manga, you can usually find some on eBay and at Japanese importers like JustManga and Manga.com. For the most popular anime series, like Inuyasha, you can find English translated manga books at many major bookstores.

Live Action and Japanese Drama DVD’s

Some anime and manga series have a live action version, like Sailor Moon, that a Sailor Moon fan would likely be interested in. If your anime fan seems interested in Japanese culture, then consider getting them some Japanese TV drama series. There are many Japanese drama series aimed at tweens and teens that usually take place in school or high school. Check out Nodame Cantabile, Hana Yori Dango and Gokusen, each was based on anime or manga series or both. Look for these series at places like YesAsia and on eBay. Make sure to get the English subtitled versions.

Toys

Some anime series, like Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion and others, have many toys available. If you really want to get a special gift, try to get some of the toys that are imported from Japan. Toys available include action figures, vehicles, stuffed toys, models and dolls. You can find toys for the most popular anime series at major toy stores, but for not so popular series, try eBay, YesAsia and other import websites.

Video Games

Many of the most popular anime series like Naruto, Inuyasha and Bleach also have video games based on them. This is a great gift idea since what anime fan wouldn’t want to play a game as their favorite character? Make sure to find out what game system they have so you can get a game for their particular console or handheld.

Music

Many anime fans become interested in Japanese culture through anime, especially since popular Japanese artists and bands are used on the soundtracks to the majority of anime series. You can get them the soundtrack to the series or even a few JPOP or JROCK CD’s. JPOP and JROCK is the abbreviation of Japanese pop and Japanese rock music. Find many artists at both YesAsia and eBay. Popular Japanese music artists include Ayumi Hamasaki (pop), Utada Hikaru (pop/R&B), Arashi (pop boy band), L’Arc-en-Ciel (rock band), Morning Musume (pop girl band) and many more.

Collectibles & Decorative Items

There are also many collectibles and decorative items available for some series. Consider animation cells, limited edition toys, photo albums, calendars, posters and more. Find these at YesAsia and eBay.

Clothing & Apparel

Some anime fans enjoy dressing up as their favorite character, this is called “cosplay”. Try to find out who their favorite character is and get them a costume or accessories. For instance, an Inuyasha fan would love a necklace like the one Inuyasha wears or a play sword like he uses. Or go all out and get them a full costume just like their favorite character. One place to check out is CosplayMagic.com.

Language Books or Software

If your anime fan has a serious interest in Japanese culture, then consider getting them a book or audio learning set to help them learn, read and write Japanese. This is an excellent gift option if you’re having a hard time finding gifts from their favorite anime series. This is also a gift you can feel good about, since learning a new language is a very valuable skill for their future.

Food

From sushi to Pocky, if your anime fan has an interest in Japanese culture, they might like to try some of the food they have seen consumed in animes and dramas. Some suggestions include a sushi making kit, Japanese candy and gum, Pocky (a pretzel covered with chocolate), strange flavored Japanese versions of candy bars like KitKat and more. You can find many types of Japanese candy at AsianFoodGrocer and other Japanese food import sites.