Faculty of Communication - Cartoon and Animation

Today, with the development of mobile platforms and internet technologies, the discipline of cartoon and animation, both commercially and artistically, has become very widespread in our country, as it has throughout the world, especially in advertising, entertainment and education, and has turned into a popular medium consumed by broad audiences regardless of age and gender. Türkiye is taking important steps toward industrialization in the field of cartoon and animation, as it is in the education and cinema sectors. Both state television channels and foreign media organizations operating in our country now demand local productions from the Turkish market. Educational institutions demand educational cartoons and animated films specially prepared for adults and children. Cartoon and animation have also assumed the role of an important creative medium for promotion and advertising. To achieve the expected growth and momentum, the sector's need for qualified human resources must be met. This will only be possible through the establishment of a solid educational infrastructure. With its approach that brings together different disciplines and working principles such as art, technology, communication, education and industry under one roof in our country and in Istanbul in particular, "Cartoon and Animation" aims to provide qualified human resources to the sector and achieve success at both local and global levels by producing creative, innovative projects and teams. Students who come together in foundation courses in the first year will take their first steps toward specialization in their second year by choosing either the animated film or the visual effects track according to their talents. Students whose paths cross again in project courses will become film crews and produce together under the guidance of our academic staff. Domestic and international internships through the University's industry collaboration system will reinforce students' experience and keep their knowledge up to date.

With its interdisciplinary approach bringing together art, design and technology, the Department of Cartoon and Animation will provide direct support to CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) and animation projects produced by the VR Lab (Virtual Reality Laboratory) operating within the Faculty of Communication, animation and visual effects support to projects produced by the Departments of Cinema and Television and Photography and Video, and content production in specialized areas such as storytelling and character creation to the Game Design undergraduate and graduate programs. In this program, which will make an effective difference by working with the industry in the heart of Istanbul, our students and graduates will be able to benefit from our ever-expanding international academic connections and our broad domestic and international industry network; they will also be able to form their own teams, develop their own projects, apply to funding programs and have the chance to meet supporters. Through this program, the knowledgeable, productive, passionate and open-minded human resources needed by this high value-added field can be provided for the following roles in media such as cinema, television, advertising, the internet, games and mobile applications:

Cartoon and Animation Producer, Director, Screenwriter
Character Designer
Concept Designer
3D Modeling and Application, Computer-Generated Imagery and Visual Effects (CGI), 2D-3D Rendering, Motion Capture and Motion Tracking Specialist

VISION AND MISSION

The primary aim of our University is to be an internationally recognized, leading university focused on excellence in education, research and contribution to society.

The main countries that come to mind when animation is mentioned are the USA, Canada, Japan, France, the UK, South Korea and others. In these countries, we see a developed sector and the elements of a creative industry firmly networked: the cinema sector, painting and illustration as well as a comic book tradition, educational institutions, festivals, the gaming sector, technological infrastructure, broadcasters, funds, sponsorships, copyrights, academic research and so on. In our country, most of these are underdeveloped or still developing. Animation production, screenwriting, directing, concept and character design, animation, vertical editing, visual effects... The pre-production, production and post-production stages of animation have many layers. Even "pre-production", that is, the research and development process before project production, is a stage considered unnecessary or exaggerated in our country. In addition, the building blocks and memory of animation history in Türkiye are incomplete. The first films are either lost or were never completed. Since success stories are only just being written, there is no confidence, awareness or prestige in the field. We are also experiencing a tremendous brain drain and losing talent. While the need for well-trained talent in this field is great, unfortunately we cannot keep those we train here. For this reason, we need hope, exciting projects that whet the appetite for making animation, and vision. And of course, cooperation... This is teamwork. Private sector support is essential. Currently, apart from the fund of the Directorate General of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, there is no significant support. Animation is a long and costly undertaking. The vision, knowledge and competence for marketing and 360-degree project development are very important. We need a strategy to be present on universal platforms. Meanwhile, honoring, applauding and making success visible is also very important. Success stories give hope, without exaggeration, of course. Successful people sharing their knowledge and continuing their work with determination, discipline and passion, without becoming complacent or losing focus, makes this success sustainable. Culture and art are so vital for society! Our cultural policies should support the infrastructure with free and original artists and a far-sighted and ethical commercial approach. We have difficulty thinking long-term, yet animation requires long-term and good planning. In addition, professions related to animation are not recognized. The Cinema TV Union and GEAS (Visual Effects and Animation Artists Association) have worked on establishing occupational definitions, principles and standards.

BAU Cartoon and Animation was in fact born as a response to the cry of the sector. At the Animation Without Borders colloquium we organized in 2017, we sought answers to the questions of what qualified animation education is and what the conditions of a developed sector are. In fact, one of the things we need is to get to know each other, come together and think together. The colloquia made this possible.

Since our establishment, we have produced countless projects of various scale and quality. All of them are sustainable activities that we want to become traditions. Our aim is to draw attention to animation and underline its importance. We are also very active on social media: https://www.instagram.com/bau_cartoon_animation/

We have predictions and dreams about the near future of the animation sector in Türkiye.

We can compare our animation sector to Turkish cuisine. As is well known, despite all its richness and uniqueness, Turkish cuisine is a treasure that has not reached the place it deserves in terms of international recognition and prestige. We have rich ingredients and people who demand the flavor, yet our animation sector, which has a tremendous storytelling heritage dating back centuries to Karagöz and Hacivat, is still referred to as an "infant" sector. The global animation market is projected to grow from 272.1 million dollars in 2020 to 473.7 million dollars by 2026, and the future of visual media is expected to be animation. This projection is proportional to the appetite for cartoons not only among children and young people but also among adult audiences, and to the expanding use of animation not only in cartoons but also in visual effects. Leaving aside intellectual property, the creation of works, the creative industry and cultural and economic value, animation exists to break the routine of daily life by entering a surreal and fantastic universe, to confront the realities of the world while in a safe space, to process and digest them in our minds and to support our resilience. Unfortunately, however, in the animation kitchen we still turn to cheap "fast food" that is quickly produced and consumed. There are also few master and visionary chefs. We need well-trained teams with artistic souls whom they can mentor, and visionary producers who will make use of all this economic, cultural and vital value and open it up to the world. That will happen too. We will see good projects and wonderful artists.

In France, where there is a supported and mature animation sector, there are programs and structures that, for example, bring you together with a film score composer suitable for your project while your film is still in the project stage. They place the pieces of the mosaic carefully and completely. When we look at the short films in this year's Annecy Animation Film Festival selection and compare the credits of the only film of Turkish origin with the other films, what we need to do becomes clear. Apart from voice acting and music, the director, screenwriter, animator, art director, editor... are all the same name. There is not yet a contracted distributor or broadcaster. It is a producer-director spiral. This may be common for "independent" short films; even our feature films are like this. However, in countries where the animation sector has developed internationally, we see that everyone on the animation production line, from the screenwriter to the distributor and from the communicator to the voice actor, is - and can be - on the crew list with their occupational definitions duly recognized, regardless of whether the animation is short or feature-length. This is certainly not just a matter of trade, technology, or learning to draw and use 3D software. It is a matter of understanding and culture.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Today, with the development of mobile platforms and internet technologies, the discipline of cartoon and animation, both commercially and artistically, has become very widespread in our country, as it has throughout the world, especially in advertising, entertainment and education, and has turned into a popular medium consumed by broad audiences regardless of age and gender. Türkiye is taking important steps toward industrialization in the field of cartoon and animation, as it is in the education and cinema sectors. Although it is still an infant industry, both an important state institution such as TRT and foreign media organizations operating in our country now demand local productions from the Turkish market. Educational institutions demand educational cartoons and animated films specially prepared for adults and children. Cartoon and animation have also assumed the role of an important creative medium for promotion and advertising. To achieve the expected growth and momentum, the sector's need for qualified human resources must be met. This will only be possible through the establishment of a solid educational infrastructure. With its approach that brings together different disciplines and working principles such as art, technology, communication, education and industry under one roof in our country and in Istanbul in particular, "Cartoon and Animation" aims to provide qualified human resources to the sector and achieve success at both local and global levels by producing creative, innovative projects and teams. Students who come together in the first year in foundation courses such as Basic Art, Introduction to Animation, History of Animation and Visual Effects, Studio and Lighting, Dynamic Anatomy, Cinematography and Digital Art strengthen their foundations in their second year with courses such as Storytelling and Narrative Tools, Storyboarding, Character Design, 3D Animation, Editing, Screenwriting, Concept Design and Sound Design. In their third and fourth years, students whose paths cross again in project courses take their first steps toward specialization by choosing either the animated film or the visual effects track. They become film crews and produce together under the guidance of our academic staff. Domestic and international internships through the University's industry collaboration system will reinforce students' experience and keep their knowledge up to date.

Our staff includes instructors who have worked in the animation sector for many years and have practical experience and networks, as well as lecturers who contribute to animation through their academic work. Our department, which has protocols and partnerships with professional organizations, associations and institutions such as ANFİYAP and the Illustrators Platform, participates in domestic and international animation festivals and markets.

ACTIVITIES OF THE BAU FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT OF CARTOON AND ANIMATION

ANİM.İST

Although founded under Bahçeşehir University, it was born as a festival for everyone who loves animation. Its guests to date have included Anna Kluza, one of the lead animators of the Oscar-nominated animated film Loving Vincent; Craig Caldwell, who specializes in story writing for animation, VR and digital games; Murat Akbulut from 1000Volt, Türkiye's first design center and post-production house; VFX masters Burak Balkan and Arman Şernaz; Tan Oral, Türkiye's doyen of caricature and director of the award-winning animated film Sansür; Arslan Elver from Framestore in the UK, who worked on productions such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers and Star Wars: Episode VII and was VFX supervisor of Christopher Robin, an Oscar nominee for visual effects; Comic-Con Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Rutu Modan from Israel; as well as Namkook Lee from the Republic of Korea; İsmail Fidan, director of Rafadan Tayfa, which set a box office record in domestic animation; Varol Yaşaroğlu, creator of Kral Şakir, our pride with its international 360-degree production power; Kemal Çoşkuner, General Manager of Disney Channel Türkiye; Helen Piercy, animator, educator and advisor to Animated Women UK, which supports women in the animation world in the UK; Sinan Demirtaş, director of the documentary on Sound and Visual Effects in Fantastic Turkish Cinema; and master voice actors Damla Babacan and Harun Can. The festival hosted student animated films from Bezalel, Israel's most established film school, and Hongik University in South Korea, as well as faculty members and students from Eskişehir Anadolu University and Kütahya Dumlupınar University. Through the "Animation Without Borders Universities and Industry Colloquium," the festival also hosted a special event bringing together the key players of the animation sector in Türkiye and the institutions providing education in this field. Since the first edition, in partnership with international guests and institutions, we have tried to highlight the women of animation in particular. After all, there are many women who have worked, are working and are studying for this profession in the world of animation. The power of women in culture must be visible, and we all need this power. This year's special guests are Joanna Quinn, Oscar nominee for best animated short from the UK, and Les Mills.

We have now turned the festival, which we have held for the last 3 years as Istanbul's Animation Festival with the support of important institutions, into an even more effective platform for education, training and sharing. As ANİM.İST Istanbul Animation Platform, supported by the ISTKA (Istanbul Development Agency) Creative Industries Financial Support Program of the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye, our priority is to strengthen animation, bring new talent to it, enrich its culture and produce quality films. We also want to include people with disabilities or those who face barriers, because the animation sector is a field of production that can remove barriers. It is an education and production platform that provides free training to 160 students in 6 areas (animation, animation screenwriting, directing, producing, concept and character design, and vertical editing) and with which we will make animation together. It is moving forward in partnership with very important institutions such as GEAS (Visual Effects and Animation Artists Association) and TRT Çocuk. We also aim to establish an official occupational definition and professional competency assessment together with the Cinema TV Union.

KAG: KOREAN ANIMATION DAYS

KAG: Korean Animation Days Istanbul was held for the first time on 14-15 November 2019 in partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul and the Bahçeşehir University Department of Cartoon and Animation, with the support of TRT Çocuk. South Korea, where the development of animation production, education and technology is highly valued, and which has major international animation festivals such as SICAF, an animation and webtoon museum and a special agency structure supporting creative content under the name KOCCA, has long been an important part of the global animation and gaming sector. It has countless character designs integrated into everyday public life, such as Tayo the Little Bus and Larva; webtoons, a very popular genre of storytelling in the virtual world; feature-length animations such as Wonderful Wings, with exports approaching 600 million dollars according to 2015 data; and animated series and games such as Pororo the Little Penguin, Pucca, Katuri and Kakao Friends. KAG: Korean Animation Days Türkiye aims to bring the key players and products of Korean animation together with both audiences and the Turkish animation sector in Türkiye. Through film screenings, seminars, industry meetings and workshops, the organization aims to build industry partnerships as well as cultural ties through animation. KAG's first guests included Jung Jin Hong, creative director of FunnyFlux, and Han Kil Nam, Head of the Animation Department of EBS - Korea Educational Broadcasting System. In addition, a one-day animation workshop with the participation of university and high school students was held under the direction of Kim Keukeleire, animation director of the films Isle of Dogs and My Life as a Zucchini. All events were free of charge.

ANIMATION WITHOUT BORDERS SUMMER SCHOOL

The first Animation Without Borders Summer School was held in Istanbul in summer 2017 with the participation of Prof. Hyung Jin Park, Head of the Department of Video and Animation at Keimyung University in the Republic of Korea, Prof. Charlie Hahn and their students; the second was held in the Republic of Korea in summer 2018 over 10 days with the participation of 7 BAU students and Prof. Dr. Nazlı Eda Noyan, Head of the Department of Cartoon and Animation. The third and fourth summer schools were held in Istanbul in summer 2019 and 2020 as a 10-day, 80-hour certificate program with an experienced animator who has worked at major animation studios such as Disney.

ANIMATION PROJECTS

At the request and with the sponsorship of the Purple Certificate Program supported by the Sabancı Foundation, four short educational animated films of 3 minutes and 1 minute each were made for high school students and teachers.

A four-day colloquium on Kassia, the world's first known female composer, was organized with the BAU Conservatory, and 7 short animated films were made in collaboration with the Istanbul Women's Museum.

Our students made the animation festival trailer for the İzmir Film and Music Festival 2022.

CONSULTANCIES

Prof. Dr. Nazlı Eda Noyan, Head of the Department of Cartoon and Animation, served as a consultant to TRT Çocuk for one year in the 2020-21 season and contributed to the TRT Çocuk International Media Conference.

Prof. Dr. Nazlı Eda Noyan, Head of the Department of Cartoon and Animation, contributed as program designer and coordinator to the free film design workshop program for young people aged 16-26 at Future Cinema, launched in autumn 2022 under the Istanbul Cinema Museum.

UMURSUYORUM SHORT ANIMATION FILM COMPETITION

In the competition organized with the Spinal Cord Paralytics Association of Türkiye in children's and adult animation categories to raise awareness of spinal cord paralysis and its prevention, 4 quality films were awarded with the support of Wacom Türkiye.

ANIMATION CAMP

At the request of the Ministry of National Education, we provided voluntary support to distance education by producing a 40-episode program series for TRT EBA TV with the support of valued professionals from the sector. All episodes are available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8yAef1bGJ5RoLEu3Xvihaw/featured

ANİM.İST COMIC BOOK COMPETITION

The fields that nourish animation and that animation nourishes are very diverse and rich, and comics are among them. In countries where the animation sector is strong, we see that comics are also strong as a sector. For this reason, we consider it important to cover this field as well. These are included in our training modules and production line, and this is exactly why we hold our comic book competition. We now know the value of comics, but we want to turn this field into a vast forest in our country. We want not only to talk and give awards but also to encourage production here by thinking together and lending a hand through meetings and feedback with masters. From a wide variety of applications, we have already selected the top 10 projects with our wonderful jury, diverse in background, age, gender and perspective on comics. By supporting the production process of these projects and undertaking their publication, we aim to release an album with 7 of them in the autumn. British Council Türkiye also supports our project within the Creative Producers Program. We hope to continue our comic book competition together with Arka Bahçe Publishing.

ANIMATIC TALKS

Since the pandemic, for two years we have been hosting names, artists and professionals from the sector in live broadcasts on Instagram and addressing animation in different ways. https://www.instagram.com/animatik_sohbetler/

TOGETHER ALBANIA NATIONAL CHARACTER WORKSHOP AND COMPETITION

At the invitation of the Ministry of Culture of Albania, we organized a four-day character design workshop in Tirana with the participation of around 20 students, followed by the Albanian National Character Competition, in which we awarded three works.

IN ADDITION:

The 2021 research study "Keep Calm and Animate" demonstrated during the pandemic that animation can be made from anywhere, without borders or the need for a physical space, and examined the conditions of the Turkish animation sector during the pandemic (Noyan and Çöpcü, Peter Lang).

In addition, various events and studies are being carried out within the scope of "animasyonunkadinlari.org," Prof. Dr. Noyan's research and archive project on women working in the animation sector in Türkiye.

We participated in İCAF Istanbul Comics and Art Festival with our student animations. Our award-winning student films have begun to emerge.

Our students' films have begun to be screened at national and international festivals and to receive awards.

We worked with the academic staff of the relevant departments of other universities and the sector for the continuation of the Special Talent Exam, and these efforts bore fruit: a decision was made to continue the exam. Since our establishment, we have filled our student quota with a single exam.

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Faculty of Communication - Cartoon and Animation