14 years of partnership with the world’s #1 ranked animation school!

At Unit Image, the blend of the artistry, talents and technology drives every frame of our films, and our commitment to nurture the next generation of artists is one of our core value.
To achieve our goal we are working hand in hand with the different schools in France. Especially with New3dge, with whom we’ve had an incredible partnership for 14 years. Many of Unit Image’s top artists contribute as instructors at this prestigious school, and a large number of their talented students join our ranks. We took the opportunity of writing this piece to ask Michael BARATIAN General Director of the number one school in the world elected by ‘The Rookie 2023’ and nominated again in 2024 New3dge some questions about the exciting collaboration between studios and schools.Together we are pushing boundaries of animation but also providing invaluable real-world experience to students in order to prepare them for after the study.
Uncover how this partnership is bridging the gap between education and industry, preparing students to step confidently into their careers in animation.

What is your vision for the future of the school and how do you intend to achieve it?

We’re aiming for excellence, and to achieve this we’re limiting the number of students (between 550 and 600 each year). We want to continue to meet the expectations of the 3D animation and VFX film market, game art (video games) and concept art (pre-production linked to concept and design in game art and 3D animation film). We are continuing to invest in cutting-edge equipment to enable our students to work in a setting that is adapted to the professional world. We will continue to strengthen our links with the professional world by organising more company presentations within the school. We’re also going to open up to other types of companies to take on our students during their training through work placements and apprenticeship courses, but also for post-study recruitment, by working more with advertising agencies, retail design, architecture firms, serious games, the automotive sector, etc. We’re soon going to have our certification in Concept art recognised and we’ll continue to do everything we can to maintain our certifications in Game art and 3D Animation & VFX).

We are keeping a very close eye on the development of AI and its likely integration into our production methods. This makes it all the more important for us to be clear-sighted and relevant when it comes to their possible integration into educational curricula. More than ever, we are convinced that young people need to be trained in the fundamentals before using these kinds of tools, the aim being to avoid damaging the intellectual, artistic and technical development of these young people in the making. If these future professional uses come to fruition, we’ll make sure that they assist us in production, improve pipe lines, and optimise organisation and production times. However promising the possibilities offered by AI may be, we believe that this does not mean that we should hand over all aspects of creativity and production to these tools. Finally, they still need to clarify how they work and where they stand in terms of respect for rights and intellectual and artistic property. We are waiting for concrete feedback from their integration and use within our partner companies before going any further.

How are the programmes designed to meet the current needs of the animation industry?

We are in constant dialogue with the professional world, working only with professionals and not teachers or career professors. To ensure that our teaching programmes are respected and applied correctly, we have taken on teaching supervisors from the professional world who have worked with us to develop teaching methods and knowledge of the field of education (one for each year of training and one for each year of the specialisations). These teaching supervisors supervise the professionals teaching at the school. They prepare and condition them to give courses and create unity and consistency between the different professionals giving the same courses. They revise and improve the course programmes in collaboration with them. They act as a link between feedback from the professionals, the students and the school.

We set up role-playing production exercises (in teams) for video game prototypes and films, teasers or trailers to create a framework that is as close as possible to the expectations of the video game and 3D animation & VFX industry.

Can you tell us about existing collaborations between your school and animation studios?

We work regularly with members of your production teams and we are fortunate to have a number of alumni who work for you and teach at the school. We offer a large number of work placements and internship courses and we try to pre-select the students who best meet your expectations (by studying the applications carried out by the educational supervisors and the School Director) to save you time in recruitment.

What are the benefits for the students and for the school?

A solid network from the moment the student joins the school and the ability to be prepared for the production pipelines that can be found within your company. This saves time in training students in your production methods and gives them a real ability to integrate your teams quickly. Our students quickly have a vision of the ecosystem that awaits them, they know the companies, their methodologies and what the companies expect of them.
Optimal and accelerated employability.

How do you follow the careers of your former students?

We keep track of all our alumni. Over 93% of them are working in the field in which they specialized. We are in contact with several alumni who regularly come to teach at the school. We keep in touch with them via Linkedin but also, and above all, via ‘channel discord’, which enables us to talk to them, offer them job vacancies, etc. We also send them surveys to track their progress and meet the requirements of the French National Register of Professional Certifications (RNCP) and the Qualiopi audits, as our courses are officially recognised by these bodies (RNCP certification number 38600 for level 7 (bac+5) Creative media and entertainment designer/director, Game art or 3D animation & VFX options). We support our students and their applications to the companies they wish to join.