Visual Development artists communicate narrative, thematic and functional design ideas using visual media. A trained hand can turn that potential into reality.
Before an actor steps on a film set or an animator draws a character, visual development artists set the stage by envisioning scenes and establishing the “look” of the production. Visual Development is key to envisioning complex scenes before the actor steps onto the set, or before characters become animated on film or in game play. They are the visual storytellers who design and stage scenes from
01/06/2024
ATTENTION CURRENTLY ENROLLED AAU STUDENTS:
We’re lucky enough to once again have instructor back for the Spring 2024 semester and there’s still a few spots open in both VIS 405 OL1: Senior Portfolio and VIS 350 OL1: Live Action so if you’ve not made your course sections yet make sure to reach out to your advisor asap to see if you can add either or both of the above to your spring schedule!
11/03/2023
REMINDER: This Monday (11/6 @ 6pm) we have AAU VIS alumni joining us at the 79 New Montgomery theater to discuss their work on the Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature - “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” (and more)! Make sure to join us onsite (or online via the zoom registration link in our bio) this Monday.
11/01/2023
Join yourVIS Dept. hosts this Monday (Nov. 6th @ 6pm) at the 79 New Mont. Theater as we welcome a special guest in Academy of Art University VIS Alumni to discuss their work on the 2023 “Best Animated Feature” Oscar winner “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”. In addition, we will explore Gillian’s contributions to projects such as “Wendell and Wild” and “Robot Chicken”. Students will be able to submit questions live in person and via zoom webinar stream (registration link in bio!!!)
10/13/2023
The Academy of Art University and VIS Dept. are proud to welcome Academy Award winning make-up designer for film Mr. Stephan Dupuis. We’ll be discussing Stephan’s incredible career contributing to classics such as “The Fly”, “Scanners”, and “Robocop” along with more recent films such as “Venom”, “Ant-Man” (1 & 2), and “The Matrix: Resurrections”. Please join us ONSITE (Stephan will be joining us in the theater) at the 79 NM theater on Thursday October 19th at 5:30pm PST for what’s sure to be an incredibly informative evening. (NOTE: This event will be live streamed via the zoom registration in our bio. Open to the public.)
09/22/2023
The VIS Dept. is proud to welcome not one, not two, but THREE special guest panelists in Aletta Wenas, Robin Chyo, and Bekki Wilkinson. This roundtable panel has a wealth of industry experience ranging from Character Modeling to Concept Art at Studios including Blizzard Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, and Telltale Games. They will be discussing a number of relevant topics including:
Navigating the Industry
Keeping up w/ Digital Tools
AI and its impact
Portfolio Tips
Open Q&A
Join us for this sure to be informative virtual event. (Registration link in bio)
09/22/2023
The VIS Collaborative Workshop is back!
This time we've VIS instructor Vincenzo Barkasy art directing a collaborative with the IED (Industrial Design) and GAM (Game Design) departments on a project involving several big-name clients from the automotive industry. This workshop will be 100% VIRTUAL (link in bio) and will commence this coming Tuesday (09/26)from 6-8PM PST and run through the end of Nov. If you're looking to get production experience in a fun collaborative environment led by an top industry talent, then this is the workshop for you! (OPEN TO ALL CURRENTLY ENROLLED AAU STUDENTS)
09/14/2023
This coming Wed. September 20th the VIS Dept. will be hosting Dreamworks Feature Animation Art Director . Mr. Feinsilver most recently handled the art director duties on the fantastic “Puss & Boots: The Last Wish” (2022) and their previous credits include projects such as Netflix’s “The Sea Beast”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “TRON: Uprising”, and more! We’ll be discussing all it next Wednesday @ 5pm so make sure to join us onsite @ 79 New Montgomery in downtown San Francisco OR online at the zoom registration link in our bio.
09/07/2023
We’re starting the semester off with an Biff! Pow! and Bang! with a unique look at the 1989 Tim Burton classic in the “Batman: Noir Edition”. We’ll be examining the German Expressionistic and Film Noir roots of the film and analyzing if this unique take is in some ways SUPERIOR to the original color version. Our critical analysis will be streamed on zoom at the link in our description. (Note: We will be streaming ONLY the instructor-led lecture of the film and NOT be streaming the film itself.) We’ll be live and onsite Wens Sept. 13th @ 5pm in the 79 New Montgomery Theater in downtown SF so come join us for a semester kickoff with some bat-nalysis! Amazing Poster Credit: VIS Instructor Jeremy Saliba
05/09/2023
UPDATED - VIS Alumni Roundtable: Thursday May 11th @ 6PM PST
Please join the Visual Development Department for a roundtable discussion with Academy of Art University Visual Development Artist Alumni currently working in the entertainment industry. In this discussion we will cover a number of pertinent topics including:
- Landing that First Job
- Transitioning from Student Artist to Working Professional
- Working as part of a Large
Production Pipeline
- Student Portfolio Tips
- And more!
This is a terrific opportunity for current students to ask former students about their artistic journey(s) as well as navigating the current entertainment industry.
See ya there!
(Zoom Link in Bio/Open to the public)
05/09/2023
VIS Alumni Roundtable: Thursday May 11th @ 5PM PST
Please join the Visual Development Department for a roundtable discussion with Academy of Art University Visual Development Artist Alumni currently working in the entertainment industry. In this discussion we will cover a number of pertinent topics including:
- Landing that First Job
- Transitioning from Student Artist to Working Professional
- Working as part of a Large
Production Pipeline
- Student Portfolio Tips
- And more!
This is a terrific opportunity for current students to ask former students about their artistic journey(s) as well as navigating the current entertainment industry.
See ya there!
(Zoom Link in Bio/Open to the public)
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |