DeAnza is ideally situated between San Francisco, one of the world's leading animation production centers and Silicon Valley, the very heart of the multi-national computer industry. This greater San Francisco Bay Area has proven to be an enormous asset to De Anza animation students. Attracted by the scenic beauty, cultural vitality and wealth of creative jobs, international animators gravitate to the region.

Many years ago, the Bay Area established itself as the world's center of both computer animation and animated special effects for live-action features. In addition, several of America's finest cel animation studios produce television series and commercials in San Francisco, and a formidable puppet animation industry arose in the 1990s. This juxtaposition of animation skill with high tech expertise has naturally aided the formation of an enormous multimedia industry in the Bay Area, producing a wide range of both video games and educational software.

DeAnza's proximity to this exploding animation community opens opportunities for student internships, as well as lectures by guest filmmakers, field trips to the studios and access to a pool of professional instructors not available in other regions. This makes the Bay Area an ideal place to learn and a promising location for future employment. Moreover, De Anza's contacts with these outstanding artists and studios are already strongly established.

De Anza has been a national leader in the creation of on-site courses for its corporate partners as well as innovations in contract ed curricula. The animation program has worked especially closely with the industry, with many graduates rising to director or animation supervisor positions at major studios in both Northern and Southern California.

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