The computer has emerged as the one tool that can speed both the creative process of animating characters, as well as the time it takes to get a film or television project to the screen. California companies such as Industrial Light and Magic and Dream Works SKG, the film studio owned in part by director Steven Spielberg, have invested millions of dollars in computer hardware and software to be able to turn out amazing animated special effects in the film industry. They are also investing in another scarce commodity the computer animator. 

A computer is just a tool. Without a skilled artist at the mouse or drawing pad, nothing can be created. The training and skill needed to be a successful computer animator can be found in special programs at a growing list of colleges and universities, including the art program at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson State's program offers students an opportunity to study the fundamentals of computer animation. It also provides students with practical, hands-on experience with several different computer platforms. Jackson State's computer facilities range from Amiga-based graphics computers to a $2 million Silicon Graphics main frame and computer modeling laboratory the state-of-the-art in computer graphics and animation hardware! A special team works on several outside computer graphics and computational modeling projects. The Army High Performance Computing and Research Center, or AHPCRC, specializes in computer visualization and molecular modeling. 

Dr. Richard Sullivan, director of the computational modeling laboratory and chairman of the JSU chemistry department, says the program offers invaluable opportunities. 

It gives [students] experience in an area not normally available to them, Sullivan says. They have the opportunity to work with the visualization tools used by top people in the industry, the people who make the movies people like Industrial Light and Magic. The good thing is that kids get their hands on equipment and software not usually available to undergraduates.  

Edgar Powell, the visualization assistant who oversees the SGI lab, says students are exposed to high performance computer platforms and have the chance to broaden their horizons by learning to design everything from complex computer models to Web pages.  

We give the student access to the technology and the training to make contributions in all areas, Powell says. 

The computational modeling lab is one that the Army has set up to do high performance computer visualization, and the lab is constantly working on projects for the government. 

Jackson State's program is also unique because it is one of the few advanced programs at a historically Black college or university. Minority representation in the field of computer graphics and animation is severely low. At the 1996 Siggraph Convention, an annual event held by and for the Computer Graphics and Animation industry, African-American professionals and students were noticeably underrepresented. Hispanic representation was also lacking, while the presence of Asians and Asian-Americans was substantial. One cause of this could be the tremendous cost of computer animation software and hardware. 

The Silicon Graphics modeling lab at Jackson State came in at over $2 million for the hardware alone. Power Animator by Alias/Wavefront, the animation software program used to create the animated graphics, cost between $40,000 and $60,000. 

However, prices of computer hardware and software continue to fall, and programs like the one at Jackson State are beginning to put highly qualified computer artists and animators in the job pool. There should be a substantial increase not only in the representation of African-American animators, but also in the number of minority-owned computer animation companies. 

With new technology, the price/performance curve is lowering in favor of small companies that can accommodate a hardware/software budget of $5,000-$10,000. This is particularly good news for African Americans interested in starting a new computer animation company. It means they can not only afford the technology, but also the talented computer animator without whose creative input, there would be no output. 

Computer animation is a healthy marriage between art and science. Career paths into computer graphics and animation can stem from study in the fields of Art, Computer Science, Mass Com-munications, Engineering or even Chemistry and Mathematics. One of the largest and fastest growing areas within the computer graphics and animation field is in the area of computer games. Graphics for computer games are getting more complex as the technology in the hardware simplifies. Graphics programmers can earn $100,000 or more on a project-by-project basis with a successful game title. The new era of graphics hardware advances, such as NWX technology and the new Pentium II processor, is sure to bring about more lucrative job opportunities for graphic artists. 

Industrial Light and Magic has internships available throughout the year. The company generally takes 10 to 20 students per semester. The fall and spring semester internships are unpaid, while the summer interns are paid minimum wage. Students who apply for the internships must have a 3.5 average in their major. Application information can be found at the Lucas Digital Web site www.ldlhr. com., or students can call the main line at (4l5) 258-2100 or the job hotline at (4l5)258-2100. 

The Walt Disney Company also has internships available. Interested students can call the Walt Disney Animation Florida Internship Program at (407) 828-3110 or surf the Web site at www.unc.edu. There are also many other opportunities with the Walt Disney Company. Visit their Web site at www.disney.com. Industrial Light & Magic's site is at www.tolcport.com. 

At Jackson State University, Dr. Richard Sullivan and Edgar Powell can be reached at (601) 968-217 1. The Web site for the Computational Modeling Lab is http://tiger.jsums.edu/html/CML.shtml.