Established 1997 Acceptance rate 100% (2014) Founder Alex Alvarez | Website www.gnomon.edu Date founded 1997 | |
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Headquarters Hollywood, Florida, United States Similar Laguna College of Art and D, Los Angeles Film Scho, Woodbury University, Art Center College of Design, Academy of Art University Profiles | ||
Gnomon is a for-profit college that offers artistic and technical training for careers in the visual effects and games industries. Founded in 1997 by Alex Alvarez, Gnomon is based in Hollywood, California. Originally created to meet the training needs of industry artists, Gnomon has evolved into a more all-encompassing art school, offering structured programs and individual courses to those looking to become professional artists working on films and games. In March 2011, Fast Company Magazine included Gnomon in its list of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Film.
Academics
Gnomon offers one-, two-, and three-year training options in Entertainment Design and Digital Production, as well as various software workshops, online Master Classes, and the Gnomon Gallery, which was created to showcase art from the entertainment industry.
Gnomon is approved as a non-degree vocational institution from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. The school is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, a national accrediting agency, whose mission is to “assure quality and integrity in career and technical education.” .
Beyond providing an art education, Gnomon focuses on job placement for graduates by placing emphasis on community networking and exposure to professionals. All of Gnomon's instructors are current working professionals from studios such as Blizzard Entertainment, Naughty Dog, DreamWorks, Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Disney, and Digital Domain. Gnomon graduates have gone on to work at film and game studios such as Digital Domain, EA, Weta Digital, Double Negative, Zoic Studios, Sony Interactive, Rhythm & Hues and more.
Gnomon has been referred to as "the MIT of visual effects".
In March 2009, Director J. J. Abrams was quoted as saying: "“I only wish that Gnomon had existed when I was a kid.”, going on to say, "Their professors – and founders – are people who truly inspire. They don’t just teach the ‘how to’ – they give you context, understanding and expectations of ‘how to on the job’."
In June of 2010, Gnomon announced the formation of Gnomon Studios, where advanced Gnomon students gain professional experience by working on short films in a real studio environment under the guidance of production professionals. Gnomon Studios began working on Academy Award-nominated Director Shane Acker’s short film, “Plus Minus.”