Overview of the Entertainment Foundation Year
One year to explore the world of animation and video games
Are you passionate about animation and video games but unsure which direction to choose?
With so many professions and specializations available, making the right choice right after high school can feel overwhelming. A wrong decision can cost time and energy and slow your progress.
The Entertainment Foundation Year is an immersive year that enables you to explore both fields, experiment with industry tools and identify the specialization that suits you best.
Experiment, create and choose with confidence
For one year, you will immerse yourself in audiovisual creation through hands-on workshops. You will explore screenwriting, 2D and 3D design, stop motion and game art, while developing the essential skills for your future career.
You experiment, you create, you progress and above all, you discover what truly drives you.
A decisive year to build your future
Animation and video games are two distinct fields, each with their own tools, approaches and career opportunities. These programs last between three and five years, so making the right choice from the beginning is essential to avoid reorientation and move confidently toward your career.
The program enables you to apply for a Bachelor in Animation or a Bachelor in Video Game Design at LISAA or at another institution.
Program of the Entertainment Foundation Year
This foundation year offers progressive immersion into the fields of animation and video games. It enables students to become familiar with the practices, tools and creative challenges specific to both fields, while building the technical and cultural foundations necessary to make an informed decision regarding their future specialization.
Courses and learning objectives
- Anatomy / Life Drawing
– Understanding of the human body
– Observation and realistic reproduction
– Attention to detail
– Observational drawing
– Development of artistic vision
– Accuracy of proportions and perspective
– Sense of composition - Color and Composition
– Mastery of the color palette
– Creation of visual atmospheres
– Spatial organization of an image - Perspective
– Construction of 2D and 3D spaces
– Realism and visual depth
– Foundations of layout and storyboard - History of Art
– Knowledge of artistic movements
– Ability to contextualize a work
– Creative inspiration - History and Analysis of Animation Film
– Understanding of animation techniques and styles
– Narrative and visual analysis
– Critical culture - Video Game Culture and History
– Knowledge of genres and evolution of the medium
– Reflection on game mechanics
– Video game culture - Desktop Publishing / Photoshop & Illustrator
– Digital graphic creation
– Editing, layout and vectorization
– Professional project presentation - 3D Modeling / Blender
– Foundations of 3D: shapes, volumes, textures
– Introduction to 3D pipeline logic
– Preparation for animation or video game production - Game Design (Fundamentals and Mechanics)
– Creation of rules and interactions
– Systemic thinking
– Understanding of player experience and balancing - Level Design
– Construction of interactive spaces
– Logical and spatial thinking
– User experience (UX) - Game Engine (Unity)
– Visual gameplay programming
– Development of interactive prototypes
– Integration of 2D and 3D elements - Storyboard
– Sequential visual storytelling
– Previsualization of animation
– Communication of creative intent - 2D Animation – Principles
– Mastery of the 12 fundamental principles
– Understanding of movement and rhythm
– Synchronization with narrative - 3D Animation – Introduction
– Animation of objects or characters in 3D
– Introduction to rigging and timeline
– Understanding of spatial movement - Animated Film Project (Stop Motion) and Mini Game – Team Project
– Management of a creative pipeline
– Teamwork and scheduling
– Presentation of a completed project
– Practical application of knowledge and skills - Communication and Feedback
– Production organization
– Creative problem solving
– Showcasing acquired competencies
– Argumentation and storytelling for artistic projects
Admission requirements
Open to students holding a high school diploma (Baccalaureate) or an equivalent qualification (ENIC-NARIC certificate required for foreign diplomas).
Applicants from STI2D, STD2A or a general high school track with scientific, artistic or digital specializations are encouraged to apply, but this is not mandatory.
How to apply
Applications to LISAA are made outside Parcoursup and remain open until the end of September 2025, subject to availability.
Admission is based on an interview and the presentation of an artistic portfolio.
For admission, applicants must demonstrate:
- A strong interest in visual creation, its cultures and professions
- Creativity and the ability to imagine original worlds
- Artistic and/or technical curiosity
- Strong observational skills
- A clear interest in drawing practices and digital creation software
- Any self-taught practice such as modding, drawing, amateur game creation, screenwriting or coding is valued
Expected human and creative values
- Open-mindedness and a willingness to experiment artistically
- Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team
- Autonomy in creative research and project management
In all cases, the portfolio must be presented in a clear and structured way for the admissions team.
The portfolio must be entirely digital in PDF format. If videos are not integrated into the PDF, they must be provided as accessible links without password protection.
Tuition fees
Find full details of tuition fees and associated costs on the dedicated page.
Access timeline
Admissions are open from October to August for a September intake. Applications are processed within a maximum of three weeks after receipt of a complete application file. Enrollment remains possible until the start date, subject to availability.
By special authorization, enrollment may be possible after the official start date of the program, following review and verification of the applicant’s ability to catch up on previously delivered coursework, within a maximum period of two months after the start of the program.
For more information, please consult the dedicated page.
The foundation year introduces students to the fundamentals of visual arts applied to animation and video games.
It aims to:
- Encourage discovery of industry professions
- Raise awareness of the diversity of careers in animation (2D, 3D, visual effects) and video games (Game Art, Game Design, Tech Art)
• Present the main stages of production in an animation or video game project
- Develop a strong artistic and visual culture
- Introduce major artistic movements and key visual references relevant to creative professions
• Develop critical thinking through the analysis of images, films, games and various visual productions
- Provide technical foundations common to all pathways
- Teach the fundamentals of drawing: observation, anatomy, perspective, volume and color
• Introduce the fundamentals of digital tools: Adobe suite, 3D software and game engines
• Provide initial understanding of workflow within animation and video game production pipelines
- Encourage creativity and experimentation
- Stimulate inventive capacity through workshops and short projects
• Encourage exploration of different forms of expression: stop motion, interactive storytelling, experimental animation
- Structure a creative project methodology
- Learn to design, plan, produce and finalize an individual or collective artistic project
• Understand the stages of preproduction, production and postproduction
- Prepare for specialized further studies
- Support each student in choosing a pathway: Bachelor in Animation or Bachelor in Video Game Design
• Prepare for admission to higher education through portfolio development and interview preparation
The pedagogy of this foundation year is based on:
- A balanced alternation between artistic practice (drawing, animation, 3D), technical learning (software, game engines) and cultural studies (history and critical analysis)
- Equal time dedicated to the discovery of video games and animation film
- Project-based learning: two transversal projects (video game and animated film) enabling real production conditions and understanding of production logic. These projects allow students to apply acquired knowledge while developing their ability to structure, produce and finalize collaborative creations
- Group work and collaborative workshops encouraging teamwork, feedback and production management
- Supervision by industry professionals and practicing artists
Assessment is based on continuous evaluation throughout the year, combining formative and summative assessments. This approach measures the progression of artistic, technical and methodological competencies.
Master the fundamentals of drawing and visual creation
- Regular formative assessments: timed sketches, research sketchbook, practical exercises (perspective, anatomy, composition)
• Continuous assessment: evaluation of technical and artistic progression (observational drawing, color, composition)
• Final submission: portfolio of drawing work assessed on artistic quality, visual rigor, technical mastery and progression
Discover 2D and 3D digital creation tools
- Regular formative assessments: technical exercises in desktop publishing respecting project briefs
• Continuous assessment: evaluation of the progressive and autonomous use of tools
Introduction to the principles of animation film
- Regular formative assessments: case studies and critical analysis of animated sequences, written or oral presentations, technical submissions
• Continuous assessment: evaluation of progressive mastery of the fundamental principles of animation
Explore the fundamentals of video games
- Regular formative assessments: practical work using a game engine, drafting and presenting a design document, evaluation of gameplay coherence, mechanics balance and playability
• Continuous assessment: development of a board game or simple prototype and mastery of process stages (gameplay and rules)
Develop artistic and critical culture
- Regular formative assessments: knowledge tests (multiple choice questionnaires, quizzes or supervised exams on artistic movements, key periods and major works), written or oral assignments
• Continuous assessment: active participation in debates, guided visits and screenings (museums, exhibitions, film screenings)
Work in teams on creative projects
- Final assessment: evaluation of final project presentation (quality of production, relevance of creative choices, project coherence) and oral defense before a jury
• Continuous assessment: evaluation of process documentation and reflective analysis within final projects
• Collaborative assessment: project management criteria, team communication and autonomy in assigned tasks
