Kevin Bauer Headshot

Kevin Bauer

Senior Lecturer

School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design
Graduate Program Director, Film and Animation
kmbpph@rit.edu
585-475-7403
Office Location
GAN-2195

Kevin Bauer

Senior Lecturer

School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design
Graduate Program Director, Film and Animation

Education

BFA, State University College at Oneonta; MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology

Bio

Kevin Bauer is an award-winning independent animator and educator, focused on mixed-media films.

He did his undergraduate studies at SUNY Oneonta, where he received a BS in both Computer Art and Mass Communications. He went on to receive his MFA in Film and Animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). 

He is currently a faculty member and Graduate Director in the School of Film and Animation at RIT.

kmbpph@rit.edu
585-475-7403
Personal Links
Personal Website
Curriculum Vitae
LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise
3D Modeling and Motion
Animation
3D Animation

Currently Teaching

SOFA-209
Introduction to 3D Modeling
3 Credits
Students create models for animation in three-dimensional software. Students learn various modeling, texturing, and lighting techniques that apply to animation and digital cinematography. Students' model, texture and light three-dimensional environments.
SOFA-216
3D Animation II
3 Credits
In this course students will learn the mechanics of motion within characters. Complete character-rigging techniques will be discussed and demonstrated. Students will gain further knowledge of a variety of three-dimensional computer animation techniques and will produce a series of short 3D computer animations using a pre-rigged character.
SOFA-217
Animation Production Workshop I
3 Credits
This course will provide the first practical experience of building a complete animated film from conception to finish. Students will apply their knowledge within the greater context of an animation production pipeline. Weekly workshops are focused on helping students plan, develop, and execute their work with regular milestones and deadlines. Students will practice time-management and build skills to adhere to deadlines, and will present their completed films to the RIT community.
SOFA-411
Animation Capstone I
4 Credits
The first of two classes designed to advance students toward the completion of a capstone. It will advance students from capstone proposal toward the completion of a project. Students will also take part in weekly critiques to present their work and discuss the work of their classmates. At the completion of this course, students should be at the halfway point of their set project.
SOFA-412
Animation Capstone II
3 Credits
This course will lead students toward the completion of their capstone. Students will take part in weekly critiques to present their work and discuss the work of their classmates. At the completion of this course, students will complete their capstone and take part in a public screening of their finished work.
SOFA-518
Business and Careers in Animation
3 Credits
This course explores the role of animation business owners, studio employees, and freelance animators in developing and managing a small business. Students will learn to approach animation work from a business perspective, covering topics such as creating sample reels, building websites, self-promotion, contracts, pitching, fundraising, and research and interview techniques. The course will also address ethics and individual responsibilities in the animation industry. Guest speakers from the animation field will frequently share insights and experiences.
SOFA-599
SOFA Independent Study
1 - 6 Credits
SOFA Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.
SOFA-610
Graduate Seminar
2 Credits
A forum to establish among a diverse student group a common vocabulary for discussing film language and structure, collaborative relationships, and a sense of community, while exploring issues related to scene analysis, production practice and planning, story boarding, story telling, visual music, School of Film and Animation policies and professional business realities.
SOFA-698
Film And Video Graduate Internship
1 - 6 Credits
Provides the student with on-the-job experience in the field of film/video/animation. The student seeks and acquires a school approved internship position in a business or industry. The working environment provides the forum for learning more about the student's chosen career. A final interview with the internship coordinator assists the student in evaluating the experience. The coordinator should be the faculty member most familiar with the student's internship field.
SOFA-717
Animation Workshop
4 Credits
This course is the student’s second experience producing a complete animated film individually or in collaboration with a classmate. In this workshop-style course, students will design and implement all phases of an animated film production and produce a short film with sound. Students will rely only on techniques learned in previous classes. The final film must be screened for the school community at the end of the course.
SOFA-790
Research and Thesis I
4 Credits
This is the first of two courses designed to advance a student towards completion of their thesis. Students will work independently on their approved plan of work for their thesis while meeting on a regular basis with their committee chair. They are required to meet at least twice with their full committee during the semester.
SOFA-799
Film and Animation Graduate Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
Film and Animation Graduate Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.
SOFA-887
Film and Animation Part-Time Co-op
0 Credits
Cooperative Education will provide Film and Animation students with hands-on experience in their field, directly related to a student’s major with an established studio or related business. Students will need to apply for co-ops, and interview as part of the selection process, based on available positions posted by the Co-op and Career Services Office, or found through the students’ own research. In programs where co-op is a degree requirement, students must obtain permission of their program or graduate director prior to enrollment. Co-ops are typically paid work experience, and can be part-time (150-479 total hours within the term), or full-time (480+ hours within the term). Co-ops may be one or two consecutive terms - fall, spring, or summer – with department permission.
SOFA-890
Research and Thesis II
4 Credits
This is the second of two courses designed to advance a student towards completion of their thesis. Students will work independently on their approved plan of work for their thesis while meeting on a regular basis with their committee chair. They are required to meet at least twice with their full committee during the semester as well as present a final screening of their thesis.
SOFA-892
Continuation of Thesis Film and Animation
0 Credits
Continuation of thesis course provides MFA students’ additional semester(s) to complete their thesis research and supporting documents. Taking COT before a Thesis film is screened needs to have the approval of the Graduate Director.

In the News

  • November 10, 2025

    A 2D animation of a girl with a mask on.

    Grad's thesis film educates about women's rights issues

    Tehran Is Ours by HamideH Azimi '24 MFA (film and animation) was honored by CILECT as the recipient of the 2025 SCEDI Award (Standing Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) for Best Animation. The film, through a combination of 2D, 3D, and experimental animation, challenges the ongoing repression of women’s rights in Iran.

  • September 9, 2025

    Deanna Moorehead, Kevin Bauer, and Maggie Slaughter pose in MAGIC Spell Studios.

    RIT project increases representation in animated films

    The Character Mosaic Project is a recently revived initiative that aims to build a library of 3D characters — diverse in their ethnicities and backgrounds — that are open source for animators to seamlessly use as a broader range of subjects in their films. The project is led by Kevin Bauer, graduate director of the film and animation MFA program.

More News

Featured Work

Love, Daddy (Short Film)

Kevin Bauer

"Love, Daddy" is an animated short film completed in 2023. It's a reflection on the excitement, stress, and fear that comes with being a parent.

View More about Love, Daddy (Short Film)
AniMotion_06

Ani-Motion

Kevin Bauer

Ani-Motion is a course that was developed by myself and Mari Jaye Blanchard. As animators, we feel that the best way to learn about movement, is to move. This undergraduate-level wellness course...

View More about Ani-Motion