BA (Hons) Animation Production

THE COURSE
The art of making animated films requires a high level of practical skill, draughtsmanship, technical proficiency and a wealth of theoretical knowledge and understanding. This course looks at animation production in a broad and holistic way, providing a thoroughly intensive and team-based experience in which students develop comprehensive expertise in the whole production process. The course strives to offer the closest experience possible to that of the professional animator in industry, within its newly refurbished animation studio. This course has a strong international reputation and has been awarded Skillset accreditation for the quality of its offering to students and the animation industry. There is an unprecedented loyalty between undergraduates and alumni who have offered recruitment to graduates. Alumni are invited back as visiting tutors which fosters a genuine feeling of community and a firmly rooted appreciation of how the real animation world operates.

You will be encouraged to generate work through different means, be it traditional, computer-based or stop-motion. Whilst computer solutions are taught, all students must first learn the fundamentals by starting with animation through drawing. Whichever specialist pathway you eventually choose, the course aims to provide you with a strong, commercially viable portfolio of work which will demonstrate your skills, self-expression and strengths.

RESOURCES
Students from all years work alongside each other from the start. This emulates the animation industry itself which demands that animators relate to colleagues, talk ideas through and offer co-operative support to a project and to each other. The newly refurbished animation studio aims to provide each student with an individual workstation and light box and the course has its own computer suite with specialist software. Because each production has its own style and feel, teaching is production-based. In addition to the expert course team, the course is visited by tutors and industry professionals.

These industry specialists show their work, run life drawing sessions and may spend time with students on specific tasks, helping expose students to professional practice as part of their personal development and learning.

YEAR 1
Year 1 provides you with the basic discipline and skills to get you animating, while in parallel you will develop academic skills and an understanding of underlying philosophies. Both of these areas represent the fundamental groundwork to building practical and theoretical skills. This is achieved via a series of workshops, seminars and lectures. Working alongside colleagues in their final year, you will get a real sense of what you need to learn and achieve before you embark on graduation work.

YEAR 2
Year 2 builds on your knowledge and skills as you develop your confidence and vision. You will have roles at a more significant level as you work on Year 3 graduation films as junior animators. Year 2 also introduces a research phase in which you will begin to formulate ideas, visual styles and storylines.

This is part of the pre-production preparation research for your final year work. The production pitch is key to this process in deciding which ideas will go forward into production. You will develop a sense of a specialist career direction, as well as specialist and transferable skills across the areas of 3D computing, stop motion, experimental and traditional 2D animation.

YEAR 3
Year 3 is based around major project work. Working in teams, you may be asked to direct an animation film or take on another key production role. All students are encouraged to display a commitment and collective responsibility for all work in production.

This course is likely to offer a ‘Year 0' option in 2011 – 2012.

INTERVIEWS AND PORTFOLIOS
Interviews are an opportunity for you to demonstrate to us your self-motivation and commitment to animation. Portfolios should demonstrate life drawing skills, storyboards and observational work in sketchbooks. Actual animation work is not necessary but your work should show a sense of movement, narrative and storytelling. Good writing and drawing skills are required. We often recommend that students first undertake a Foundation Diploma course before applying.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR
You must possess clear motivation and commitment to the animation course. We look for individuals who show the dedication, stamina and self-discipline required to produce work to the highest standards. You will need to exhibit the skills required for this team-based course and show a commitment to improving your animation skills through observational drawing.

SKILLS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Students are encouraged to consider exchange programmes that provide opportunities for study in Europe. The course also encourages overseas work placements. All students may apply for placement which involves leaving the studio during Year 2 to work in a professional studio in Europe or the Far East. One of the ways industry finds out about our students is through international animation and film festivals. All production work is sent out globally before students even finish the course. So, for example, in graduation month alone, students’ work could be showing in Canadian, South Korean or Chinese animation festivals.

The course has regular success with student productions and has won awards at animation festivals around the world as well as the UK’s prestigious Royal Television Society award. Graduates from this course may go on to work in direction, computer CGI modelling, art direction, background art, visualisation or conceptual work. They have been involved with many high profile productions such as animated features by Tim Burton and Sylvain Chomet. Students have also gone on to work with TV companies such as Walt Disney Productions and Cartoon Network, major video games companies such as Electronic Arts and animation companies such as Cosgrove Hall and Aardman Animations.

COURSE DETAILS

Mode of Study: Full-time

Course Duration: 3 years

Institution Code: A66

UCAS CODE

W615
Year 0: W616

COURSE LEADERS

Peter Symons and Dr Paul Ward

CONTACT

Admissions

Tel: 01202 363228/363225

Email: admissions@aucb.ac.uk