Animation

The UK's animation industry is a global success, so there's never been a better time to start your career in this field.

As an ambitious storyteller and creative thinker, you’ll explore all aspects of 2D and 3D animation on this innovative degree course. We'll equip you with the critical and technical skills required to become an animator, engaging in every aspect of animation production while gaining knowledge of animation history and context.

The course provides a creative and disciplined environment to explore the visual and narrative aspects of this dynamic art form. Supported by the contextual study of animation, you’ll have the opportunity to express yourself as an animation artist in preparation for this vibrant, demanding and forever-changing creative field. You’ll explore the different areas of animation through studio practice, academic research, and independent study.

By the end of the course, you’ll have developed project work and films that build into a professional showreel tailored to your own career aspirations, ready to launch your career.

Key features

• Collaborate on live projects: You’ll have the opportunity to complete a work experience placement of up to a year in length. Dependent on the duration of your placement, you could gain an additional Diploma or Certificate in Professional Practice.

• Learn from experts in animation: Study a wide range of disciplines from experts in drawing for animation, storyboarding, 2D and 3D character animation, experimental animation, visual development, previs, lookdev, story development, production, and direction.

• Gain professional skills through real-world work: Develop your professional skills through self-initiated work experience placements, industry competitions, collaborations with organisations and guest lectures.

• Showcase your work: You’ll have the chance to showcase your work to industry professionals and, if selected, at international festivals like Annecy International Animated Film Festival, gaining valuable exposure and connections.

Careers and employability

Employability is a key focus of this course, with modules including initiatives such as live projects and trips, and the opportunity to exhibit your work, which will help to raise your profile and enhance your future career.

This course will prepare you to work in the digital media field, in areas such as feature film animation, Visual Effects, children’s television, heritage interpretation, advertising, and games production.

Recent graduate destinations and roles include:

• Character Animator, Splash Damage

• Production Coordinator at Acamar Films

• 2D Effects Animator at Play n' GO

• Animator/Producer, Thongkham film, Bangkok

• 3D Motion Graphics Designer, BritAsia TV

• Animator, Cloth Cat Animation

• Layout Artist, Blink Industries, London

• 2D Animator, Dog Ears!

• 3D Animator, Random42 Scientific Communication

• Character Animator at Blue Zoo

• Background Painter at Lupus Films

• 2D Animator, Fourth Wall

• Motion Graphics Designer at Cubaka Studio.

You’ll also develop transferable skills for alternative careers in media, freelance design, illustration, motion graphics, teaching and academia.

Facilities

You’ll be based in our new Design & Digital Arts Building. Opening for 2024 admission, our new Design & Digital Arts Building will place Nottingham as a UK hub for film, television, animation, UX design, games design, graphic design and more.

You'll have access to industry-standard facilities which include a virtual production studio, an in-camera Visual Effects studio and a black box studio, as well as collaborative studio spaces, future technology suites and exhibition spaces.

Year One

• Principles of Animation (40 credit points)
• Animation and VFX Studies (20 credit points)
• Animation Workflow (40 credit points)
• Introducing 3D Digital Art (20 credit points)

Year Two

• Animation Production (40 credit points)
• Animation Studio (40 credit points)
• Co Lab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking (20 credit points)
• Optional module: You will also choose one optional 20-credit module from:
  Storyboarding
  Character Ideation
  Experimental Animation
  Telling Stories
  Motion Graphics
  Digital Matte Painting
  Performance for Motion Capture
  Open-source 3D Art

Final year

• Animation Specialist Project (60 credit points)
• Animation Futures (20 credit points)
• Animation Pre-Production (40 credit points) or;
• Screen Arts Collaboration (40 credit points)