Animation (with a Placement Year)

Do you have a favourite character from an animated film? Whether it’s Buzz Lightyear, a minion from Despicable Me, Jack Skellington or one of the Disney princesses, have you ever wondered what and who turns them into such likeable (or loathe-able) characters? From Wallace and Gromit through to The Lion King and Kung Fu Panda, animation has been the creative force behind countless hit movies.

Now you can pursue your own career as a character animator by taking our BA (Hons) in Animation. It’s an ideal platform for working in feature or short film production, games, VFX, advertising or other creative industries.

Our focus on employability skills means you could develop a professional showreel during your studies. Alongside this, you might choose to explore opportunities such as entering competitions like the Royal Television Society Awards and the British Animation Awards, attending public screening events, or independently visiting studios and galleries.

There may also be opportunities within the wider industry, such as animation festivals, where you could choose to exhibit your work and gain further exposure.

During the first year, you will cover a wide range of animation techniques, including 2D digital, 3D digital, stop motion, motion capture and the growing trend for hybrid animation. You can then specialise as you progress through the course.

Drawing skills are at the heart of animation and are highly sought after by industry. We’ll get you involved in lots of observational drawing to help you understand depth, pose and other artistic concepts. We’ll also cover life sculptures so you can develop a character from clay through to CGI.

Other skills include 3D modelling, compositing, keyframe animation, character design and environmental design. For stop motion, you’ll learn all about casting, armature building and fabricating puppets.

And you’ll explore animation rigging, which involves constructing digital skeletons of characters to introduce movement, performance and the ability to talk realistically.

You could be collaborating with students from across the Creative Industries department, including sound designers, musicians, actors and visual effects specialists.

Our collaborative work involves industry as well. We have global connections with brands like Aardman, Pixar, Walt Disney, Nickelodeon, Blue Zoo and Carse & Waterman.

Guest speakers have included voice artist Marc Silk, who has worked on Star Wars films and voiced Johnny Bravo for the Cartoon Network; BAFTA and Emmy award-winning animator and director Joanna Quin; and Tab Murphy, screenwriter of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

The degree also delves into the history of animation and how it has evolved over time. This will help deepen your appreciation for animation’s impact and significance in the world of performance and storytelling.

Throughout your studies, you’ll have access to industry-standard software, including Maya, Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate and Dragonframe. Our well-equipped studios feature Cintiq suites for 2D and 3D digital content, a 4K editing suite, sound recording booths and VR suites.

We also have a motion capture studio, virtual studio, high-definition cameras and LED lighting, stop motion rooms and a dedicated life drawing room.

And you’ll benefit from the extensive expertise of our academic staff, who have worked in CGI, stop motion and the commercial sector. We also have a technician who offers valuable assistance in sessions and is your go-to person if you need support with practical work or software-based projects.

With so much support, you’ll be industry-ready by the time you graduate.

All applicants are individually assessed via a portfolio review.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Animation

Course Modules

Year One Core: Animation Principles & Processes; Animated Characters & Scenes; Creative Cultures: Making, Research & Reflection; Sustainability, Society and Impact

Year Two Core: Advanced Animation Practice; Animation Pitch & Proof; Collaborative Creative Industries Project

Year Two Optional: Art Trail; Colour + Surface: Print, Texture & Material Exploration; Creative Heritage; Digital Journeys: UX & UI Design; Experimental Formats; Experimental Music and Sound Art; Marketing, Branding and Cultural Production; Still Life Through the Lens; Surround Sound and Multichannel Audio; Visual Effects & Motion Graphics; Hybrid Production Methods

Year Three: Placement

Year Four Core: Final Major Project of Animation; Contextual and Critical Investigation; Professional Practice

There are no exams for this course – assessment is based entirely on coursework. We find this is the best way to assess the integrated approach to research, theory and practice that you’ll engage in. Your coursework, carried out in response to assignments, project briefs or self-initiated proposals, will be presented in forms appropriate to professional practice, such as visual sketchbooks, short animated sequences, word-processed reflective evaluations, preproduction material and production development documentation. It may take the form of an essay or report. Your approach to the coursework for a given module should be individual and distinctive. Tutors see this work throughout its development thus forming a one-to-one professional working relationship with you throughout each production.

Formative assessment is carried out in tutorial and critique situations and feedback is usually provided to you orally, with an audio visual or written record kept either by the tutor and/or yourself. This is sometimes produced as the result of peer- or self-assessment exercises.