Animation Production (Taught)

MA Animation Production at AUB focuses on practice, theory and professionalism, and the critical dialogue between them.
The course philosophy sees observation, drawing and an understanding of the traditional principles of animation as fundamental, but these are critically contextualised in relation to technology, history, theory and professional/studio practice. The overriding objective is to enable all Animation students to see themselves as part of a ‘community of practice’ (that includes research and critique, and the building of a ‘production culture’), existing not as atomised students ‘doing their own thing’, but as part of a meaningful whole.

What you will learn
The overall aim of this MA is to enable you to pursue your interests and specialism – whether 2D/drawn, CG, stop motion or other forms of animation – and produce excellent work that synthesises the ‘strands’ of theory, practice and professionalism.

The content of the course is driven by a belief in the tri-partite notion of practice, theory and professionalism, with these three elements drawn together by students into a synthesis. Therefore, although there are discrete units, these should be seen as fully integrated. The aim is to engage students in synthetic thinking and equip them to be the leaders in the Animation field in the future. One of the key contextual frames is that of Animation having a ‘production culture’ as delineated by John Caldwell. In this respect, the ways in which animators (including student animators) makes sense of, narrativise and critique their own working practices becomes part of the object of scrutiny – and a point of departure for further critical reflection. The other guiding principle for the course is that of the ‘Animation Research Pipeline’ (based at AUB) which views animation research as an holistic activity modelled on the ‘production pipeline’. This does not mean, simply, that we research ‘production’ or ‘practice’, but that we view the research process as something that needs to be thought through in relation to these areas, and take on board a synthesis of ideas and influences

By the end of the course you will be able to...

• Produce high level individual or collaborative work that acknowledges current practices within the wider creative arena of Animation.

• Demonstrate an in-depth ability to investigate, understand and critique current issues in Animation and provide original insights into contemporary practice.

• Demonstrate and apply highly developed conceptual, practical and professional understanding of theories, techniques and processes in Animation.

• Evaluate your individual practice in relation to critical research at the forefront of the discipline and articulate this through the completion of a body of work and its appropriate contextualisation.

• Show that you have acquired new skills and abilities in communication, presentation, research and independent learning.

Studios and resources
Our state-of-the-art animation studios provide students with an individual workstation and light box. The course also has its own computer suite with specialist software.

The MA Animation Production course is fully embedded within the vibrant studio environment of Animation at AUB. The overriding objective is to enable all Animation students to see themselves as part of a ‘community of practice’ (that includes research and critique, and the building of a ‘production culture’), existing not as atomised students ‘doing their own thing’, but as part of a meaningful whole.

Course Modules

Modules: animation history and theory; studio practice; the entrepreneurial animator; contemporary themes in animation research; professional development; masters project. http://aub.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-animation/outline-ma/