Animation and Games Art BA (Hons)
3-Year Bachelor's Degree
The total service fee for this program:
€ 499
Pre payment for this program:
€ 99
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ABOUT
Develop skills in animation and games art. Gain expertise in industry-standard software. Realise your dream of working on the next big animated movie or game.
Overview
The animation, games and visual effects (VFX) industries are always searching for new talent. BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art allows you to explore and develop both traditional and new techniques, learning key digital skills in 2D and 3D as well as the core principles of character-led animation.
You’ll have the opportunity to work on industry-led briefs and entries for festivals and competitions such as Encounters, RTS awards, 11 Second Club and E4 Stings. We’re affiliated with Game Republic too, it’s all part of our commitment to help you become industry ready.
We place Animation and Games Art within the broader context of design to help you keep your career options open. You will also have the creative freedom and flexibility to develop your specific areas of interest, gaining transferable skills crucial for employability.
Why us?
- This course gives a strong foundation in traditional animation principles while also teaching key digital skills in both 2D and 3D
- Our graduates are working in the film, VFX, games and television industries on projects including Grand Theft Auto, Hey Duggee, Miffy, Corpse Bride, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings
- Our Film Production & Photography courses (which include BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art) are ranked 14th in the UK (The Guardian University league tables, 2022)
- Our industry contacts, including Game Republic Ltd provide opportunities to work on live briefs, access placements, studio visits, workshops and game jams
- You’ll have the creative freedom to work in any medium and technique allowing you to find and develop your personal style
- Our course places focus on a vibrant community of like-minded creative practitioners, both on campus and online within a thriving discord community of both students, graduates and those working within the creative industry sharing skills, works and technique. This provides you with the opportunity to extend your creative and technical skillset, professional understanding, and to develop a deeper creative vision.
Course structure
Teaching is almost entirely practical and studio-based, supported by lectures, seminars and tutorials. Our academic team encourage you to express ideas and push the boundaries of creativity. Assessment is mainly through coursework.
In the first year you will learn traditional animation techniques and core digital skills. You will also learn about the broader context of design with students from other design subjects. In the second year you will be introduced to more advanced concepts and approaches such as 3D, digital scultping, VR and photogrammetry, character rigging and motion capture.
You will have the opportunity to apply to undertake an optional placement year out in industry between your second and final year, this is sometimes known as a sandwich degree.
In your final year you will focus on developing your portfolio and graduate identity, undertake a personal research project that will lead into your Final Major Project. You will exhibit your work at our Design Degree Show, which will be visited by industry experts and potential employers.
Part-time study
If you study this course on a part-time basis you will typically complete 40-80 credits in a year, rather than the 120 credits of full-time students. All modules are taught during the day time and you will be studying alongside full-time students.
Year 1 (national level 4):
Core modules:
- Fundamentals of Animation and Games Art (60 credits)
Learn the fundamental principles of animation using traditional studio practices in 2D drawn animation through weekly character-based exercises that will culminate in a short, animated sequence using Toon Boom Harmony software. Be introduced to the Adobe Creative Suite in a separate creative brief related to game design. Attend weekly life drawing classes to enhance your figurative and imaginative drawing skills and engage in contextual and visual research to support and enhance your practical work.
- Creative Exploration (40 credits)
Create short sequences as part of a team using a variety of traditional techniques such as Pixillation, Direct animation, Smudge ‘n Click, Cut-out and Stop Motion, building on the principles and skills learnt in semester 1 and exploring visual storytelling further. Produce a short film for a student-led competition and public screening to showcase your first year’s work. Continue to attend weekly life drawing classes looking at expressive and experimental drawing techniques. Be introduced to 3D software and tools in a series of creative workshops and have the opportunity to collaborate with BSc (Hons) Game Development students and participate in local Game Jams.
- Design Theories, Practitioners and Context (20 credits)
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the important theoretical and historical contexts which have shaped modern design, opening up creative possibilities in your work. Gain a broad view of design disciplines, through lectures and seminars intended to provoke wider debate. Develop analytical and research skills by exploring subjects in design theory and history through assignments. Finish the module with an understanding of various historical and theoretical ideas, intended to encourage you to challenge conventional thinking.
Year 2 (national level 5):
Core modules:
- Advanced 3D (40 credits)
Work collaboratively to produce a collection of 3D animations culminating in an interactive, playable character. Produce a 3D digitally sculpted model and environment. Produce a short, animated lip-sync performance sequence working to a pre-recorded soundtrack.
- Preproduction Practice (20 credits)
Follow the preproduction pipeline for creating either a pitch bible for a children’s tv series or a games document for a 7-PEGI game from visual and contextual research through concept art, story art, character design, environments, assets, linear and non-linear storytelling. Create an animatic or walkthrough to demonstrate your concept’s viability. Pitch your idea in a short presentation at the end of the module. Work individually or as part of a creative team. Collaborate further with BSc (Hons) Game Development students.
- Advanced VFX and Motion Graphics (20 credits)
Create a music video for an artist of your own choosing either as part of a collaboration, or working alone. Study the application of advanced After Effects e.g. rotoscoping, tracking techniques, using green screen and keylight – and choose to apply any creative technique to your work. Explore the genre and contextual background to music and animation in film and games, to the title sequence as an art form as well as create an ident for yourself. Help to organise a showcase of your work at a public screening at the end of the academic year.
- Global Challenges and the Ethical Designer (20 credits)
Develop a critical understanding of important issues linked to design such as the environment, globalisation, gender representation, equality and diversity. Be encouraged to consider your ethical role as a developing designer. Be introduced to ways of considering a major piece of written work (the dissertation in Stage 3), based on a subject relevant to your own practice. Finish the module with a developing design philosophy that potentially impacts on your ways of working and thinking in terms of studio practice.
- Experiencing the Creative Industries (20 credits)
Experience a short work placement with an employer. Alternatively, gain other experience of working in the creative industries. Examples include: live jobs; competition briefs; a creative placement; and a collaboration with fellow students from relevant subject areas.
Year 3:
Work placement (optional)
Final year (national level 6):
Core modules:
- Professional Engagement (40 credits)
Work on a chosen live brief as well as a piece to showcase your skills and refine your showreel/portfolio towards your specialist area of employment. Employability Day will enable you to meet successful alumni from this and other Design courses and hear about their experiences after graduating and key tips on employability. Create a Professional Engagement Document, which will show how you have interacted over the past two years with industry professionals either through placements, social media, visits to festivals and studios or other networking events. Focus on CV writing and interview techniques as well as the creative and technical skills required for your chosen specialism to enhance your employability.
- Design Dissertation (20 credits)
Research an approach, concept or practice relevant to your specialism that is intended to support your practical work in your final major project. An example of this from a recent graduate was the study of Magic Realism, which directly fed into the narrative of their graduation film. Demonstrate academic research methods to formulate a written piece of 6,000 words.
- Design – Final Major Project (60 credits)
Build on the skills and knowledge, both technical and creative, that you have gained across all previous modules to create a piece of work that best reflects your specialism and will, hopefully, take you into professional employment. Choose to work individually or as part of a team. Set up and exhibit your work in the final year Degree Show, which is open to the public and industry practitioners.
Facilities
The David Puttnam Media Centre provides well-equipped facilities and industry-standard design software so it’s easy to make a seamless transition from your studies to the workplace.
Entry requirements
If you are studying a HND or Foundation Degree you may be able to enter onto the final year of our degree courses.
Portfolio requirements
We are interested in your creative potential so please prepare a portfolio of work you have completed so far. We are not looking for perfection as we appreciate you may still be developing work. We would like to see:
- A variety of work – we want to see a range of styles and technique
- Work completed in or outside of your studies
- Research: examples of various forms of investigation
- Photographs of 3D, and large 2D, work
- A USB stick or online link with any digital and screen-based work
- Sketch books and development work including:
- Examples of character design/development
- Observational sketches
- Examples of sequential illustrations – e.g. rough storyboards
Career ready
Our graduates have gone on to work throughout the film, special effects, games, and television industries, and worked on projects including The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Grand Theft Auto, Creature Comforts, Miffy and Hey Duggee. Recent employers have included: animation studios such as Cartoon Saloon, Aardman and Studio AKA; TV companies such as Cartoon Network, CBeebies and CITV; games companies such as Rockstar, Ubisoft and Sumo Digital.
Placements and visits
You will have opportunities to apply for internships and we actively encourage you to build up a compelling creative portfolio. We also encourage you to participate in competitions and award schemes.
In addition, our students are actively encouraged to attend annual animation festivals such as the Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), as well as visits to arts venues across the UK and in cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam and New York.
Guest speakers
Through our links with industry we attract professionals in animation to come into the University and give talks. These help you gain valuable insights and contacts in the world of work.
Past visiting speakers include quadruple-BAFTA Award-winning Jardine Sage (CITV) – a graduate of the course, Curtis Jobling (creator of Bob the Builder), Susannah Shaw (Aardman), Barry Purves (Lord of the Rings), alumni and award-winning Catherine Salkeld (Story Artist and VR director at Blue Zoo Studios), and Andy
Work experience
All students studying on-campus undergraduate Animation and Games Art courses can take up a CV-enhancing work placement, a University-led industry initiative, or a professional and business development boot camp.
By the term placement, we mean we are offering you a taste of the industry which might last anything from two days to four weeks on a part-time basis.
Creative Industries Week
Creative Industries Week gives everyone in the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries the opportunity to participate in a range of projects, workshops, talks, industry visits and career events. This exciting week encourages interdisciplinary working, broadens your experience, to build your confidence and help develop your career path.
If English is not your first language you should have at least one of the following qualifications (or equivalent) as a minimum.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
You need an overall score of 6.0, with at least 5.5 or higher in each component: reading, writing, listening and speaking. An alternative approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) will also be accepted if the applicant’s element scores are equivalent to those required for IELTS. After 6 April 2015, you must take your IELTS exams at one of the test centres listed on the UKVI website.
Pearson Test of English Academic
You need an overall score of 59 with no less than 59 in each skill.
Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
You need grade C or above.
Cambridge Certification in Advanced English (CAE)
You need grade C or above.
Deadlines
26 January 2022 – UCAS deadline
Applications for all UCAS Undergraduate courses, except those with a 15 October deadline, should arrive at UCAS by 6pm on 26 January 2022. This is the ‘equal consideration’ deadline, which means course providers must consider all applications received by this time equally.
25 February 2022 – UCAS Extra opens
If you’ve used all five choices, and you’re not holding any offers, you can add another choice using Extra.
19 May 2022 – University decision deadline
If you applied by 26 January and you’re still awaiting a decision from one of your choices, we have until today to decide whether we’re making you an offer. Any choices that are still outstanding after this will be made unsuccessful.
9 June 2022 – Deadline to reply to offers
If you receive all your university decisions by 19 May, you must reply to any offers by today (except if you are using Extra to find a place), otherwise they’ll be declined.
30 June 2022 – Final day to make an application to five universities
You can still apply with up to five choices until 6pm today. After this, your application will automatically be entered into Clearing.
4 July 2022 – Final day to apply for a course in Extra
This is the last day to add an Extra option to your 2022 application. If you don’t hold any offers after this, you will be able to add an additional choice using Clearing.
FREE VISA SERVICE
One of our very suitable solutions for applicants is to provide free visa services to study in this field from a pleasant country. If you need to receive free visa services, let us know your request
Expenses (GBP)
13000
Application Fee
0
Program expenses
University & General Expenses
accommodation
The university offers three different student residential buildings, all of which are within walking distance from the university campuses. All students that are residing in these buildings can take advantage of the free transport that the university offers. What is more, all the dorms are equipped with facilities like fridge, Shower, toilet facilities, Wi-Fi, bed Wardrobe, Washbasin and mirror, as well as car parking and bicycle storage.
The first student residence of the university is called Scotia Quay that costs up to £95.50 per week. Each room is suitable for up to 5 students. the second one is named Panns Bank costs about £77.79 a week and is also suitable for families of four. Lastly, Clanny House also costs around £77.79 per week and is suitable for couples as well as single students.
After Graduation
All the students have the opportunity to seek help from The Careers and Employability Service, a team dedicated to helping students find proper and suitable employment either during or after their education.
Students are encouraged to take on part-time vocational roles in order to gain perspective on the reality of the labor market and also earn extra cash. As a matter of fact, the university helps and guides them during this process. It helps students find part-time jobs that do not impact their studies or temporary jobs that can be done during vacations and breaks. Students also have the chance to take part in paid or unpaid internships and job placements that are related to their field of study.
The Careers and Employability Service also helps students with finding employment after graduation. They help students with the resumes, CVs, job applications and job interviews.