Course summary

Animation endures as one of the truest forms of creative expression. It is a vessel for humor, a voice for social or political commentary and an evergreen form of entertainment. It has the liberty to go anywhere, in any style and tell any story, which remains one of the reasons it is still so loved; it challenges narrative limits. Digital animators are enviably positioned within the creative world; our skills are used for character design/concepts, environments, pre-visualisation/animatic within 2D, 3D, stop motion and hybrid work. We understand timing, nuance, style, representation and above all, story. Animators are found within film, games and of course animation itself as standalone work. This is the cultural space of the creators, the dreamers, the outsiders and the storytellers. Our own sensibilities and skills allow us to work in concept, production and post-production comfortably across all areas of media. We have the opportunity to both embrace technology but also retain character and humanity of voice. This course has been designed for animators who have a real passion for the traditional beauty of the discipline, while recognising emergent technologies. With this top up year, we continue to push the students for excellence in both design and implementation, while recognising they need to develop their own voice and presence within a huge community. The top up year focuses on distinct areas such as stop-motion studio design and production work, hybridization of 2d and 3d sensibilities and a culture of support, creativity and exploration in storytelling. We continue to encourage the principles of acting and scripting in order to bring strong characters to life, telling meaningful, interesting or even just plain fun stories. We are proud to offer excellent facilities such as the newly completed stop motion studio and our digital 2d room which have been designed to both represent industry standards, but also allow this sense of community which so many of our learners need in order to thrive creatively. You will attend lectures and seminars delivered by a passionate and engaging team, in a positive environment. The course aims to equip students with a thorough knowledge of the processes and skills expected for a professional animator. You will build a portfolio demonstrating these aspects of animation which will be further underpinned by more established creative sector skills such as pre and post production, editing, working with sound and so on.