Digital Animation BA(Hons) Degree

Course outline

Stage 1

• Digital Animation Practice
• Design, Scriptwriting & Motion Studies
• History & Theory of Animation

Stage 2

• Digital Animation Practice
• Animation Technologies
• Research & Method
• Post-production

Stage 3

• Major Project & Innovation Project
• Dissertation
• Professional Placement

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) Digital Animation course

On this course you'll develop your digital animation skills using industry-standard software and you'll be encouraged to work creatively across a range of subjects from traditional art practices such as life drawing and visualisation, to performance, acting and motion studies. To give your work further context, you'll also study the history and evolution of animation techniques and the process of producing animated films.

Taught through seminars, workshops and tutorials, you'll often work in groups to mirror the industry that you're preparing to enter. Assignments will also be professional, often ‘live' briefs working with ‘clients' from the creative industry.

By choosing to study for a degree in Digital Animation at Falmouth you will:

• Be taught by a staff of highly experienced and award-winning professionals in both technical and creative disciplines.
• Develop creative and technical skills to help you become a highly skilled practitioner, who can excel in a professional collaborative studio environment.
• Be based at the stunning Tremough Campus, which boasts cutting-edge animation studios with the very best industry-standard facilities.
• Have the opportunity to work collaboratively, helping you to gain important team experience in animation production processes and work, in a true-to-life simulated studio environment, preparing you for a career in the industry.
• Benefit from a schedule of visiting industry practitioners who'll bring a diverse range of current industry experience to the course.
• Have the opportunity to undertake a professional placement that will enable you to practise your craft and contextualise your studies.

How is the course taught?

Our aim is to produce graduates who are highly skilled and creative professionals, who can work in a professional collaborative studio environment. Your strengths will be identified early on in the course and nurtured accordingly through seminars, workshops and tutorials. Group work features heavily, as that is how the industry operates. Assignments will also be professional, often 'live' briefs working with 'clients' from the creative industry.

The course operates on a basis of continuous assessment with no formal examinations. Early on, you'll be introduced to the criteria used to assess your project work. Assessment is via a combination of visual, verbal and written assignments and a dissertation in your final year.

Assessment

• Project work, essays and seminar presentations
• Dissertation

Facilities

Our dedicated animation studios and Learning Resource Centre include:

• 30 workstations
• Industry standard 3D and 2D animation software and hardware
• Traditional stop motion and 2D animation production areas
• Specialist animation post-production facilities
• Enhanced media facilities including TV studio, sound recording and green screen studios
• 17,000-title TV and film library

Projects

Students have recently created short animations to accompany sound clips gathered by the Hayle Oral History Project. They ranged from stories about the war to everyday life, and were premiered in Hayle as well as being shown at the Cornwall Film Festival. "It was a fantastic opportunity for us as students to experience what it would be like to work on a project for a client, meeting their deadlines and expectations!" says BA(Hons) Digital Animation student, Jessica Hudson.

Digital Animation course leader, Andy Wyatt, has recently collaborated with Children's BBC on two projects.

• www.cornwallfilmfestival.com
• Press release: UCF collaborates with Children's BBC to create eccentric ooglies
• Press release: Falmouth course leader directs animation on BBC1

Samples of student coursework

Projects by first year BA(Hons) Digital Animation students

The Library, by BA(Hons) Digital Animation students

Karuzele, by Karolina Glusiec BA(Hons) Digital Animation Erasmus student

Idents, by BA(Hons) Digital Animation students

Professorial lecture series

Falmouth's Professorial lecture series aims to produce an engaging and challenging public programme that stimulates the intellectual curiosity of our staff, students and alumni, our research collaborators, our industry partners, our local communities and other supporters. Recent lectures relevant to students in the School of Media include Andrew Chitty and Emily Bell.

Andrew Chitty

Seven myths that drive the digital economy

Andrew has been a pioneer in the converging worlds of TV and digital media since the mid 90s when as Editor of BBC2's The Net he was responsible for the BBC's first website and virtual world. Since 1998 he's built Illumina Digital into the UK's leading cross platform production company winning a raft of awards including 4 BAFTAS, 8 RTS Awards, The UN award for e-learning and even a Golden Ladle for the world's best cookery site. In 2008 Illumina joined All3Media, the UK's largest independent production group.

Andrew has been active in policy and industry groups, co-authoring OFCOM's paper New Options for Public Service in the Digital Age and has advised Lord Stephen Carter as a member of the ministerial steering board for the Digital Britain Report. He is a council member of PACT, trustee of TRC Media in Glasgow and a past board member of Skillset. Andrew is currently Chair of the National Skills Council for Digital Media.

A video of Andrew Chitty's lecture can be viewed online here

Download the transcript of Andrew Chitty's lecture (175.81 KB)

Emily Bell

Back To the News Future: Journalism 10 Years from Now

Director of Digital Content for Guardian News and Media, Emily set up www.mediaguardian.co.uk in 2001. www.guardian.co.uk has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Webby for Best Newspaper on the web in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Oxford graduate, Bell is one of the rising stars coming through from a younger, more web-focused generation of senior media figures.

A video of Emily Bell's lecture can be viewed online here

In the press

Digital Animation is the headline story for the South West Screen bulletin...

South West Screen online bulletin

Answers and advice about the course

For further information about BA(Hons) Digital Animation at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 255764.

Our student mentors are now on Facebook. To chat to a mentor about the course, living in Cornwall, or what to expect at Falmouth, check out the Digital Animation and Creative Computing group. You need to join the group before you can post. Our student mentors have already done the first year of the course... so ask them anything you like!

Digital Animation and Creative Computing Facebook group

If you're not Facebook you can still speak to a student mentor. Email your name and the course you're starting to: studentmentorenquiries@falmouth.ac.uk and we will be in touch with you.

Career opportunities

Graduates can expect to enjoy careers within the animation, interactive and games industry as animators, effects artists, pre-production artists, web designers, illustrators, or in post-production. Freelance commercial illustration practice, design practice, art direction, advertising, research or postgraduate study are further options.

• Interactive and games industry animator
• Film maker
• Effects artist
• Pre-production artist
• Web design
• Post production
• Art direction
• Advertising
• Illustration

Entry requirements

A minimum of 220 UCAS points, equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience. All applicants will be invited to attend an interview and present a portfolio of creative work so we can assess your abilities, skills and potential to succeed at this level of study.

Please see our How to Apply page for more information.

For further information about BA(Hons) Digital Animation at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 255764.

Interview and selection process

All applicants will be invited to interview. Each applicant is asked to bring a portfolio of creative work either digitally or as a hard copy, and an appropriate amount for a 15-20 minute interview. Any form of creative work is appropriate including any animation (not essential), film, photography, artwork, drawing, design or music/performance. Sketchbooks are also important for the creative process. Evidence of written work, teamwork and good communication are also looked for in the interview.

Applicants will have a tour of the Media Centre including the animation studios. Following the tour there will be an introduction to the course and individual interviews.

Interviews will be held on 30 November 2011 (pm only), 11 January 2012 (pm only), 14 February, 20 and 21 March 2012 (am and pm), 18 April 2012 (pm only), 9 and 30 May 2012 (pm only). Morning sessions start at 10.00am and afternoon sessions start at 1.30pm.

Location: Tremough Campus

Related courses

• Graphic Design BA(Hons)
• Illustration BA(Hons)