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Introduction
Bringing amazing visions roaring to life!
Our Animation and VFX programme considers the creative and technological developments in the inclusion of animated and virtual production design elements. You will have more opportunities to build a strong portfolio of studio production work and Animation and VFX-focused work thanks to this degree, which will also increase your chances of landing a job in the field.
With the help of this curriculum, you will be able to efficiently manage the entire production cycle of digital animation and visual production artefacts by expanding your practical and intellectual knowledge of it.
You will have the opportunity to explore contemporary opportunities in Computer Animation and VFX creatively and imaginatively while acknowledging the social and cultural context in which they communicate.
The growth of intellectual skills like analysis, inventiveness, critical assessment, and others will be a theme throughout your formal classes and learning process.
The purpose of lectures is to examine ideas and theories while gaining knowledge to support enhanced artistic and technical abilities.
PATHWAY OPTIONS
Computer Animation (BA)
BA UCAS Code: AVF1
HND UCAS Code: AVF8
HNC UCAS Code: AVF9
Why choose this course?
1. We have the only simulated production environment in the UK that connects Animation to Film and Music Tech and Performing Arts — all under a singular studio pipeline, replicating animation productions made in Hollywood! .
2. We task you to you create for your industry – and for your audience, with live briefs for film, television and beyond. Animation students recently worked on VR experiences on DragonFiAR, Ben10 and Abbaand animated content for the stage (The Little Mermaid).
3. A connected, collaborative creative environment. Industry-facing projects, all stemming from some twenty year relationships with a community of artists, animators and digital artists.
4. Industry experienced lecturers, as story artists and animators on film and games titles, with BFI, BAFTA, ComicCons credentials. Our animation conference SAND (Swansea Animation Days) features colleagues from Dneg, MPC, Blizzard, EA, Framestore and more.
5. Your Vision. Your Voice. Our commitment to both.
Overview
• Classic animation techniques
• Technology harnessed designs
• Skills surpassing breakthroughs
We are all about breathing life into your art. You get the opportunity to kindle your imagination or treasured storylines, to see your dreams alive on screen.
We love story. We love production design and conceptual work. We love animating. Whether 2D, stop frame, 3D — it’s all-immersive in digital animation.
It’s rare to have so much class contact time at University these days. Our staff live for art and animation, creating our own work. We provide the best support to make your reels stand out.
This is a course forged to help you. You find what you love — in film, conceptual design, in modelling, in anything animated, in any form – and we help to realise your dreams.
Our dedicated Computer Animation facilities include a large computer lab with hardware featuring all of the software needed to produce models and animations (e.g. MAYA, Z-Brush, Unreal, etc.).
Workshops are regularly held to help to underpin work covered in class, and on a variety of production stages, (e.g. post-production editing and camera work, often via friends on the FILM degree).
Modules
Year One – Level 4 (HNC, HND & BA)
• Contemporary Challenges: Making a Difference (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Environment Design (20 credits; compulsory)
• Introduction to Character Animation (20 credits; compulsory)
• Introduction to Virtual Production (20 credits; compulsory)
• Learning in the Digital Era (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Visual Studies (20 credits; compulsory).
Year Two – Level 5 (HND & BA)
• Advanced Character Animation (20 credits; compulsory)
• Body Mechanics and Creature Animation (20 credits; compulsory)
• Changemakers: Building your Personal Brand for Sustainable Employment (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Changemakers: Creativity and Value Creation (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Virtual Production Design (20 credits; compulsory)
• Visual Effects (20 credits; compulsory).
Year Three – Level 6 (BA)
• Advanced Character Performance (20 credits; compulsory)
• Advanced Lighting and Rendering (20 credits; compulsory)
• Emerging Trends (20 credits; compulsory)
• Independent Project (40 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
• Personal Portfolio Development (20 credits; compulsory).
Entry Criteria
We are interested in creative people that demonstrate a strong commitment to art and/or design and therefore we welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. To assess student suitability for their chosen course we arrange interviews for all applicants at which your skills, achievements and life experience will be considered as well as your portfolio of work.
Our standard offer for a degree course is 120 UCAS tariff points. We expect applicants to have a grade C or above in English Language (or Welsh) at GCSE level, together with passes in another four subjects. Plus we accept a range of Level 3 qualifications including:
• Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, plus one GCE A-Level in a relevant academic subject
• Three GCE A-Levels or equivalent
• BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject, with minimum grades of Merit
• International Baccalaureate score of 32
• Other relevant qualifications can be considered on an individual basis
Qualifications are important, however, our offers are not solely based on academic results. If you don’t have the required UCAS points, we can also consider offers to applicants based on individual merit, exceptional work, and/or practical experience.
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Assessment
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Assessment
A lot of the briefs and coursework and submissions ask you to create something fresh, new, inspiring — and all industry leaning. You have creative input on new worlds and imaginings.
Visually enriched tutorials, lectures, presentations, overviews and exercises — always with an eye on concept; always thinking on how to extend this work for showreels. Feedback can often be illustrated and/or filled with more visual tips and guides to help with alternative designs, movements, narrative structure, etc, etc.
We ask you to engage with some amazing kit. We harness technology — we control it - via drawing, cintiqs, model-making, 2D and 3D software, production techniques and skillsets.
We provide a lot of the basics, with specific challenges to get you off the ground — and in HE — ask you to fly high.
Career Opportunities
Stepping stones to industry!
An animation degree under your belt allows you to think about a lot of different industries — and you will have transferable skills to make these moves. Some of our graduates have their own games, visualisation or production companies. Some work as entrepreneurs on their own animation brands. A lot find work on some outstanding projects, feature films and in production houses.
Graduates have gone on to work in Oscar-winning teams and on the feature films
• Boxtrolls
• Captain America
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Fantastic Beasts
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Hotel Transylvania
• Iron Man 2
• Jungle Book
• Kubo and The Two Strings
• Man of Steel
• Prometheus
• Skyfall
• Thor
• World War Z
and many, many more.
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