COURSES

Course Details

Introduction

HSAD programmes include both Media, Illustration and Film /TV and this animation programme sits well within this creative environment. Students on the animation programme will share some modules with other design areas where there are common interests. Animation is about the moving image and is a precise and efficient communication medium which can delight, sell, inform and persuade.

Animation at its best has magic, can suspend disbelief and sometimes marry this to live action reality. The programme is firmly rooted in effective communication to an audience through narrative and graphic depth, utilising all the traditional drawing and contemporary digital methods important in exciting people and enticing them in to a world of story telling through visual and audio means. Animation products can serve the commercial world (for example advertising) and the art world (for example art movies). The course will provide a creative and technical environment in which students can gain a balanced understanding and knowledge of animation whilst developing creative vision within emerging contexts. Narrative structure, direction, performance knowledge, character development, layout, script, storyboard, 3D and 2D production values etc underpinned by a thorough cultural and theoretical understanding of film animation will all be covered on this programme. Students will develop the studio skills, production and post production techniques and studio management abilities to be able to professionally realise their stories and ideas.

What You Study

The emphasis of the course is firmly routed in effective communication audience through the creative use of mood, atmosphere, narrative and graphic depth. Whilst developing a broad based understanding of the design principles of direction across the time based media and techniques of animation, within both its social, avant-garde and cyclic fashion contexts. The aim is to engender the development of a professional awareness of the key communication opportunities of animation, through � abstract, narrative, documentary and targeted corporate communication and their interactive roles. Animation is not however purely a design medium, therefore a balanced emphasis is placed upon maintaining the roles of animator as social commentator, narrator, magician and purveyor of the unexpected.

The course aims to provide the students with the creative environment in which they can gain a balanced and professional understanding of the field of animation, whilst developing an individual creative vision, style, and signature to their studio production. An understanding of narrative structure, direction, knowledge of performance, character concept, layout concept, script, storyboard development and 2D and 3D production values is securely underpinned by a clear artistic, cultural and theoretical understanding of film animation direction within its full range of modern time based media parameters.

Alongside both a historical and contemporary understanding of the history of the art and industry of animation, the student is provided with a broad grounding in the principle studio skills and techniques. This covers both the range of animation medium available, and the principles of design, direction and art direction of animation through the conception, production and postproduction processes. In this way it is intended to support the student with the relevant experience and industry best practice in production design and management, so that they can efficiently and effectively pursue their chosen studio specialist media practice to a professional standard, be it abstract , factual, narrative or fantasy based.

The encouragement of both the mixed and multi-media approach to animated solutions against a professional balance of communication efficiency and individual style forms a key basis of teaching throughout the course curriculum in reflecting current animation art and industry practice and trend. Students are enabled and encouraged to pursue any range or combination of media options available within the School in the development of their particular style, vision and artistic signature as an animator.

How you study

The course is delivered through studio based, student-centred, responsive teaching and learning, comprising skills workshops, studio-based seminars, group and individual critique of work, and group and individual tutorial support.

You will participate in both individual project work, and group projects (conducted in a manner to suit industrial practice).

Assessment is on a combination of product, research portfolio, and evaluation, as appropriate to each unit of study. The final year culminates in a Degree Show exhibition.

Where you study

The course is located at our Queens Gardens site, and is studio based with excellent access to a wide range of digital production facilities.

Professional and industrial context

We have links with a range of Animation companies who advise on our programme and who are prepared to act as clients for "live" project work, providing excellent industrial experience for the students.

Progression

Students will graduate from this programme with a well defined sense of purpose and career direction and with the skills and versatility to be able to gain employemnt in the commercial world, work as artist animators or have the versatility to move into niche areas of animation activity.Students will also have the option to move into post graduate study or a PGCE.