BA (Hons) Animation
- UCAS code: W615
- Mode of study: Full time or sandwich with work placement
- Duration: 3 years full time, 4 years sandwich with work placement
- Entry requirements 2013: 240-300 points to include a minimum of 240 points from A levels or equivalent, with 100 points from an A level in an Art & Design subject. Or Foundation Art & Design or National Diploma in Art & Design. All applicants are subject to interview. A portfolio is essential.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 2421
Email: create.admissions@port.ac.uk
Department: School of Creative Technologies (CT)
Course overview
If you are interested in the artistic and design aspects of animation production from initial concept to finished product, using 3D and 2D computer applications, this is the course for you.
This full-time three-year course specialises in the artistic and creative aspects of animation production. It is designed for the concept creator, storyteller, designer, texture artist and 2D/3D animator with an eye for quality visual and conceptual development.
It provides the relevant theoretical, practical and technical expertise from which you will be encouraged to develop your own specialist focus as you progress through the course.
Strong abilities in drawing, visual research and time-based concept origination are essential qualities you will need, as well as an ability to learn the computer techniques required for animation production and editing. It helps to have some experience of computing and to feel comfortable with computers. Any experience in art and design, media or communication studies, music or music technology will be a great help whether through formal study or extra-curricular activities. What really counts is motivation, creativity and a sense of excitement! Mature students are encouraged to seek an interview to discuss experiences and qualifications.
To find out more, please visit the dedicated webpages Animation at the University of Portsmouth.
Interview and suggested portfolio content
As part of the entry requirements, you will be invited to an interview. Before the formal interview you will be also invited to attend a 30-minute presentation by one of our members of staff on the course content, how it is run, career opportunities and what is expected. It will also give you an opportunity to ask any questions. The formal interview will then last approximately 20 minutes.
The work contained within your portfolio can be produced as part of a formal course of study or evening class, or anything you have produced independently. Your drawing ability is important, so try to achieve a balance between freehand drawing, life drawing and painting that employs a range of different mediums (e.g. pastel, gouache, charcoal, pencil etc). Please include photographs of any 3D projects (e.g. sculpture, ceramics or model making) that are too unwieldy to bring with you. Photography in its own right is also taken very seriously.
It is extremely useful to have worked on storyboard ideas or anything that is sequence-based and tells a story. To have some experience of working with computers is desirable but not essential. Showing an interest in the subject and its many forms is essential and is generally a sign of good research.
You can bring work on CD and/or DVD. If you have made animations or any video material make sure they are in AVI and Quicktime formats, and use a range of video compression codecs so that at least one of them has a chance of working. They need to be short, so be selective. We won?t want to watch more than a couple of minutes.
Sketchbooks are essential as they help to give us an insight into your research capabilities, breadth of knowledge and working methodology. Finally, anything that indicates an interest in art and design is useful (e.g. visits to relevant exhibitions, galleries, films, TV programmes and so on).
Course content
Our core ethos is to help you develop as an artist and animator, exploring, experimenting and developing your ideas and the wide range of skills that make up the craft of animation. You will have the option to specialise as you progress, in either 2D or 3D animation. The course is project-based with a theoretical underpinning.
Year one
In your first year you will study core elements such as drawing, colour as expression, narrative structures, 2D and 3D software skills and the animation production process. You learn the principles and craft of traditional hand-drawn animation and are introduced to such software as Maya, After FX, Flash and Photoshop.
You will study the following units:
- Introduction to Visual Research for Animation
- Animation Principles
- Animation Production
- Narrative
- Meaning and Representation in the Digital Age
- EPortfolio
Year two
In your second year you will develop a more in-depth knowledge of particular skills in designing and producing character animation, visual storytelling, compositing and editing. The practice of group work is introduced providing the opportunity to identify your individual strengths within a creative team production.
You will study the following units:
- Character Animation and Performance
- Sound and Visualisation
- Advanced Visual Research for Animation
- Group Project Production
- Production contexts
Sound and Visualisation is an opportunity to explore the often complex relationship between sound and animation. Using a variety of media sources, you develop digital editing skills and techniques to produce a creative time-based piece of work.
Optional units include:
- Methodology for Animation Production
- Design for Animation
- Ancillary Animation and Software Skills
- Enterprise or Language
Year three
Your third year will encourage you to focus on selected aspects of the production process and create work that pursues excellence. You will focus on developing your own particular strengths within a team project and a self-elected final project. You will complete a dissertation that allows you to study an animation-related subject in depth. The whole course culminates with the production of a showreel and portfolio, in preparation for job applications and a London Screening targeting industry and providing students the opportunity to develop their networking skills.
You will study the following units:
- Employment Preparation
- Major Project: Animation
- Written Project
Optional units include:
- Advanced 2D Animation Skills
- Advanced 3D Animation Skills
- Industry Work Placement
- Interdisciplinary Group Project
Teaching and assessment
You will be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and project work. Practical experience is emphasised throughout the course and you will be taught methods in pre-production, production and post-production, and how to use the production tools and creatively solve problems.
You will need initiative, creative flair and an ability to independently learn in a constantly-changing environment.
All assessment is coursework based.
Career prospects
This course will equip you for some of the most exciting jobs in today's creative media industries. This degree may take you to potential employers as varied as the animated film, TV, computer games, post-production, design and visualisation industries.
Graduates from the course work as artists, modellers, animators, compositors, editors and directors in these creative and rewarding industries. They have gone on to work for companies such as Climax, Framestore, The Mill, Data Design Interactive, Sony, Kuju Games, Centroid 3d in Pinewood Studios, amongst others.
Success stories
James Roberts graduated from Portsmouth in 2007 and went straight to work as a visual artist for Framestore, a Bafta and Oscar-winning studio. His credits include The Dark Knight, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Quantum of Solace, Australia and Where the Wild Things Are. He was recently short-listed for the 2008 4Talent 'Multi-talented' award. He has just finished his new film called Dementia: Till Death Us Do Part.
Mat Harrad won the Excellence Awards for 3D Design – Computer Arts Magazine 2007 and went on to work for Sony just after his graduation.
Daim Dziauddin won the Animation World Network's Best of the Web Showcase 2006 for his graduation film Death, Kitty and the Fat Man and was also selected for New Talent Directors' showcase at Sumo Dojo production.
Facilities and features
The course utilises specialist animation hardware and software facilities including Motion Capture and Green Screen studios, as well as dedicated drawing and light-box studios. You will have access to up-to-date 3D and 2D animation, compositing, editing and image manipulation tools as well as the more traditional sculpting facilities.
You will receive guidance in the latest software and current industry methods from specialist staff and develop a level of focus and self direction suitable for the animation industry.
Portsmouth University Animation department are presently developing a full length feature film project that heavily involves staff and students at the university and is set to provide a continuous rolling industry style VFX production experience in its VFX facility FOAM\Digital. This facility is intended to allow students to work on a variety of CG and animated film projects and learn invaluable industry skills with the latest software and production methods . The project is run by staff with previous experience on feature films including the "Lord of the Rings", "Harry Potter" and "Narnia" franchises. The production is liaising closely on this with various industry VFX production faculties to insure the pipeline and methods used are current, reliable and relevant.
As well as working to produce good student show reel work, the production and VFX roles are integrated as an optional project across a number of the degree courses, allowing the student to gain vocational as well as academic experience and credits. The film presently under development is called “Stina and the Wolf” The film is a full length computer and 2d animated film which features performance captured live actors, (similar to the process used in AVATAR) animated 2d and 3d characters and C.G. and matte painted environments. The production presently involves lecturers, students and external contributors and is open to all skill levels, providing integrated tutorial and mentioning for students in a complete range of skills, from concept art through to industry standard computer animation, modelling, rigging and rendering. The production team recently returned from a week long visual research trip to the Carpathians mountains, providing a valuable experience for the students involved as well as a rich source of reference material for the project.