Summer: Animation

The focus is on the Principles of Animation and Visual Narrative via a set of fast paced digital workshops and a short project. During the three weeks you will follow the digital animation process - beginning with drawn storyboards, taking part in technical workshops and ending the course by pitching and showing your ideas. You will learn how to create movement on screen first by studying the principles of animation, moving on to narrative development and short film production.
By the end of the course you will have developed different ways of working, collaborate,visit exhibitions, research and test your ideas in practice.

Course Aims

• Develop your ideas through observation, research and storyboarding
• Develop storyboarding, 3D modelling software and presentation skills appropriate to your project
• Plan and create a short animated sequence
• Present your design development and outcomes
• Learning Outcomes
• An ability to research ideas that can be developed into animated designs (Research, Subject Knowledge)
• An ability to communicate ideas and concepts through storyboards and 3D animation (Communication and Presentation)
• A knowledge of storyboarding, 2D and 3D animation software (Technical competence)
• Requirements for Assessment
• Sketchbook and drawings
• Presentation of ideas
• Short animated sequence

Please note that drawing and storyboarding will be a key part of the course for ideas generation, story development and pitching, but the project you work on will be produced with digital animation using a computer.

Week One - 2D Animation and Pre-Production

• Focus on ideas, research, storyboarding and presenting your ideas.
• Drawing
• Storyboarding
• Research Trip
• Pre-production project

Week Two - 3D Animation and Production

• There will be a range of technical workshops on: drawing for animation, storyboarding and animistic development using 2D and 3D animation software.
• 3D Animation with Autodesk Maya
• Narrative Structure
• 3D Modelling: Characters
• 3D Modelling: Lighting and Rendering

Week Three - Post-Production and Project

In the final week you will have developed a short film using the different software and techniques you learnt during the previous weeks. You'll get feedback on your portfolio from your tutor and classmates, helping your future portfolio development. At the end you will have the chance to show your work in a mii-exhibition alongside students from film, graphic media design and photography.

• Individual project
• Sound Effects
• Adobe After Effects for Post-Production
• Presentation and Feedback
• Production screening

Follow On Courses

Once you have taken this course you may be interested in BA Animation or MA Animation.