Animation (Online) BA (Hons)

Do you have a passion for animation? Do you want to develop your skills ready for a career in this industry? On this very practical course you’ll cover a range of areas using up-to-date software, with the support and guidance from our experienced lecturers. <br/><br/>**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**<br/>At Buckinghamshire New University we focus on preparing you for work in the industry, helping you to stand out to employers when you graduate. Led by our enthusiastic and dedicated team of industry-savvy practitioners and experienced academics, you will have the freedom to explore all areas of animation. During your time with us you may also get access to guest lectures and could benefit from live project briefs and masterclasses.<br/><br/>Youll be studying a completely practical course – we focus on what you need to know for a career in animation; you’ll keep a reflective journal and learn to give presentations like the professionals. From expressiveness, to bringing a character to life you’ll be hands-on in gaining the skills you need.<br/><br/>Despite this course being delivered online, we offer various study channels and chat channels so you will be supported and feel a part of the wider BNU community when studying with us.<br/><br/>**What facilities can I use?**<br/>You will use our AppsAnywhere web service to access to many of the software applications you’ll use for learning and studying. This includes: <br/><br/><br/>- Maya<br/><br/><br/>- Nuke<br/><br/><br/>- Adobe Creative Cloud<br/><br/><br/>- Renderman<br/><br/><br/>- Substance<br/><br/><br/>- ZBrush <br/><br/><br/>You’ll also be able to remotely access our VDI, which is a powerful computer that will give you access to both sufficiently powered hardware and the software relevant to the course.<br/><br/>Most of our 3D animation is currently done in Maya. To combine live TV with computer graphics you will use VizRT. For modelling you’ll use ZBrush, Marvellous Designer and a range of other pieces of software commonly used in industry. We review the list every year.<br/><br/>You’ll also be invited to join additional online groups where you will be able to meet the other students taking our animation, visual effects, game art and visualisation courses, both MA and BA, online and attendance. These help to foster a sense of community and are also places where extra-curricular collaborative projects, such as game jams, take place. You will also be able to meet our alumni in these broader forums. All forums are moderated by the lecturers. <br/><br/>**What will I study?**<br/>The course covers everything you need to know to be career-ready upon graduation. Starting with the fundamentals, you’ll learn the basics of animation, visual effects and games art. You will begin to animate in a believable manner and get a feel for pre-visual narrative and layout.<br/><br/>At the end of year one you will also be given the opportunity to change your degree and hone in on your passion, Visual Effects or Games Art, if that’s the field you wish to pursue.<br/><br/>Throughout this course, you will also learn how to create detailed models from scratch through to lighting and rendering. You’ll also explore different aspects of the animator’s role. You’ll create stop motion sequences, experiment with different styles of animation and learn about 3D character acting.<br/><br/>Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.<br/><br/>By your final year, you’ll be working on projects to build your showreel for entry into employment in this exciting industry. You will also have opportunities to collaborate with students on other creative courses at the university.