Animation BA (Hons)

Learn the core concepts and foundational skills of animation through studio-based seminars, tutorials and self-directed research. Stimulate your intellectual curiosity and begin to develop your own creative identity through hands-on investigative exercises, to prepare you for animation production.

In this module, you will pursue an academic approach to understanding the historical and industrial context of Animation, VFX, cinematic language, internationalism, ESD, film theory, form theory (light, colour, realism & hyperrealism), and ethical and representational considerations in visual effects and animation production. By exploring these various topics in depth, you will gain a well-rounded understanding of the intricacies involved in the creation of visually stunning and thought-provoking animation and VFX productions.

Enhance your knowledge and ability to apply animation's fundamental concepts, principles, and skills in a studio setting. You will attend seminars, receive tutorials, and conduct personal research to foster your intellectual curiosity and nurture your distinct creative identity through brief, practical exercises. This will prepare you for the extended workflow of animation production. Ultimately, you will utilise these concepts to produce your first animated short film for the course.

The main objective of this module is to teach you how to create digital models and develop lookdev skills. You will learn about polygonal modelling, surfacing, and lighting. In addition, there will be workshops focusing on life drawing to improve your understanding of the human form, reinforced by practical production research and traditional visual arts such as painting.

Take your skills and knowledge in Animation Studio to the next level. You will choose a specialist teaching and learning area in either 2D or 3D techniques and demonstrate your improved understanding and ability by creating a short animated film at the end of the module.

You will have the opportunity to improve your character animation skills by focusing on acting and performance using your preferred technique. This will be done through project briefs that emulate a professional studio environment and challenge your knowledge of visual language, narrative, evaluation, and problem-solving.

Animation Studio will further your skills and knowledge from those acquired in Animation Principles. As the module progresses, you will have the opportunity to choose specialist teaching and learning in either 2D or 3D techniques. At the end of the module, you will have a body of work that evidences your engagement in, understanding of, and achievement using the concepts of animation studio practice.

You will have the opportunity to progress your character animation skills as part of acting and performance, using your chosen technique. You will work on client-led live briefs that simulate collaborative teamwork in a production environment. Additionally, you will apply your knowledge of visual language, narrative, evaluation and problem solving whilst completing your chosen projects.

Through active participation with team-based problem solving, you will work together in mixed teams on a project where you will use your creative ideas to generate solutions to the challenge or brief. Your project will allow you to explore how creativity can make an impact in society, as you choose a theme of sustainability, social justice, enterprise and innovation or community. This collaborative learning experience will expose you to a range of new processes and approaches that will develop your creative thinking.

Explore the creative potential of storyboarding in this optional module. Learn how to plan visual narratives for film, TV, and media using filmic language, script breakdown, and pre-production techniques. Taught in mixed-course groups, the module supports collaboration and personalisation. You'll develop storyboards from concept to final visuals, gaining practical skills and industry insight.

Explore character creation through both traditional and experimental methods in this optional module. You'll examine what makes characters compelling and develop original concepts for storytelling across media. With the chance to personalise your learning and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll present your work in visual and/or written form, building creative and transferable skills.

Explore frame-by-frame filmmaking through process-led animation in this optional module. Develop your creative and analytical skills using experimental techniques like pixilation and morphing. With opportunities to personalise your learning and collaborate across disciplines. You'll produce an innovative moving image piece, either individually or in a group and gain insight into animation's wider artistic and cultural contexts.

This workshop-based module introduces visual storytelling, exploring image-text relationships, audience, and narrative structure. You'll develop a personal project, applying these skills to your area of interest while meeting industry standards. Open to all Art and Design students, it encourages collaboration across courses, allowing you to personalise your learning and build a broader creative community.

Using a given theme, this optional module will broaden your technical and theoretical practice in the subject of motion design. You will produce a piece of short form motion design. Encompassing the use of key fundamentals such as pace, flow, narrative and audio. Whilst responding to the needs of the audience through purpose, context and environment. Studied in mixed-course groups, this module encourages personalisation and cross-course collaboration while helping you build you motion portfolio and skillset.

This optional module will introduce you to the tools and techniques of digital painting for integration into cinematic imagery. Explore authentic scenic representation through a solid understanding of atmospheric perspective. Matte painting can be applied to a range of creative activities such as digital illustration, XR, production design, animation, photographic touch-up, live action image enhancement (VFX), and other screen-based image enhancements.

On this module you will learn key performance techniques associated with acting, dance and puppetry, incorporating Laban theory of movement and applying motion capture to a digital avatar for a range disciplines.

Discover the creative and professional opportunities of open-source 3D creative workflows, a free-to-access range of advanced creative tools and solutions to create a range of creative outcomes. On this module, you will explore a range of creative workflows, from concept through to actualization, exploring how multiple outcomes can evolve through an innovative combination of freely available software. By the end of the module, you will understand how to model, light, texture and animate, gaining a foothold in this rapidly evolving set of creative solutions.

We have an option for all of our students to undertake a placement year and allow you to decide whether this is right for you once you have completed years 1 and 2 of your course. This time spent working in industry provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. If you are successful in securing a placement you will have the chance to gain an additional Certificate or Diploma in Professional Practice, dependent on duration.

The additional placement year incurs a fee. For international students considering the transfer to the 4-yr SW route it's important to seek advice from the International Student Support team and the Home Office regarding any potential visa implications and costs. For UK students, advice should also be sought regarding SLC eligibility, if applicable.

* If you choose to take the sandwich route option, you will need to apply for this course by using the full-time UCAS code.

If you're studying on our sandwich route you can also opt to study abroad for a full academic year, or for a semester, during Year Three. This is an optional and additional period of study that complements your degree at NTU as an alternative to taking a work placement.

This is an exciting opportunity to experience a different national culture, teaching and learning styles and subjects in an international environment. The destination university must be a year abroad / exchange partner of NTU or member of a formally recognised scheme such as the International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP).

Our NTU Global and student mobility team will support you in finding the right opportunity from one of the many international partners available around the world.

Successful completion of a period of international study will earn you a standalone award an International Study Certificate (minimum six weeks) or the International Study Diploma (minimum 36 weeks).

This module helps you evaluate your past learning and specialised direction so that you can concentrate on developing your skills for your final year and graduate successfully. The module is delivered in two blocks throughout the year. The first part will help you determine your direction, the mid-year point will track your progress, and the final part will focus on professional development workshops, employability support, and advice on creating a reel/portfolio.

Take your understanding of the animation pipeline to the next level. This will be your opportunity to establish the foundations for a substantial animated story. This will allow you to develop your own unique and innovative voice within the short animated film form. The emphasis is on creating authentic and original storytelling that truly captivates your audience. Additionally, you will be challenged to critically reflect and evaluate your creative process to position yourself within the animation or associated industries.

Building on the collaborative skills you have developed in Year Two, you'll have the opportunity to work with other screen arts students to fully develop a group project with a negotiated outcome or with an industry partner. You'll explore audio and visual storytelling as a group, working as a multi-disciplinary team to effectively respond to a brief.

This specialist project lets you work independently or as a team to create substantial original work that showcases your skills, creating the core of your professional portfolio. You can either develop a short film or develop an industry-ready body of work in an animation specialisation. We encourage you to be original and reflect on your creative process to position yourself in the animation industry. In support of your practice, you will reflect upon and evaluate your creative process, looking towards positioning yourself within animation or associated industries.