Kick-starting graduate careers

Here at Bucks we like to practice what we preach, and this means helping our graduates find work in industry in the most active ways possible. We're encouraging companies to bring us their web projects, the kind of interesting, fun, but often low budget work that can sometimes slip through the cracks of commercial studios.

We don't want our talented graduates working for nothing - after all, everyone has to put bread on the table - but by charging very competitive rates we hope to attract interesting projects and help our students build a portfolio of professional work.

Should graduates work for free?

The bad guys always wear top hats and smoke cigars

This is a tough question. Lots of seasoned professionals in the entertainment industry feel strongly that graduates should never work for free - why provide cheap labour for greedy capitalists who just want to exploit young talent? The counter-argument is very simple: because it's worth it.

Money, tuition fees, and student loans - how the new system works

Start saving your pennies

As pretty much everyone now knows, higher education is getting much, more expensive. For good or ill, the present Government is gradually retreating from direct funding of university education, and the UK is moving towards a more market-based system.

Maybe things will change in a few years under the next government, maybe they won't. In the meantime, government funding for courses at Bucks and other universities does still exist, albeit in the form of loans rather than direct grants.

Here is how the new system works:

A few spots still available on our new course in September

High Wycombe wants you

We're still welcoming new applicants for the last few available spots on our new Animation and Visual Effects course at Bucks New University starting this September. We're looking for students with a real passion to do animation and visual effects work, a drive to become a digital artist and take advantage of the myriad opportunities for animation, games and online work in the new economy. Animation is now big business, and we want to give all our graduates the best possible head start.

Bucks Animation Showcase 2013

We're proud to showcase the best work from our students at Bucks over the past year. Included in this compilation video is work by Dave Berry, Monika Dzikowicz, Kristof Michalski, Allan de Leal, Mike Swan, Paula Gillin, Andre Spencer, and others.

Our talented graduates are now taking a well-earned summer break before starting their careers in the animation, games, visual effects and design visualisation industries. Anyone looking to hire one of our talented students should contact us at alex.williams@bucks.ac.uk or david.creighton@bucks.ac.uk

----Alex

Open Day at Bucks! Wednesday 12 June

Gateway to your new career

Wednesday 12th June is Open Day at Bucks. Open Days are a great way to meet the tutors (for Animation & VFX - that's me and Dave Creighton) here at Bucks, find out about our courses, and also explore our campus. We guarantee you'll be impressed by the state-of-the-art technical equipment we have in the brand new Gateway Building; the result of a £40m investment program completed just a couple of years ago.

How to find a job? The secret maps to success...

Where are the jobs?

Finding work isn't easy, especially getting that vital, elusive first job. Sometimes it seems like every vacancy is advertised for professionals with 2-3 years of experience, which means that finding your first gig can feel like a catch-22. You can't find a job without experience, you can get experience until you find a job. So what is the secret?

Tonight! The Bucks Animation Big Show!

Tonight is Bucks animation's big night - starting at 6pm you can take a look at the best work done by our very talented soon-to-be-graduates, showcasing their projects completed over the past year. You'll see great animation, character design, concept work, visual development, 3D modelling, texturing, lighting - a diverse and impressive array of digital and creative skills. Come and see the what the new generation of digital artists can accomplish.

BAFTA Scholarships - deadline 17th June

BAFTA is offering a number of scholarships for talented graduates who wish to continue their studies. You find out more about them here.

According to BAFTA:

"Our 2013 Scholarship Programme will award a minimum of six scholarships to UK students in need of financial assistance to take a post-graduate course related to a career in film, television or games. See the full list of eligible courses. Each scholarship will provide up to £10,000 to cover one year’s course fees, an industry mentor and free access to BAFTA events around the UK for a year."

You have until June 17th to apply.

---Alex

The Secret of Great Animation - it's all in the Planning

The secret of most successful enveavours lies in the planning - and animation is no exception. Open up a copy of Maya, the leading 3D software, and you just get a blank screen. With CG animation, you get nothing for free.

So how do you fill this blank space with creative, entertaining animation? The secret of good work is to thumbnail - that is to say, to plan out your work with sketches and scribbles which create a kind of road map of where you want to go.