Powerup!

Hi Bucks Animation readers- Sydney here with a couple of fun animation projects from our second years: The Powerup Project is a simple brief with a lot of scope for creativity: it asks for a 5-10 second scene where a character gains power in some way. I suggested the students could literally transform the character if they liked-- animation is a great medium for magic, fantasy, and scifi after all!  This exercise is meant to practice clear storytelling through posing, while giving the students a chance to be playful with combining animation, effects, and camera work. The multitalented Mobo King delivered on all fronts with this great scene (he gets extra points because I'm a mad Steven Universe fan too :) )

I also enjoyed Radoslav Hristov's clever use of a mod of the Norman rig we use for our basic animation exercises:

We are still accepting applications for next year at Bucks Animation by the way, if you hurry! So you can make a Powerup of your own...

-- Sydney

Craimer Jones. Sci Fi environment WIP

Hello! I am Rob Penhaligon, the new Course Leader for Animation & VFX. I thought I would get my Bucks blogging career started with a really nice work in progress from our 3rd Yr student Craimer Jones.

He has been developing a sci fi environment for the Experimental phase of his major project. The next phase is to develop an animation with some atmospheric effects. This may take the form of an over the shoulder shot of a poor soul, running in fear for their life. Whatever happens, I am really looking forward to seeing what Craimer comes up with.




The major 3rd yr Honours project consists of 2 phases, the first Experimental phase involves taking an idea that directly relates to your intended career. You experiment with it and refine it into to something that works. The second phase is Production, which has just started. This involves developing and pushing your idea to a really high standard, ready to take to prospective employers, or if you wish, as the starting point for your own freelance company.

Government Funding for Post-Graduate Study in the UK

There is good news this year for students in the UK hoping to secure funding for post-graduate study, including our pioneering Online MA in 3D Animation - the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Prospective students will soon (from this summer) be able to secure Government funding for postgraduate study through loans, studentships, bursaries and grants.

If you are a UK-based student and you start a full-time or part-time master’s degree after 1 August 2016, you can now apply for a Postgraduate Loan. You will be able to borrow up to £10,000 to pay your fees and also help with living costs. So, how does the system work?