Bucks New Uni Animation Showcase 2018-19

Check out the latest Bucks New Uni animation demo reel; this one is a compilation of the best work done by our undergraduate animation students at Bucks between 2018 and 2019.  Congratulations to all our animators on their excellent work; standards keep rising at Bucks and this is very encouraging; as we strive to help more and more of our graduates break into careers in the animation, games and VFX industries. 

Bucks Welcomes Back Sydney Padua

Bucks New University is delighted to welcome back new veteran animator and graphic novelist Sydney Padua who, following a year's absense to work on Disney's The Lion King, is back at Bucks.

Sydeny is a lecturer in animation on the undergraduate animation course at Bucks. Her animation career includes a roster of Hollywood hits, animation classics such as The Iron Giant, and many visual effects blockbusters.

Sydeny has also published the award-winning graphic novel The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.  So, some very good news then for animation and VFX students at Bucks.

"Funny Fail Stories" in London Tonight

Funny Fail Stories is back in London tonight - book your seats for tonight, Tuesday 29 October for tales of failure from the world of animation and VFX.

Hosted by animator and director Simone Giampaolo, this event takes place at Zigfried Von Underbelly at 11 Hoxton Square, London N1, just a 5 minute walk from Old St Tube station.

Speakers bringing tales of disaster and near-disaster in the animation and VFX industry include Alina Bopele from Studio AKA,  Sabina Janetzka from Cinesite, and Stefano Marrone from Nucco Brain.

The event is also supported by the London chapter of SIGGRAPH.  Tickets are free and you can book them here.

Welcome to our new MA students!

Welcome!

A very warm welcome all our new post-graduate students who are starting their journey with us on our online MA in animation, in partnership with Animation Apprentice.

The online MA started on 30 September 2019 and lasts for 18 months, with the final assignment being due in May 2021, and degrees awarded in the summer of 2020.

This is a unique degree - the first of its kind - which can be undertaken by students anywhere in the world, leading to a formal qualification in the field.

Moby Gratis - Free Music for Animators

Mobygratis.com is a great free resource for independent film-makers. The American musician Moby has released tons of free tracks for use in independent film projects, including student demo reels.  Moby's site is an excellent resource for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short.

Blue GFX Expo in London on 12th November

Blue GFX Expo 2019 taked place this year in London on Tuesday 12th November.

As ever, we strongly recommend that our students attend, so that they can catch up with latest in animation, VFX & Games.  The all-day event takes place near Waterloo on London's South Bank, and you can buy student tickets for just £15 here.

Meet Thep! Free Mummy Rig from Squiggly Rigs

We're liking this cartoon mummy rig named Thep; he's fun and cartoony and you can get a great performance out of him. You can find him here for free download at the Squiggly Rigs official site.

Thep is the first character made with the Squiggly rig system.  Built to allow plenty of flexibility and exaggeration, Thep comes "equipped with some cool features to allow him to act as cartoony as possible without losing appeal".

Thep is a good choice for students starting on acting and lipsync; he works well with a cartoony voice, such as one from the Sesame Street wav archive.

Consider Thep for acting and pantomime shots, or for short dialogue scenes; he has good facial expressions and a wide variety of mouth shapes.

Aardman Model Making Workshop on Saturday

Aardman animation are coming to London, bringing two model making workshops tomorrow, Saturday 12th October.

The workshops are one hour long and take place at 4pm at the Hackney Picturehouse (see flyer below) and at 3.45pm at The Ritzy in Brixton (see flyer left).

The workshops form a part of the Aardman Animation day, which includes screenings and activities for kids, starting at 10.30am.

The afternoon workshops are for adults only and will be led by Claire Cohen and Ellie Hugill, Senior Modelmakers at Aardman.

Claire and Ellie will give students an insight into stop-motion animation and what it is like to work at one of the UK's most enduring and well-loved animation houses.

Dinosaur Masterclass at VIEW October 24

VIEW is the 20th International VFX & Computer Graphics Conference that takes place every year in Turin.

This year the VIEW conference runs from Monday 21st October until Friday 25th October.

On Wednesday October 23 at 2.30pm I'll be on a panel with SVA titled "Starting Your Animation Career: How to Get Noticed and Get Hired".

On Thursday October 24th I'll be teaching a one-day masterclass in Maya demonstrating how to animate dinosaurs, from 9.30am at Piazza Mestiere.

The class is aimed at complete beginners and requires no prior experience with Maya.

Notes on Academic Writing from Dr Fil

Fil Ieropolous

Dr Fil Ieropolous is the academic lead for our Online MA in 3D Animation.

Fil is the main point of contact for all academic questions on the course, and responsible for the delivery and assessment of the academic content.  Any questions about academic content or academic marking should be directed to Fil (He can be reached on fil.ieropoulos@bucks.ac.uk).

Below are some of Fil's helpful notes on some of the common problems with academic writing, and how to fix them.

Autodesk Launches Maya Indie License

Great news for all our animation students at Bucks - Autodesk has launched the "Maya Indie License", allowing students who have learned to animate using the free student version of the software to enter the marketplace at a much-reduced price.

This is great news for our graduates; Autodesk offers junior animators the chance to "become a pro at a price you can afford". No longer are digital artists and animators blocked from entering the market for making animated films in Maya by the high price tag for a commercial license.