Lessons From the Animation Workshop

Gateway to The Animation Workshop

At the beginning of January I was back at The Animation Workshop in Denmark, working as a "Censor" or - as we would say in the UK - an External Examiner.

External Examiners exist to maintain standards across higher education and ensure that degree results are fair.

An animation class at The Animation Workshop

The Animation Workshop
Classes at the Animation Workshop are taught almost entirely by visiting tutors - a steady stream of industry professionals, helping to make the school feel more like an animation community, rather than simply a college for learning animation.

Animation Specialisation
The students in Viborg specialize in either computer graphics (modelling, rigging, lighting and compositing) or animation. However, throughout the course - and especially during their final year film - students from both disciplines come together to work on group projects.

Standards at the Animation Workshop are very, very high.  Not only do their students achieve high levels of skills in both 2D and 3D animation, but many are also skilled character designers and storyboard artists.

Unique Ethos

The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark

One of the things that makes the Animation Workshop so special is its unique ethos. The school works hard to help their students reach their full potential, not just as animators but also as individuals.

Everything, from the hydraulic desks that the students and teachers work at (making it possible to both sit and work at the computer) to the large airy classrooms, fitted with sofas and places to relax, makes for a very positive and creative working environment.

Learning from TAW
When I designed the Animation and VFX course at Bucks back in 2012, and, later, the Online MA in 3D Animation which first launched in 2015, lessons learned at TAW were at the front of my mind, as well as what I learned from my experience teaching animation at CalArts in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, and teaching animation at Gnomon in Hollywood in the early 2000s.

There is so much that TAW gets right in terms of the structure of their animation course and the quality of the work produced by their students. 

Here at Bucks we seek to emulate and learn from the best animation schools around the word - TAW included. 

For more on the experience of studying at Bucks New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days,  take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK.