"Charlie & Yip" Best Trailer at CFIFF

"Charlie & Yip" - winner at CFIFF

Bucks New Uni animation tutor Alex Williams' short film "Charlie and Yip" has won an award for

Best Trailer at the Changing Face International's Film Festival (CFIFF) in Australia. 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

The short is really a teaser/trailer for Alex's indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.  Recently the short won "Best Trailer" at the Lisbon Monthly Film Festival, Best Trailer at the Halicarnassus Film Festival, and Best Film at the Film One Film Fest in July.

Paul Amiras Lead Layout Artist at Brown Bag

Paul Amiras

Many congratulations to Bucks animation graduate Paul Amiras on his new position as a lead layout artist at Brown Bag Animation.  Brown Bag is one of the UK's leading animation studios, responsible for numerous well-loved TV series projects. 

Prior to working at Brown Bag, Paul worked as a Layout Artist TD at Double Negative, one of the Soho's leading animation and visual effects companies, and now a global brand, with offices in Vancouver, Mumbai, Los Angeles, Chennai, Montréal, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Goa.

3D Layout is one of the first interesting and challenging parts of the production process, working closely with the director to establish the cinematic look and feel of the project.

"Charlie and Yip" Best Trailer at Lisbon Film Fest

"Charlie & Yip" wins Best Super Short at the Lisbon Film Fest

I am pleased to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won "Best Trailer" at the Lisbon Monthly Film Festival.

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

The short is really a teaser/trailer for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.  Recently the short won Best Trailer at the Halicarnassus Film Festival, and Best Film at the Film One Film Fest in July.

Can You Do Our Online MA and Work Full-Time?

One of the most common questions I get asked about our Online MA in 3D Animation is this: Can I take the MA and also hold down a full-time job? The short answer is yes, though the MA is a rigorous degree and it does involve a fair amount of work. That said, the whole point of doing a part-time degree online is that it fits around life, work and families; when we set up the Online MA at Bucks five years ago in 2015, it was designed to be as flexible as possible. Watch the short video above to find out more.

How to Find an Internship in Animation

How do animation students find summer internships and placements in the industry? Jobs in the entertainment industry have always been highly competitive, and even unpaid internships can be hard to find, So how do you track them down? There are many ways - official jobs postings, word of mouth, rumours in the pub, personal contacts, even cold-calling - all of these can be effective ways to find a summer placement in the business. Below are the seven key rules we think are vital for success.

Welcome to Bucks!

It's time for our new students at Bucks to start learning the art and craft of animation. Below are some Joining Instructions for our students starting with us on the Online MA in 3D Animation.  There is a fair bit to do to get started, but once you're underway you should find the course a well-oiled machine. If you have problems, email me at alex@animationapprentice.org and I'll get back to you right away.

Why Time Zones Don't Matter for Our Online MA

One question we often get asked at Bucks is this: "I'm in a different time zone to the UK, can I still do the Online MA in 3D Animation?" The answer is yes.  For the past five years we have taught students all over the world - on every continent except Antarctica. The MA course relies mainly on pre-recorded videos and learning materials, and therefore avoids the need for hard-to-schedule live delivery.  Wherever you live in the world, you can take our MA - as long as you have a decent laptop and a good broadband connection.

Last Call to Apply: Online MA in Animation

Transformer animation by BNU Masters' student Amedeo Beretta

Last call for applications for our online MA in animation; we still have a couple of spots open for September 2020.

This online MA is a unique degree which can be undertaken by students anywhere in the world, leading to a formal qualification in the field.

Students learn how to animate to a professional industry standard using Autodesk Maya, the industry-standard software, and also learn to engage with the underpinning theory and structure behind the art form.

Do You Need a BA to Apply for an MA?

One question I get asked a lot at Bucks is this: "Do I need a BA in order to apply for the MA in animation?". The answer is yes, but also no. Ideally, candidates for our Online MA in 3D Animation will already have a BA in an arts-related subject. However, those without a BA can still go through what is called the APEL process.  APEL stands for "Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning", and is the formal recognition of prior learning by UK universities. APEL is the means by which students who do not have an undergraduate degree can gain entry onto a masters' level course, such as our master's programme in 3D animation.

Joining Instructions - Online MA in 3D Animation

It's time for our new students at Bucks to get started on their animation journey. Below are some Joining Instructions for our students starting with us on the Online MA in 3D Animation.

There is a fair bit to do to get started, but once you're underway you should find the course a fairly well-oiled machine.  If in doubt, send me an email at alex@animationapprentice.org and I'll get back to you right away.  To find out more about how the course works, see this blog post. And also read this welcome page.

Welcome to Our New MA Animation Students!

Welcome!

A very warm welcome all our new post-graduate students who will soon starting their journey with us on our online MA in animation, launched in 2015 in partnership with the online animation school Animation Apprentice.

Teaching on the online MA in 3D Animation starts on Monday 28 September 2020 and lasts for 18 months, with the final assignment being due in May 2022, and degrees awarded in the summer of 2022.

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.