Second Marking with BNU Tutor Sydney Padua

Over the Christmas break I have been marking the MA work done by our Master's Degree students at Bucks and also ensuring that the students' animation has been second marked, in accordance with BNU Academic Regulations.

Second marking at Bucks is an important part of the marking process; it is  how we ensure that our academic standards are being rigorously applied. Was the marking fair? Was it reasonable? Were the correct criteria applied?

Looking at your students' work through the eyes of another lecturer is an important exercise; it is a reminder of how important it is to apply objective criteria. We don't always get it right first time, which is why 2nd marking - also known as moderation - is so important.

DA702 Character Performance Starts 5 Jan 2021

11 Second Club Entry by Victoria Bailey

Starting in the New Year our masters' students tackle DA702, the second animation module on our online masters' degree in 3D animation. Classes start on 5 January 2021.

The module is titled DA702 - Character Performance, and builds up to an entry into the March 11 Second Club competition.  

On March 1st 2021 the club's official line of dialogue will be released, and our students have until March 29 to submit their finished work.

How Feedback Works at Bucks New Uni

How do students get feedback at Bucks New University? Animation students on our online MA in 3D Animation receive a weekly bespoke feedback tutorial on their work, showing how to fix mistakes and how to improve.  In addition, we have an online classroom where students post their work, receive positive feedback, and give creative criticism to others.  Being able to take criticism ("notes" in the industry) is part of the process of creating great animation. When you first show your work to a client, they will have comments, and they won't always love your first efforts. Whether you're working at a studio, or doing private client work, or just working on your own personal work, animators need to learn to incorporate criticism in order to make your work the best it can be.

Meet Victoria Bailey's "Turtley In Love"

Many congratulations to BNU Animation Graduate Victoria Bailey, who has just published her new book: "Turtley In Love", a short animated story for children.

"Turtley In Love" was written and animated by Victoria through her new publishing venture Wonky Pictures.

Join Tommy the Turtle as he battles the elements and journeys through the unknown in his quest to find Celia, his one true turtle love.

How Do You Fix a Floaty Walk Cycle?

How do you fix a floaty walk cycle? Walk cycles tend to be floaty because junior animators often (make that usually) forget to add the "squash" or "down" position in which both feet are bearing the weight of the body. It's an easy mistake to make, especially if you are animating a walk "on the spot", on an imaginary treadmill, where the character's body stays still and the feet travel backwards.  In this ten minute video I show exactly what the problem is, and how to solve it. The solution is simple - but only when you know how to fix it. 

"Flame" Best Director at Prague Festival

"Best Director" - Super Short Film

Many congratulations to BNU animation graduate Amedeo Beretta  whose short film "Flame" has won Best Director - Super Short Film at the Prague Film Festival.

"Flame" has won multiple awards in recent months, including Best Animation at the LISFF, Best Editor at the "We Make Films Festival" in London and a Five-Star Award at the British International Amateur Film Festival.  Flame was executive produced by BNU graduate Amedeo Beretta.

Lee Caller Wins "Special Mention" at ANSFF

"Jelly Cars": Special Mention at ANSFF

Bucks New University is proud to congratulate animation MA Student Lee Caller whose short film Jelly Cars has won a "Special Mention" Award at the Arte Non Stop Film Festival in Argentina. 

This is the second award for Jelly Cars; earlier this year Lee's short won a "Five Stars" Award at the British International Amateur Film Festival. 

"Charlie & Yip" Nominated "Best Trailer" at Bucharest Film Festival

Bucks New Uni tutor Alex Williams' short film "Charlie and Yip" has won an award nomination for Best Trailer at the Bucharest 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 Alex's indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.  Recently it won the "Scream Award" at the Berlin Flash Film Festival, Best Animation at the Flicks Film Festival in London,  Best Trailer at the Changing Face International's Film Festival (CFIFF) in Australia, "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.

Animating Walks for DA701 PR1

"Monty" by Bucks graduate Neil Whitman

Our MA animation students' first assessed animation exercise, the assignment brief for DA701 PR1 (the first practical assignment for the first animation module), is to create a scene based on character walks. 

Character walks are one of the most important parts of the animator's toolkit. Using the online materials at Animation Apprentice, students learn how to take a basic walk cycle and, with just a few tweaks, completely change the character's mood and personality.

The students' first assessed brief is to take these character walks and turn it into an entertaining scene. 

Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition

The Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition is back. 

Hosted by the Cartoon Museum, which has at last re-opened after its long Covid-19-slumber, the annual competition seeks to reward rising cartoon talent. 

Judges include leading cartoonists such as Martin Rowson (The Guardian), Christian Adams (Evening Standard), Banx (FT), Peter Brookes (The Times), Nick Newman (Private Eye), and Matt from the Daily Telegraph. 

If you can think of a more eminent list of cartoonists, I'd like to see it. 

There are two categories: Under 18 and Under 30; the deadline is 23 November 2020, and entries should be mailed in (old school Royal Mail) to the Cartoon Museum.  

Webinar with Emmy-Award-Winning Animator Rich Jeffery on 26 October

Rich Jeffery

We're recommending our students sign up for this free animation webinar on Monday 26 October at 10am with Emmy-award-winning animator Rich Jeffery. 

Rich will be talking about his career in animation, what it has been like working on the Australian TV series "Bluey" , which won an International Emmy at the 8th International Emmy Kids Awards this year. 

Rich was animation director on "Bluey" Series One, and director on the Series Two. Rich will be sharing his insights into the animation industry, how we got where he is today, and what students and graduates need to do to succeed.

Why Animators Should Walk on a Treadmill

Our new MA Animation students are learning the art and craft of human locomotion in their first module, DA701, which teaches basic mechanics, including walks, runs and jumps. The module builds up to a character walk performance, which is due in mid-December.  Animating walk cycles can be tricky; it can be especially troublesome to get the character's feet moving backwards at a steady speed, without bumps or wobbles. This is especially true for animators animating a walk cycle "on the spot", where the body stays in place but the feet move backwards underneath the body. To help solve the problem, it makes a lot of sense to import a treadmill into the shot. The treadmill helps to clarify the mechanics of shot, and allows the animator to visualise what is going on when the feet travel backwards.

"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.