Walt – The Man Behind the Myth

Sometimes it's time to down tools and learn a bit about the history of animation. The pioneering giant upon whose shoulders all animators stand was Walt Disney. To understand why Disney was such a transformative figure in the history of the animation industry, watch "Walt – The Man Behind the Myth" -  a biographical documentary on the man who founded the Walt Disney Studios.  The documentary was narrated by Dick Van Dyke and directed by Jean-Pierre Isbouts.

Online Animation MA Returns in Sept 2022

Sci-Fi scene by Joe Gamble

We are now taking applications for our online MA in Animation - recruiting for September 2022.

Our online MA in animation was launched in 2015 and was the very first of its kind - the first online MA in animation which could be undertaken by students anywhere in the world.  The MA in animation partners with the online animation school www.animationapprentice.org

Key Creative Roles on an Animated Short

 

What are the key creative roles on a short animated film? Or, simply put, what are the jobs that absolutely have to get done in order to finish the project?  Below are the key roles that we believe must be filled in order to achieve a successful outcome.

BAFTA Scholarships Close on 20 May 2022

BAFTA is now taking applications for three UK based post-graduate scholarships in film, TV and Games (and animation, of course) worth up to £12,000 each. The deadline is May 20th 2022.

The BAFTA scholarships are supported by Warner Bros and the Duke of Cambridge, and include a work placement and also free access to BAFTA events. They can also be used to help finance post-graduate study in the creative arts.

How To Create Thumbnail Sketches for Animation

How do you create thumbnail sketches for character animation? Learning how to create thumbnail sketches is a very important skill, even for animators who don't draw well, because thumbnail sketches are an important tool for planning animation.  Even 3D animators who aren't that comfortable with drawing are encouraged to have a go at the thumbnailing process.  Watch the video above to see how we would go about creating some rough thumbnail sketches for this month's "11 Second Club". 

Archie Dennis Special Projects Coordinator DNEG

Archie Dennis

Many congratulations to BNU Graduate Archie Dennis who is now working as a Special Projects Coordinator at DNEG in London.

Archie graduated from BNU with a first class degree in Animation & VFX, and is now working at one of the UK's leading VFX houses.

DNEG are responsible for multiple blockbuster hits and recently won their seventh Academy Award for their VFX on "Dune".

"Journey of Life" Wins Hon Mention at DSFF

"Journey of Life" wins Hon Mention at DSFF

Many congratulations to BNU student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won an Honourable Mention for Best No Budget Film at the Dreamer's Short Film Festival (DSFF).

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation Buckinghamshire New University.  It has won many festival awards. 

How Many Seconds Per Week?

How many seconds?

How much animation does a studio expect an animator to deliver each week? The answer depends on the studio, and what kind of work is being expected. On a high-end feature film such as the kind made by Disney and Pixar, an animator might be expected to complete around five seconds of animation each week - and sometimes even less.

On a TV series where budgets are tight and deadlines loom, an animator might be expected to complete as much as 30 seconds of completed animation each week.

Journey of Life Hon Mention at Florence Fest

"Journey of Life" wins Hon. Mention at Florence Awards

Congratulations to BNU Animation student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Journey of Life" has won an Honourable Mention in the category of Animation at the Florence Film Awards.

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at Buckinghamshire New University.  This is the film's third festival award. 

Paul Hilton External Examiner at BNU

Paul Hilton

We're extending a very warm welcome to Paul Hilton, our new External Examiner for our Online MA in 3D animation.  Paul is a Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) in Animation at The Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), making him well qualified to keep an eye on our animation work here at Bucks.

External examiners ensure that standards are consistent across the animation sector. They check our grades, making sure we're awarding marks appropriately, and that our standards are consistent with other universities and colleges in the UK.

Of course, we also second mark all the grades at MA level at Bucks, but the role of the external examiner is to add a third layer of quality control to make sure everything is done right.

Graduation Day at BNU: 5-9 September 2022

Graduation Day at BNU

Graduation Day is back! After a long Corona hiatus, in-person graduation is returning to High Wycombe, at long last.  Graduation Day for our animation graduates takes place at Bucks from 5-9th September 2022.

On that day, we will be welcoming all our animation graduates to come and celebrate their achievement.

Who's Who in Animation at BNU

Alex and Rusty at BNU

Who's Who on our Online Master of Arts in Animation?

For our new animation students, there is a good deal of information to take on board, including who does what at Bucks.

There are a number of people involved in delivering our MA - the first ever online MA in animation.

Below is a brief guide to help our new cohort of students figure out who's who, who does what, and how to get in touch with the key people whose job it is to help our students get excellent results.

Why Lipsync Should be "Two Frames Ahead"

Cliff Nordberg

Why should your lipsync always be at least two frames ahead of the audio? Because there is a very slight time delay between our mouths making a shape, and the sound being expelled from our lips.

For your audience to be able to read the lip sync clearly you'll want to offset the jaw opening at least two frames before the audio is actually heard. 

If you have the jaw opening and closing exactly on the frame that the audio is heard, your lip sync will feel slightly "off sync", ie a little late. 

Journey of Life Best Director at Halicarnassus

Congratulations to BNU student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won an award for "Best First Time Director" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival.  

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at Bucks.   "Journey of Life"  was completed during the course of Robin's studies at BNU.  This is the film's second festival award. 

BNU Graduate Lee Caller Hon Mention in Tokyo

Jelly Cars Hon. Mention for Best Cinematography at TIMFF

Buckinghamshire New University is proud to congratulate animation graduate Lee Caller whose short film Jelly Cars has won an Honourable Mention for "Best Cinematography" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival. 

This is the latest award for Jelly Cars, a short comedy about a cartoon car trying to find a parking space.  Jelly Cars has won many festival awards.

Robin Herrmann Wins March 11 Second Club

Robin Herrmann wins 11 Second Club

Congratulations to BNU student Robin Herrmann who has won the monthly 11 Second Club for March 2022. 

Robin Herrmann's superb animation was created as part of Module DA702 - the character animation module taught as part of the MA in 3D Animation.

This is the latest success for Robin whose short film "Journey of Life" has been winning festival awards. 

Journey of Life" recently won an award for "Best First Time Director" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival. 

DA703 Starts on Monday 4 April 2022

Gorilla rig and animation by Michael Davies

Module DA703 - Animals and Creatures - starts on Monday 4th April 2022, and is the third module tackled by our students on our Online MA in Animation.

DA703 focuses on animal and creature animation, with an emphasis on the kind of photo-realistic animation in which London VFX houses such as Framestore, MPC and DNeg specialise.  

DA703 PR1 is due on Friday 3rd June at 2pm.

Rookies Deadline 1 June 2022

At Bucks New University we encourage all of our students to enter The Rookies Awards, the international competition for young creatives, which and closes on 1st June 2022.

The Rookies was founded in 2009 to "showcase the most talented student designers, illustrators, film makers, animators, developers, digital artists, and launch them into the career of their dreams."

This year the deadline is 1st June 2022, so there is plenty of time to start crafting a great project.

Arcs and Paths of Action in Animation

Path of Action

Animators always need to keep an eye on the Path of Action in their animation. Paths of Animation, also known as Arcs, are one of the original 12 Principles of Animation identified by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnstone in their classic work "The Illusion of Life".

A moving object should follow a smooth flowing arc, with no sudden abrupt changes of direction.

How We Tackle External Projects at BNU

At BNU we often get asked if our animation students can take on external projects. Our students are very busy with their own work, but on occasion we can tackle "live briefs" for outside clients.

There are however a few things we need in advance, most important of which is a brief (ideally a single page PDF), explaining what the client wants and expects.  Below is a list of things for clients to think about to make sure that the project is a success. 

Journey of Life Wins Best 1st Time Director

Journey of Life Wins Best 1st Time Director at Vesuvius

Congratulations to BNU student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won an award for "Best First Time Director" at the Vesuvius Film Festival.  

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at Bucks.   "Journey of Life"  was completed during the course of Robin's studies at BNU, and is currently being entered into film festivals.