Welcome to the MA 3D Animation Sept 2024

Animation by BNU graduate Mark Masters

To all our new MA Animation students at Bucks - welcome! Formal teaching starts on Monday 23 September 2024.  

Below is some useful information for our new students starting with us on the Online MA in 3D Animation. 

Our MA students' first animation module is COM7021 - Locomotion, tackling walks and runs. 

Academic Deadlines MA Animation 2024-26

2021-2023 deadlines

Below is a list of deadlines for our online MA in 3D Animation for Professionals. This is for our new cohort of student animators, those who are joining us in September 2024, and will graduate "Master of Arts" in the summer of 2026.

Note that this list of deadlines is a draft list only, and is subject to change. Students should always check the appropriate Module Guide and Assignment Brief to be certain of the correct submission date. And, of course, check with your tutor.

This list gives our MA students a broad idea of what to expect over the coming 18 months.  But always double-check these dates - if in doubt, email your tutor.

COM7025 (Professional Prep) Starts 7 Oct 2024

Animation by BNU graduate Robin Herrmann

Module COM7025 (Professional Prep) Starts 7 Oct 2024.  In this module, which aims to get students ready for the animation industry, students put together a professional-level animation demo reel, and also write a report on the animation industry.   

The theoretical Assignment (Animation Industry Report) is due on Friday 13th December 2024, before 2pm.  Demo Reel & Portfolio is due on Friday 10th January 2025, before 2pm. 

Which Country Has The Most Animation Studios?

UK Animation is thriving

Which Country has the most animation studios? The answer, of course, is the USA, with over 6,000 animation studios, of which around 1,100 have employees (ie not just a sole freelancer working alone).  

But who is number two? You might be surprised to learn that the number two spot is taken - not by India, Japan or China - but by...

Academic Deadlines MA Animation 2023-25

2023-26 Deadlines

Below is a list of deadlines for our online MA in 3D Animation for Professionals. This is for our cohort of student animators who joined us in September 2023, and will graduate "Master of Arts" in the summer of 2025.

The next deadline for our 2023-25 students is COM7024 PR1 "Animals & Creatures", due on Friday 13th September 2024 at 2pm.

The following deadline is Friday 13th December 2024, when students write a written report on the state of the animation industry, COM7025 CW1. 

Last Call for Online MA in Animation Sept 2024

Animation by BNU graduate Neil Whitman

Last chance to book your place on our MA in 3D Animation for Professionals.

The online MA in animation at BNU 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.  

Our MA 3D Animation for Professionals continues to partner with the online animation school www.animationapprentice.org, ensuring that all our MA Students graduate with industry-level skills.  Teaching starts on Monday 30 September 2024.

COM7021 Locomotion Starts 30 Sept 2024

COM7021 - Animation Locomotion - is the first module that our new animation students will encounter at BNU on the MA 3D Animation for Professionals.

COM7021 starts on Monday 30 September 2024, and is taught primarily in Autodesk Maya. The module deals with animation basics, such as walks, runs and jumps.

It starts with simple actions such as a bouncing ball, and builds up to more complex physical actions. There is one assignment due: COM7021 PR1. COM7021 PR1 is due on Friday 13th December 2024 at 2pm. 

COM7024 Animals & Creatures Starts 17 June 24

For our MA students studying for their Online MA in Animation, Module COM704 (Animals and Creatures) started on 17 June 2024. This is the fourth module tackled by our students on our Online MA in Animation.

COM7024 focuses on animal and creature animation, with an emphasis on the kind of photo-realistic animation in which London VFX houses specialise.  COM7024 PR1 is due on Friday 13th September 2024 at 2pm.

"Young Comics Maestro" Competition

"Young Comics Maestro" Competition

The Alison Brown "Young Comics Maestro" Competition closes in 11 days, on 30 June.  London's Cartoon Museum is looking for the next big "18 or Under" comic artist.

Send in your best comic strip to the Cartoon Museum, three pages max, to enter the competition and get your work in front of judges from The Beano, The Phoenix, and The Cartoon Museum. The deadline is Sunday 30 June at 6pm. 

Young Animator of the Year Competition Opens

Young Animator of the Year 2024

The Young Animator of the Year UK ("Yay!") 2024 Competition is now open for entries. Entries are welcomed from UK-based animators between the ages of 11 and 18 years.  All they have to do is submit their film to http://younganimator.uk by September 16th 2024.

Animation Jobs in Games: Webinar Today at 1pm

Into Games is hosting a free live-streamed talk today Wednesday 22nd May at 1pm UK time for animators seeking a career as an animator in the Games Industry. 

The title of the talk is "Animation: Communicating the fundamentals. How to Prove You've Got The Experience".

Today's talk is for animators who are either "pre-games or very early in their games industry career". 

The talk will be delivered by Hannah Kravets a Gameplay Animator currently working with Climax Studios. 

Free Underwater Animation Tutorial

In this super simple tutorial we show how to animate a submarine traveling underwater.  This is a very basic tutorial aimed at beginners in Maya. 

The idea is to do some simple animation of an underwater scene, then add a caustic effect to reproduce the effect of light penetrating water. 

The lighting effect can be achieved with just a few clicks.

RTS Scholarships Now Open

Royal Television Society (RTS) Bursary Scheme

The Royal Television Society (RTS) Bursary Scheme is now open, offering bursaries (scholarships) to students  pursuing careers in television, film or related media.

The application deadline is Monday 24th June 2024. As always, we encourage our students to apply for this - and (of course) for other scholarships and bursaries. 

COM7023 Character Acting Starts 8 April 2024

Dialogue Shot by Mark Masters

COM7023, the third animation module on our online masters' degree in 3D animation, starts on 8 April 2024.

The module is titled COM7023 - Character Performance, and builds up to an entry into the Eleven Second Club competition.  

In this module students learn how to tackle character performance, dialogue and lipsync.  COM7023 PR1 is due on Friday 14th June at 2pm.

Animation Mechanics Demo Reel

For our Animation Masters Students at BNU, taught in partnership with Animation Apprentice, the next module - COM7022 - Animation Mechanics - started on 8 January 2024.  In Animation Mechanics, BNU students create one or more physical actions and combine them into a single shot to create a performance.  Exclusively for our students, we have hundreds of video tutorials to support the study of the art and craft of animation.  Above is a compilation of some of the best animation mechanics work done by our post-graduate animators at BNU. 

Infinity Curves with Offset in Maya

In this very short tutorial (just two minutes long) we show how to use "Infinity Curves with Offset" in Maya.  Let's say you animate a character taking two steps across the screen, and you want to replicate the action. By using Infinity Curves with Offset, you can replicate the motion automatically, and have the character take as many steps as you like.  Once you're done, you can bake your curves, and then edit the shot.  

How to Animate a Neon Sign in Maya

In this free tutorial we show how to animate a neon sign in Maya. The idea is to create a personal logo for your demo reel, something that has a little more style and invention than a simple title card.  Start by creating a logo for your animation reel, then import the logo into Maya, and use the technique described above to turn your logo into neon letters. From there, you can easily animate the letters, render some images, and create a movie file for your demo reel. 

Animate a "Sneaky Walk" With "Monty"

Sneaky Monty

In the video tutorial below we show how to animate a sneaky walk with "Monty" the green pea.

To complete the tutorial, first start with a Basic Walk with "Monty" - which you can learn how to do here.

Then, as with our other character walks tutorials, adapt the basic walk to give it character and personality - in this case a "sneak". 

Online MA in 3D Animation Open For Applications

Our MA in 3D Animation for Professionals is now accepting applications though UCAS.

The online MA in animation at BNU 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.  

Our MA 3D Animation for Professionals continues to partner with the online animation school www.animationapprentice.org, ensuring that all our MA Students graduate with industry-level skills. 

BBC Ignite Welcomes Animation Pitches

BBC "Ignite" deadline is 8 February 2024 at 2pm

BBC Children’s Animation are seeking submissions for fresh, bold and innovative animation ideas. The scheme is called "Ignite" and the deadline is 8 February 2024 at 2pm. 

For all our students at BNU who have been working on short films - this is a perfect opportunity to pitch your materials to the UK's biggest broadcaster.

2024 Animation Demo Reel

We're proud to present the latest edit of the best work done by animation masters' degree students at Buckinghamshire New University.  The work showed was completed on our MA in 3D Animation for Professionals, delivered in partnership with the online school Animation Apprentice. Many congratulations to all our students on their excellent work, including Joshua Reynolds, Marc Stevenson, Mark Masters, Michael Monks and Sean Rubin.