Animation Jobs in the Corona Economy

How do our animation graduates at Bucks find work in the animation industry? It's important not to be too worried by Covid-19.  The virus has certainly changed the jobs landscape, but the good news is that animation continues to flourish. Unlike live action filming, animation can be done remotely, and there is a large and growing demand for fresh animation content.  Here in the UK, many animation studios are still actively looking for talent.  Remote working is booming - consider the case of one of my former students, Dominic Rayner, who took the online course at Animation Apprentice and is working remotely in the UK for a studio in Ireland.

Why Animators Still Need to Draw

Fast sketches to capture a pose

In the old 2D days, life drawing was an essential skill for animators. Today, 3D animation is a blend of creative and technical skills, and life drawing is less important than it used to be.

However, it still helps to be able to draw to a basic level of skill, especially for creating thumbnail sketches which can be used to plan animation.

Nowadays there are many opportunities to learn animation online, at sites such as pixelovely and promo. You can also draw friends and family - models don't need to be nude, and gesture drawing clothed models is just as useful for animation, and in some ways more practical, as most animated characters tend to be wearing clothing.

So, how do animators learn the basics of life drawing?

DA701 Locomotion & Mechanics Starts 28 Sept

Zombie Walk by Amedeo Beretta

DA701 Animation Mechanics is the first module that our new MA animation students (those starting with us in September) will encounter at Bucks.

DA701 is taught primarily in Autodesk Maya, and deals with animation basics, such locomotion and mechanics.

It starts with simple actions such as a bouncing ball, and builds up to more complex physical actions, such as jumps and throws. There are two assignments due: DA701 PR1, and DA701 CW1. DA701 PR1 is due on Friday 11th December at 11pm - don't be late!

"Flame" Wins Best Animation at LISFF

Best Animation LISFF

Many congratulations to BNU animation student Amedeo Beretta, whose short film "Flame", has won Best Animation at the London International Student Film Festival (LISFF).

"Flame" has won multiple awards in recent months, including Best Editor at the "We Make Films Festival" in London and a Five-Star Award at the British International Amateur Film Festival. Flame was directed by Cherelle Owusu, produced by Carolina Xavier, and overseen by Amedeo Beretta.

Module DA704 Starts September 2020

Amedeo Beretta - CG Animation Reel - VFX, Cine, TV from Amedeo Beretta on Vimeo.

Our Master's Degree animation students will soon start their final animation module: DA704. Their final animation assignment, DA704 PR1, is titled "Demo Reel and Final Project" and students are expected to do a piece of character or creature animation, showing the skills they have learned over the last 18 months, and also cut a demo reel that will help them to find work in the animation industry.  The demo reel above is by Bucks New Uni MA animation student Amedeo Beretta.

Webinar with Disney Writer Evgenia Golubeva

Evgenia Golubeva

Join me on 13th August at Noon for an animation webinar titled "From Animation Student to Disney - How Evgenia Golubeva became a writer at Disney TV Animation".

In this free webinar I'll be asking my former student Evgenia Golubeva some questions about her remarkable animation career.

Evgenia is an award-winning animator, writer and director who is currently working as a writer at Walt Disney Animation in London.

Evgenia has forged a career as a writer and independent film-maker, entering her animated films in festivals around the world and winning international prizes for her work. You can sign up for the webinar here.

Charlie and Yip" Wins "Best Animation"

We're proud to announce that Bucks New Uni tutor Alex Williams' short film "Charlie and Yip" has won "Best Animation" at the Film One Fest.

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, with unfortunate consequences.

It's a really a teaser for Alex's indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.

Jinng Hwee Tan Animation Reel

Animation Reel 2020 from Jinng Hwee Tan on Vimeo.

Check out the latest demo reel cut by Bucks New Uni MA animation student Jinng Hwee Tan, now an animator at Industrial Light and Magic in Singapore. Jing Hwee Tan's new reel contains some excellent work on many feature films, including Transformers: Age of Extinction, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hitman: Agent 47, Warcraft, The Great Wall, Skull Island, and Ready Player One. Many congratulations to Jinng Hwee Tan on his continued career success.

Academic Deadlines MA Animation 2020-22

2020-2022 deadlines

Below is a list of deadlines for the online MA in 3D animation. This list is for our 2020 cohort of students, that is to say all our student animators who are joining us in September 2020, and will graduate "Master of Arts" in the summer of 2022.

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.

However, 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!

"Meet the Scottish Studios" with Animated Women on July 23

The Scottish animation industry is hiring - so it's time find out about job opportunities north of the border.

Animated Women UK are hosting a free online event for recent graduates titled "Meet the Studios", featuring representatives of some of Scotland's most successful animation studios, including Axis, SellOut and Wild Child.  The event takes place online on Thursday July 23rd from 3-5pm.

Who's Who on the Online MA in Animation 2020

Alex Williams at Bucks New University

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

For our new animation students starting with us in September, 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 online MA in animation in the world.

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.

Online MA in 3D Animation - Latest FAQs

"Flame" by Amedeo Beretta

We often get asked questions about the online MA in 3D Animation from prospective students, seeking to know more about what is actually involved in this unique degree.

This isn't surprising; it's a big committment of time, money and energy to embark on an MA. Below is a list of some of the most common questions, with answers.

How to Choose Your Dissertation Subject

How do students pick the right subject for their dissertation? It's not an easy question to answer. Our online MA students, studying for their masters' degree in 3D animation, engage with both the practical and theoretical sides of the art of animation.

Part of this involves writing a dissertation, but it isn't always easy to select a suitable subject.  Fortunately, course leader and academic lead Fil Ieropolous is here to help. Below are our top tips for choosing a dissertation subject.

How to Get Ready for September

What kind of preparation should animation students do before starting with us at Bucks in September?

It's always good to do a little preparation and get a bit of a head start.

Below is a brief list of stuff to get you under way. You don't have to do all of it, but tick off a few of the things on this list and you will be a making a great start on your animation career.

Below is a short reading list to get you started. We've narrowed it down to just one key books that we recommend for all our students.

We also recommend a number of free online resources to begin your journey into digital animation.

"Flame" Wins "Best Editor" at WMF Fest

"Flame" wins Best Editor

Many congratulations to Bucks New University student Amedeo Beretta whose short film "Flame" has won an award at the recent "We Make Films Festival" in London.

"Flame" won Best Editor, a welcome addition to both films' trophy cabinet, which already includes a number of festival prizes.

What Does an Animation Editor Do, Exactly?

Movieola

The editor is one of the most important and creative roles on any production. On an animated film the editor is no less important than in live action - he or she is involved in every process of planning and production, from the earliest stages, including cutting and editing the storyboard animatic.

Making an animated film is a collaborative effort and is almost always completed with a team of people; the editor is one of the key creative roles on any production.

We encourage all our students at Bucks to try their hand at film editing, it's an important job and one of the most interesting seats to occupy on any production.

"Flame" in Multiple Film Festivals

Still image from "Flame"

"Flame", the short film made by Bucks New University MA student Amedeo Beretta, has been winning awards in film festivals, and continues to enjoy festival success, despite the Corona Lockdown.

Flame is a short film produced by BNU student Amedeo Beretta, currently studying for our online MA in 3D Animation.

Flame was an award winner at the British International Amateur Film Festival, and was awarded a "Special Mention" at the London Student Short Film Festival. Despite the challenges caused by the lockdown, we're delighted that our students' films continue to enjoy growing festival success.

 

Animation Industry Booms Under Lockdown

"Trolls on Tour" earned $100m on streaming devices

According to a recent piece in The Guardian, the animation industry is thriving despite the Corona Lockdown.

Unlike live action shoots, which have been shut down due to Covid-19, the animation industry is expanding, as programmers scramble to replace live-action content with animation.

Agricultural Report By Bucks Tutor Sydney Padua

Agricultural Report By Bucks Tutor Sydney Padua.

The Corona virus isn't the first health scare in our lifetimes; don't forget the dreaded mad cow disease from which we were all going to die in the 90s. As a reminder of that now mostly forgotten panic, watch the short animated film "Agricultural Report" by Bucks New University's very own animation tutor Sydney Padua. Sydney is an accomplished animator, film-maker and graphic novelist, with an impressive career across many media.  Agricultural Report is a charming film, well animated and very funny. 

VFX Festival Online Starts Tomorrow

The VFX Festival is back. Hosted by Escape Studios, the VFX festival is a celebration of visual effects, animation, games and motion graphics.

For the last seven years the festival has been hosted in London, most recently at the South Bank Centre, but now, for the first time, the VFX festival is going virtual, with online talks and panel discussions.

This week there are two free events, part of the Virtual Series for Schools and Colleges. First up is We Have Lift-Off!: Your first steps to a career in VFX, Animation and Games, which takes place on Tuesday, 19th May at 2pm.  To sign up for the event, follow this link.

Webinar with Robert Valley Today

Artwork by Robert Valley

Today at 4pm Oscar-nominated Director, Animator and Character Designer Robert Valley will be making a webinar appearance to talk about his work. 

Robert Valley is an animator with a remarkable career that includes hits such as Aeon Flux,Tron: Uprising, Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots and ‘Zima Blue’.