The Best UK Animation or VFX Courses

May 31, 2018

The animation and VFX scene is growing everyday with almost all feature films now containing some clever CGI. Even the movies with no monsters or other worlds have cleverly swapped out landscapes and beautiful scenery usually changed or added after filming that you would never notice was not real. The United Kingdom has a booming scene with studios such as MPC , Framestore, Dneg, Passion Pictures and many more, even Industrial Light & Magic have set up shop in London while working on Star Wars. With artists from around the globe coming to the UK to work in an historic city, full of different cultures, London is an attractive experience for any budding artist. With that in mind it’s no wonder international students also love to study here amongst the best, and here in England we have some of the best full time degree courses to study animation and VFX. One renowned training school Escape Studios even offers online training. To help with the huge task of choosing not only the right course, but city to start your journey we have created a list of the top Universities and colleges in the UK to launch your career in animation or VFX. We interviewed the best to ask interesting facts like what their students went on to create and a showreel, and put them all together on one page to get you going.

Escape Studios

Escape Studios are a specialist VFX training facility in London. They are an industry standard in the world of VFX’s I attended myself many years ago, but since then they were acquired by Pearson College London and offer undergraduate, postgraduate degrees, and short-courses. What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with? Students from Escape go onto work at all the large post houses:

ILM
Bluebolt
Unit
Framestore
Climax
Pixar
The Mill
Double Negative
MPC
Cinestite

Read about success stories here. Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films? It can safely be said that any block buster you see at the cinema has had an “Escapee” work on it, spanning back years to today’s feature films and Many TV shows, Commercials. Recent features are:

Paddington
Thor Ragnarok
Fantastic Beasts
Coco

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating? We have over 100 alumni that have worked on films that were nominated for at least one BAFTA, Oscar, VES, or Golden Globe award in 2018. We had many alumni working on the following winners:

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Drama, BAFTA Best film, BAFTA
Outstanding British Film
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 – VES awards
Star Wars the Last Jedi – VES awards, BAFTA Special Visual Effects
Paddington 2 – BAFTA Outstanding British Film

How would you describe your courses? We’ve been developing VFX talent since 2002 and we’ve helped thousands of students break into the industry. Do you dream of working in the Visual Effects (VFX) industry on the latest commercial or next blockbuster? Our course is perfect for those looking to gain knowledge of 3D VFX and Compositing, the degree will provide you with the professional skills that the industry is looking for or even to start your own studio. Learn to be a creative artist from day one – working in industry-style studio’s using the latest tools and techniques and working as part of a team on high quality creative projects. You’ll have intensive, hands-on tutorials with industry-trained tutors, who alongside practising professionals will provide regular feedback on your work. You’ll graduate studio ready with a professional portfolio of work to show employers and a degree validated by the University of Kent – known as the UK’s European University, it is ranked 23rd in The Guardian University Guide 2017.

Bournemouth University

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Our graduates work all over the world, and many are employed by the industry’s leading animation and production houses, software houses, computer game, and digital media companies.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Our NCCA graduates have gone on to work on some of the most successful films of the past decade, including Avatar, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Interstellar, Gravity and Alice in Wonderland

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

BAFTA’s
Oscars

How would you describe your courses?

Our computer animation courses are exceptionally well regarded within the industry and as a result, our graduates rarely struggle to find work once they finish their course. In fact, 70% of our students are working or studying within six months of finishing their course. During your degree you will have the opportunity to work with some of the UK’s leading computer animation organisations, through the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), and can make valuable contacts before you graduate. Student Testimonial

It’s almost impossible to go to any large computer animation company and not find a Bournemouth 3D graduate. Currently there are six working at Animal logic, but I’ve worked some shorter stints at 3D companies where the graduate number has been close to 100.

Miles Green, BA (Hons) Computer Visualisation & Animation graduate and FX Supervisor at Animal Logic

UCA Farnham

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Studio AKA (Hey Duggie!) – Grant Orchard and Emma Wakeley
Cloth Cat Cardiff – Head of Animation, Adam Bailey
Aardman – Commercial Director, Rebecca Manley
The Line – Storyboard Artist, Francesca AdamsAnimade, Slurpy Studios, Moth Collective
FrameStore (Fantastic Beasts 2) – Rob Shears

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Wes Anderson’s new feature film (Isle of Dogs) – Shelley Nichols
Scott Dawkins – Star Wars Rogue One and Avengers: Infinity War
Anthony Faulkner – Avengers: Infinity War and Pacific Rim: Uprising
Rob Shears – Fantastic Beasts 2

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating? Three of our students were commissioned by Random Acts to make 2 short films whilst they were still undergraduates – the films then toured the country as part of the ICA’s Playback festival and the directors of those films Elmaz Ekrem, Dominika Ozynska and Gabbriella Ditton recently featured in an article by It’s Nice That about the best new female talent in British Animation. How would you describe your courses? BA (Hons) Animation: With a focus on art and design, this course will allow you to bring characters and worlds to life and explore your imagination through 3D animation. BA (Hons) Computer Animation Arts: With an emphasis on production design, you’ll graduate from Computer Animation Arts as a skilled artist in both 2D and 3D production. BA (Hons) Games Art: You’ll develop a deep grounding in 2D and 3D development through to production, current tools and technologies, games design disciplines, critical thinking practice and the widening context of gameplay. You’ll also learn observational drawing and explore art styles, whilst concepting interactive and digital environments. BA (Hons) Games Design: Our Games Design course will give you the opportunity to explore the growing indie games industry and how you can apply your creativity to develop a career in the field. Using top-of-the-range software, you’ll be able to focus on your own individual approach to game design as you develop a broad range of skills and techniques that will enable you to launch into a career after you graduate. BSc (Hons) Games Technology: You can be at the forefront of new gaming technology through this course, founded on the principle of User-Centred Design (UCD). You’ll learn how to consider users throughout each stage of the game design and development process. Extended Diploma in Games and Animation: On this course, you’ll develop skills and knowledge in a variety of areas including drawing development, 2D animation, digital and motion graphics, 3D modelling, the games and animation industry and sound for game and animation. Throughout the course, you’ll have the time to experiment with the different techniques and decide which area within the industry you’d like to specialise in when you come to choose your undergraduate degree. MA Animation: This course has a long history of nurturing creative, innovative and challenging alumni. You’ll be supported in developing practical skills while fostering a high standard of diverse critical approaches.

UCA Rochester

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

FrameStore (Fantastic Beasts 2) – Rob Shears
TT Games (Lego) – Lewis Blythe
Supermassive Games (Until Dawn and Rush of Blood) – Charlie Scott
Two Point Studios – Prem Fatek
Splash Damage – Oskar Woinski
SEGA PlaySport
Playground Games – Razvan Pajanu
Lost Forest – James McAndrew

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Scott Dawkins – Star Wars Rogue One and Avengers: Infinity War
Anthony Faulkner – Avengers: Infinity War and Pacific Rim: Uprising
Rob Shears – Fantastic Beasts 2

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating? Guns Goats & Glory has bane shortlisted for the new TRANZFUSER Surrey dev hub (set up by the UK Games Fund) for the national competition, which will run for 3 months in June, July, August 2018. Their game will be showcased at the national games conference EGX at the Birmingham NEC.

University of Falmouth

What animation courses do you offer?

B A Hons – Animation and Visual Effects

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

3D Animator: Aardman Animation and Double Negative
2D Animator: DHX Media
Character Designer: Spider Eye and Hello Games
VFX co-ordinator: Ubisoft, Framestore and Cinesite
3D Modeller: TT Fusion
Production Assistants: MPC Vancouver, Illion studios, Arthur Cox and Spider Eye

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films? Productions featuring Falmouth graduates include Dalmation Street (Disney/Passion Pictures), Captain America: Civil War, Spectre, Star Trek Beyond, Assassin’s Creed, F1 2016, The Jungle Book and The Legend of Tarzan. Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating? Graduate Erin Morris was awarded the Best Short Film Award at the Miami Jewish Film Festival for her short animation Strings. Graduates Mads Ogaard and Katie Wyman won the Undergraduate Craft Skills – Production Design award for their film, I Am Dyslexic, at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Student Television Awards 2017. How would you describe your courses? Students learn and develop animation skills using industry-standard software, working creatively across a range of subjects, from traditional art practices to the complex work of visual effects. Supported by academic and industry experts from all forms of animation and visual effects, you’ll experience a professional studio environment. Discover all forms of animation, trying your hand at 2D and 3D computer, stop motion and experimental work. You’ll work in groups on projects that range from short assignments and live briefs through to films for festivals and competitions. You can also work on our in-house micro-budget feature film programme. You can also find out more about what the students and graduates get up to on their blog. Student Testimonial

I came to Falmouth as a mature student. Three years later I had my first television credit, an agent, determination to succeed and the direction to get me there. Falmouth gave me that, no question.

Pete Jordi Wood, BA(Hons) Digital Animation graduate who’s worked with BBC2, Channel 4 and E4

University of Middlesex

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Natalia Biegaj (Charles Howarth – Art Director and Animator, The School of Life – Freelance Animator and Art Director, NB Animation – CEO)
Kuba Ba Lu (Treatment Visual Productions Ltd – Junior Animator, Sherbet – Flash Animator)
Luke Curtis (Brewery – 3D Visual Effects and Animation, Treat Studios – Animator)
Lana Simanenkova (Animade – Senior Creative)
Rebecca Balint (King Rollo Films – 2D Animator, Kavaleer Productions – Animator, Cloth Cat Animation – Animator)
Harriet Titlow (Sherbet – Assistant animator, Cartoon Network – Design Assistant)
Alex Crowley (Sweet Take Studio – Motion Graphics Animator, Aardman Animations)
Eleonora Quario (Lupus Films – Assistant animator, Passion Pictures – Assistant animator, Blinkink – Assistant Animator, Studio Aka – Assistant Animator, IOD productions – 2D Assistant Animator on ‘Isle of dogs’)
Greg Haworth (Hibbert Ralph Animation Ltd – Storyboard Artist, RM2 – Animator/ Creative Editor)
Antonia Diakomopoulou (Brilliant PR – Creative and Motion Designer, Vivliokid – Project Manager, Animator and Illustrator)
Adara Todd (Ladybird Films Ltd – Production Assistant, Tiger Aspect – Animation and Kids Department Assistant)

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Rebecca Balint: 2D Animator on ‘Poppy Cat’ children’s television series
Izabela Barszcz: Sherbet – Animator on ‘The Banana Massacre’; Freelance animator on music videos including ‘Hiatus – Night Jar’
Harriet Titlow: Assistant Animator on ‘The Hunger Strikes’; Design Assistant working on ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ children’s television series
Alex Crowley: Aardman Animations – Assistant Animator on feature film ‘Early Man’
Tom Jarrett: Worked on music videos for ‘Showtek & Moby – Natural Blues’ and ‘Age of L.U.N.A – Sweetness’
Eleonora Quario: Assistant animator on titles including ‘Ethel & Earnest’ and ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’; Assistant animator on ‘Gorillaz – Saturnz Barz’; Assistant Animator on ‘Elton John – Rocket man’; 2D Assistant Animator on ‘Isle of dogs’

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Adara Todd’s graduation film ‘Twiddly Things’ was awarded the prestigious Best of the Fest award at TriForce short film festival.
Graduates Mads Ogaard and Katie Wyman won the Undergraduate Craft Skills – Production Design award for their film, I Am Dyslexic, at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Student Television Awards 2017.
Antonio Busto’s graduation film ‘The Day I Killed My Best Friend’ short listed for international animation festivals.
Lana Simanenkova’s graduation film ‘Heads and Tails’ shortlisted in animation festivals internationally.
Giulia Riva’s 2nd year film ‘Do you Remember’ – Short listed in international animation festivals.

How would you describe your courses? You will hone your skills through demonstrations and practical work in our studios and workshops, as well as lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, visits and your own personal research. You will also have the opportunity to attend presentations by professional animators and interview them to learn more about their work. You will give presentations, take part in class discussions and work on group projects, essays and practical assignments. We take pride in our approach to teaching on our BA Animation degree. In a 2016-17 external examination, we were praised for the use of clear language in our briefs, assessment criteria and learning outcomes, and for the way we support our students’ learning. Student Testimonial

Being part of the course helped me to realise my potential and gave me some great work experience opportunities. I worked on the visuals for The Who’s US Tour 2011 and also went to Milan for the Design week in May 2012 to work on the live visuals for Bombay Sapphire Gin. After graduating, Kuba joined Treatment Studios, a collaborative association of designers, directors and content producers who create visuals for live music tours, concerts, events, award ceremonies, large-scale theatre productions and operas.

University of Hertfordshire

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with? 2D, 3D and VFX: employed in over 300 companies worldwide; Industrial Light and Magic, Laika, Disney Production, Cinesite, Double Negative, Framestore, The Mill, Moving Picture Company, Third Floor Inc, Animated Storyboards, Blue Zoo, Glassworks, Jellyfish Pictures, Illumination Mac Guff, Lucasfilm, BBC, Method Studios, Nexus Productions, CNBC, Pixomondo, Prime Focus, Realtime UK, Rewind, Saddington & Baynes, Sherbert, Smoke and Mirrors, Studio AKA and many more… Games Art: graduates employed in over 200 companies worldwide including: Epic Games (US), Square Enix, Electronic Arts, Activision, Frontier, Sony (London and Cambridge), Blitz Games, Creative Assembly, Space Ape Games, Rare-Microsoft Games ,Splash Damage, Eutechnyx Ltd, FreestyleGames, Jagex, Kuju, Nintendo, Outso, Real Time Worlds, Rebellion Games, Traveller’s Tales, Ubisoft (Singapore), Zoe Mode, Rockstar and many more… Visualisation: Bentley Motors, McLaren F1, Taylor James, Foster and Partners, Uber, Burrows CGI, River Film Communication, Random 42. Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films? Grads have been working on all the recent set of Star Wars films, Ready Player One, Fantastic Beasts, the sequel to that film. The Lion king, Pacific Rim 2, Netflix’s Altered Carbon, the TV show Thunderbirds, the film Annihilation, Disney commercials for products and toys. The list is pretty long but those are some of the highlights. Students have worked on films such as Gravity, Inception, Avatar, Box Trolls, Dark Knight, Hellboy, Thor 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harry Potter films, Prometheus, Narnia films, John Carter, Total Recall, Hunger Games, Godzilla etc Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating? In terms of awards our students have won Oscars at framestore, mpc, and double negative for Blade Runner, Gravity, and the Jungle Book.

4th Place Best Game Design & Development School 2017
5th Place Best Feature Animation School 2017
10th Place Best Digital Illustration School 2017
Animation – Film of the Year – Runner Up 2017 (Lunette)
Console & PC – Game of the Year – Runner Up 2017 (Fringe)
Internships -Visual Effects – Double Negative Winner 2017 (Brad Healy)
2 students were Animation Finalists (Phoebe Warries and Jake Goode)
2 students were Next Gen Gaming Finalists (Callum Tweedie Walker and Jordan Moss)
Best Next Gen Gaming School 2016
Fourth Place Animation VFX School 2016
Fourth Place Motion Graphics School 2016
Fourth Place Illustration School 2016

Shortlisted over 140 times in international animation competitions, including Royal Television Society Awards, Virgin Media Shorts, Animex, Shanghai World Expo, Animamundi, KLIK!, British Animation Awards, BFI Future Film Festival, Anifest, Aniwow, Melbourne International Animation Festival, London International Animation Festival, Tricky Women, Brisbane International Animation Festival, Bradford Animation Festival, Anima Brusssels. How would you describe your courses? All four degrees share a common first year where everyone gets a taster of each pathway. From the second year onwards each degree strand starts to specialize into their chosen pathway. Then in the final third year they can collaborate with whoever they want to make their final film. There is a change for a sandwich year if they want as well. To sum us up, while lots of training companies train you on software to create the art. Our thinking is to reverse that around. We teach them how to be creative as the first priority and how to achieve their visions. Lots more information here. If you want to see what our current second year VFX are up to here is a link.

Southampton Solent University

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Pretty much everywhere. Graduates have ended up in all the main houses in Soho working on VFX, some have gone to Aardman, some worked with Sylvain Chomet, a couple ended up at Weta in New Zealand.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Basically everything you see in the cinema, you can be sure some of our grads have worked on it, but Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Various RTS awards, and screening a competition success round the world. Several films screened at Annecy etc.

How would you describe your courses?

BA Animation classically trains animators for the boutique industry, and or graduation as film making auteurs. BA Digital Animation is more targeted at producing people who want to work in the Big vfx houses on block buster projects. Both courses classically train them with sculpting, painting, and drawn animation on paper. Student Testimonial

I am ever-grateful for the tuition and support received on the Southampton Solent animation degree. The course structure gave an insight into what is required as a professional and also focused on the fundamental principles needed to be an animator. Without this vital training I would have struggled to forward my career and pursue my ambition.

—Ryan Herbert, Graduate

UWE Bristol

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Blue Zoo, Framestore, Aardman, BDH, Lupus, Cartoon Network, Brown Bag, Richard Purdum, Astley Baker Davies, Cloth Cat, A Productions, Hello Charlie.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Shaun the sheep, Pirates, Early Man (Aardman), Frankenweenie, Life of Pi, Isle of Dogs, Chuck Steel Night of the Trampires,

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Many regional RTS student animation awards over the last 10 years. Special awards for craft and audio.
Representation at international animation festivals.

How would you describe your courses?

This practice-based production course not only develops your creative flair but also provides you with highly sought-after technical skills. Learn through making using industry standard equipment. Practical work is balanced by theoretical study, work experience and research activities, all deigned to prepare you for work within a commercial environment. Live briefs, work based placements and networking events assist the transition from education into professional practice. Join a long-established, highly creative animation community in which students are known and valued for their individual creative flair. You’ll be taught by a team with extensive commercial animation experience, with regular contributions from commercial practitioners. This, coupled with our strong links with the UK’s major animation companies, will ensure you benefit from professional expertise throughout the programme.

Kingston University London

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Double Negative
MPC
Framestore
Prime Focus
BBC
Many smaller tv and video production companies

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Avatar, Gravity, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, Mowgli, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, John Carter, Dunkirk, Star Trek…lots more mostly in compositing.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Whilst at university – final year project and best academic achievement awards.

How would you describe your courses?

Due to restructuring we have merged several courses into new one, called Digital Media Technology starting Sept 2018 and so are able to offer more option modules through pathways. This course will teach specialist skills needed for this highly competitive media and VFX areas. These include fundamentals of media, 2D and 3D computer graphics, introduction to computer programming, motion graphics, UX design, visual effects and much more through the option modules such as digital games creation. In addition to the formal teaching on the course, students will also have the opportunity to participate in industry visits in central London – the home of many digital media and creative companies.

Teeside University

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

We have a large number of graduates working the film and TV industries at companies which include
ILM, Double Negative, Framestore, MPC, the Mill, Passion Pictures, Glassworks, Jellyfish, Studio Soi, Prime Focus, Pixar, Disney, Cinesite, etc.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

You would be hard pressed to find any film or TV project in the last 10 years that did not have Teeside graduates working on it. We could give you a list but it would be massive and include every major motion picture utilising VFX, plus TV series and documentaries.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Our students have contributed to Oscar and Bafta winning projects.

How would you describe your courses?

Outstanding facilities, including animation studios, motion capture studio, green screen studio (including motion control cameras) and traditional animation facilities. What we teach, the s/w and facilities we use reflects what we know the industry is doing. We host the Animex festival every year to bring together industry professionals from around the year along with our own students to exchange ideas, run workshops, present awards etc. More info at animex.tees.ac.uk.

De Montfort University

What animation courses do you offer?

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Walt Disney Animation Studio
Brown Bag Films
Studio Soi
Double Negative
Munk Studios

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Disney’s Frozen and Big Hero 6
The Amazing World of Gumball
Hercules
Avengers
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Some have worked on features that have won Oscars.

How would you describe your courses?

BA Animation explores both 3D and 2D digital techniques fundamentally with character animation at its heart. Overall it aims for a holistic approach to its delivery. It covers a broad range of contextual studies, such as animation history, animation trends and the creative industries. It explores storytelling, character development and interpreting script into storyboards. We give the students the opportunity to improve key traditional art skills, both in the life room and out in the environment. They get to explore a range of stylistic approaches to improving their creative and design vocabulary. We train our students in software such as TV Paint, Cell Action, and Maya and other supporting industry related software. We teach 3D digital model making, focusing on efficient topology and effective texturing techniques. We embed animation principles through short experimental animation and explore story telling with longer projects. Year 1 is a foundation in animation that introduces both 2D and 3D tools and techniques. Students have the choice in year 2 to focus on either 3D or 2D. Year 3 is driven by two independent projects producing creative and industry focused animations. To kick start a career in animation. Student Testimonial

I was very certain I wanted to work in the film industry and the skills I learned on my course, even the ones I don’t use nowadays, helped me get to where I am today.

– Ben Carlson

University of Dundee

What animation courses do you offer?

MSc in Animation & VFX – 1 year study

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Students have gone onto work for studios such as Industrial Light & Magic, MPC, Double Negative, Cartoon Saloon, Animated Storyboards, Outplay Entertainment, One of Us, and more.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Recent graduates have worked on Star Wars The Force Awakens, Star Wars Rogue One, Ready Player One, Outlander, The Crown, and more.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Mitigating Circumstances by Kieran Duncan, Tom Paxton & Stephanie Flynn (a film completed on the course) was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA Bouy by Olly Blake and Natasha Dudley (a film completed on the course) won Best Combined Animation at Dingle 2016.

How would you describe your courses?

The MSc in Animation & VFX is a blend of creative and technical visual storytelling. We focus on teaching the professional production pipelines that you will utilise in this industry. You will engage with high-end production techniques and values, and you will create a narrative based film, showreel/breakdown reel, as part of your final expo. We also regard research, development and intellectual rigour very highly. You will investigate your practice, and reflect on your own creative journey through the duration of the course. We have great connections to the animation, film, television, video-games and comics industries, and many of our graduates have gone on to work around the world, for some of the top studios and franchises. Other students have pursued further academic advancement, by continuing on to a PhD or work in education. Student Testimonial

The MSc Animation & VFX course allowed me to further broaden my knowledge within the discipline.
It taught me the right tools that I needed to know and how to utilise them in a professional manner. By using the connections it has with major VFX houses in the UK I was able to land a job and take my first steps into the industry. I honestly don’t think I would be where I am today without the help of the course and the tutors.

— Amit Dev, Junior Modeler, Industrial Light & Magic (Star Wars: Rogue One)

University of Edinburgh

What animation courses do you offer?

BA (Hons) Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Animation students from ECA have gone on to work for Laika, Tim Burton, Aardman, Ko-Lik Films, Cartoon Saloon, Mackinnon & Saunders, Rock Star North, Channel 4, BBC 4, CBBC and CBeebies.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Our students have previously won awards at Annecy, the Royal Television Society (RTS), the BAFTAs, and the Emmys.

How would you describe your courses?

Our multiple award-winning programme differs radically from most animation programmes in that we teach the full spectrum of production methods. You will learn about 2D and 3D techniques, using both cameras and CGI, as well as puppet based stop-frame. You will work individually or in a team to make films, documentaries and installations.

Central St Martins

What animation courses do you offer?

MA Character Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

Nexus, d-neg, MPC, Cinisite, Rushes, Passion Pictures, Lupus, Illuminated, Moth Collective, Blink, Blue Zoo, Framestore, Disney, DreamWorks, Blue Sky, The Mill, Milk, Picasso Pictures, Weta digital, Peerless, Sony.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Jungle Book, Ethel And Earnest, The Snowman And Snowdog, The Illusionist, Lord of the rings, Harry Potter, John Carter, Exodus, Blade Runner, Iron Man. Sherlock Gnomes, Paddington 1 and 2, War Horse, Fantastic Beasts, Gladiator, Alien Covenant, Frozen, Zootopia, Wreck-it Ralph, Big Hero 6, Kung Fu Panda, etc.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Audience award: Zagreb. “Leave A Print”.

How would you describe your courses?

We are an animation course that puts the emphasis on story and performance. We provide training and guidance for complete beginners and the very experienced. If you want to act with animation, come to us. Student Testimonial

It has helped me to learn more about my craft, to really immerse myself in it for a year, and make several contacts that have been invaluable to my professional career after the course.

— Carlos Fraiha, alum

Ravensbourne

What animation courses do you offer?

BA(Hons) Animation

With regards to success rate, can you name any big vfx or anim studios your students have gone on to work with?

We have students at: Framestore, Dneg, ILM, The Mill, Smoke and Mirrors, MPC, Bluezoo and JellyFish.

Have any of your students gone on to work on any large projects or feature films?

Films: Star Wars The Last Jedi, Jungle Book, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-man into the Spider-Verse. TV: Dennis and Gnasher, Diggby Dragon, Floogals.

Any achievements or awards any of your students have won, whilst on the course of after graduating?

Most recent, Xanthe Sinclair, a level 3 student has come runner up in the “Search for a Star” competition hosted by the games industry.

How would you describe your courses?

Focusing on fundamental animation skills in both 2D and 3D software, students will also explore storytelling techniques through layout and cinematography, whilst exploring roles in modelling, rigging and basic code throughout the three levels. Primarily vocational, levels 4 and 5 will nurture students to integrate and collaborate with other disciplines both internally and externally, to help prepare students to advocate and apply their original thinking and ideas to a more personal approach in level 6. Ravensbourne animation course has established strong ties and working relationships with some of the top animation companies, including Framestore, Double Negative, Blue Zoo and Jellyfish to name a few. With a growing alumnus in the animation industry, this has given the course further recognition and the opportunity to build new relationships. Students visit working studios, attend industry workshops, receive industry mentoring and feedback on their work, whilst working on live projects and briefs throughout their studies. The course aims to continue building on this success, by exploring new and upcoming sectors including, medicine, forensics, education and charity work, whilst building new internships and work placements within the industry. Alongside this, students are encouraged to enter competitions and attend industry events to gain recognition and build industry contacts early on in their education, to help prepare for life after Ravensbourne.

UAL London College of Communication

What animation courses do you offer?

BA(Hons) Animation

How would you describe your courses?

BA (Hons) Animation is a practice-led course, enabling you to choose one of four specialist pathways that reflect industry specialisms: Animation Arts, 3D Computer Animation, Visual Effects (VFX) and Games Arts. Learn the fundamental skills and principles of animation in an intensive and collaborative setting where you’ll develop knowledge and understanding of the whole production process. After your first year you’ll choose one of four specialist pathways:

BA (Hons) Animation: Animation Arts
BA (Hons) Animation: 3D Computer Animation
BA (Hons) Animation: Visual Effects (VFX)
BA (Hons) Animation: Game Arts

David Mattock

David Mattock runs a small successful animation studio covering a huge range of 2D and 3D projects. Check out their work at fullrotation.com | Twitter: @fullrotationltd | Facebook: fullrotationanimation