Overview

Reasons to study Animation at De Montfort University (DMU):

Animation BA (Hons) is a course built around the practice of creative, illustrative and technical production. You will explore how to make characters come to life through design, performance and narrative using digital animation tools and techniques. Our studio culture encourages you to achieve to a high potential, enabling you to become innovative and creative with the opportunity to develop new intellectual property of the future. We give students a grounding as generalists in animation with the opportunity to develop more specialist skills during the final year.

• DMU has achieved Gold, the highest ranking possible under the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
  Indicating the outstanding learning and teaching on offer at DMU. [Office for Students, 2017]
• 97.3% of DMU graduates from summer 2017 are in work or further study after graduating
  According to the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) 2016-17 report
• Support from the Leicester Media School Drawing Centre (LMSDC)
  providing DMU students with extracurricular pastoral support for the Visual  courses in the School.  A drawing school for developing artists and designers to have a creative forum and discourse.
• Work placement opportunities
  Enhance your employability and gain industry experience by undertaking an optional work placement with work placements undertaken at RJDM Studios and CITV
• Specialist facilities 
  Develop your practical and professional skills in our animation, recording and sound studios, our suite of Cintiq graphics tablets, editing suites and green/blue screen studios
• Enjoy an international experience with #DMUglobal 
  We offer all students the opportunity to take part in a #DMUglobal experience, which can enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons. Previous #DMUglobal trips have included New York, Berlin, Hong Kong, China, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Russia and Italy to name a few.

Structure and assessment

Course modules

Year one

2D and Experimental Animation 1

Instils fundamental animation principles and support students in practicing 2D digital animation. Character movement is examined and implemented in short projects. Audio techniques are introduced to enhance the animation experience.

Critical Studies 1

Encourages students to examine storytelling devices, narrative structures, audio soundscapes, the language within cinema and the visual arts. Students will engage and incorporate these languages into their practice through practice-based projects.

Animation Production 1

Demystifies the complexity of the tools and techniques needed to create animation. It introduces instruction on the creation of 2D characters and utilises industry standard software tools and techniques. Students will develop 2D animation and explore character movement and action.

Visual Communication 1

Focuses on improving students’ confidence in creating digital and manual drawing. Investigating and introducing stylisation techniques to expand visual language. Introduces pre-production techniques enhancing the visual impact of animation.

Year two

Critical Studies 2

Builds upon the core concepts explored in Year 1 (Critical studies 1) and examines both classic genres within cinema (animation & film) and representation of the human condition. Students have the opportunity to explore and investigate these themes within practice based projects.

2D and Experimental Animation 2

Uses acting and performance as the catalyst guiding students towards an engaging visual narrative in animation development. A series of short, quick punchy animations give students the time to reflect and improve.

Animation Production 2

Introduces more sophisticated animation techniques such as lip sync focusing on character performance and acting. Students can consolidate their year 1 skills in more substantial animation projects. This project provides students with the opportunity to reflect on the direction of their final year aspirations.

Visual Communication 2

Introduces a range of art techniques to advance the sophistication of students’ artwork. Encourages confidence in creating a personal visual language. It explores concepting for animation and pre-production, improving character design techniques and producing environment for animation.

Year 3

Professional Brief

Year 3 allows students to undertake professional based projects ranging from production of festival ready work to commercial-based briefs, set by industry. This module allows students to engage fully with rigorous industry-based practical work whilst having the freedom to challenge themselves creatively.

Final Major Project

The final year project is an opportunity for students to set their own creative objectives and explore themes they are passionate about. Students are actively encouraged to publish their completed projects and enter contests and festivals.

Teaching and assessments

Teaching is delivered primarily through lectures and practical sessions, with access to keynote lectures and support from industry mentors. Practical classes provide hands-on experience of both drawing, idea generation, pre-production and digital 2D animation development. Tutorials are used to provide feedback and a framework for ensuring you see improvements in your work. Additional learning materials are also offered online.

Assessments include regular screenings of artwork and reports for peer, tutor and industry critique. You will be encouraged to produce festival ready animation and a showreel for employment, guided by experts from the animation industry and the teaching team. Industry representatives make regular visits to give presentations and review showreels.

You will normally attend around 12-16 hours of timetabled taught sessions each week, and are expected to undertake at least 24 further hours of directed independent study and assignments as required.

Facilities and features

Animation Studios

We have excellent specialist facilities including industry-standard animation, recording and sound studios, editing suites and dedicated graphics studios, computer suites for lectures and practical workshops, screening rooms for viewing dailies and presentations; exposure to the latest software to ensure you achieve the skills required to go out into the industry.

You will also benefit from our dedicated suite of Cintiq stations

Opportunities and careers

Graduate Careers

Our graduates are working as animators, producers, high-flying VFX technical directors, lead technical runners, compositors, modellers and designers working on TV series and films. They are working with international companies like Double Negative, Ubisoft (Shanghai), Jagex, MPC, The Mill, Blue Zoo, Character Shop, RJDM Animations and Ragdoll Productions and have worked on major films including ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Rises’, ‚Les Miserables’, ‚Superman Man of Steel’, ‚Thor: The Dark World’, ‚Ex Machina’, ‚The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ and ‘Total Recall’.

#DMUglobal

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through #DMUglobal, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Our #DMUglobal High Flyers Award offers students a discount of up to £1,000 towards a #DMUglobal opportunity (terms and conditions apply).

Placements

Work-based placements are one of the best ways to boost your skills and experience, and can often lead to your first graduate role.

They are the perfect means of discovering how your studies relate to the real world, and provide an opportunity to improve your confidence and make contacts to help you get ahead in the job market.

DMU’s dedicated Placements Teams can help you by providing access to hundreds of opportunities, giving one-to-one CV advice and interview preparation, and offering training sessions and support from a dedicated tutor.