Course overview
This course is ideal if you have a creative BA degree such as graphic design or animation – or relevant industry experience – and are interested in a career in the animation and visual effects industry.
You explore specialised areas including animation, photo-real texturing and surfaces, hard surface modelling, shaders, materials, lighting and effects animation.
- Industry links: take part in Animex, our annual international animation and games festival featuring experts from Rockstar, Pixar, Disney and Sony.
- Real-world experience: enter real world events, take part in industry competitions and explore live projects.
- Career-ready: our ExpoSeries allows you to showcase your skills to industry professionals who are looking to recruit new and rising talent.
- Start-up business support: we support you to develop your own business through our enterprise support teams.
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
Develop a deep understanding of asset creation for visual effects. Focus on the artistic pipeline used by the industry to streamline how it creates assets for production. Produce a portfolio of work to showcase the assets you’ve created.
Working with colleagues, you develop a presentation to explain how you would run the pipeline as a commercial company, giving roles and responsibilities. Outline an overview of preproduction to postproduction methods in engaging with clients.
Develop compositing knowledge and explore it in real-world visual effects scenarios. Negotiate your personal learning goals and specialisms with your tutor to develop your practice as a digital compositor.
Produce a portfolio of compositing effects alongside a presentation, working independently and with colleagues on a solution to a challenge.
Explore more advanced simulation tools and techniques used in effects animation. Study the underlying physics and computer graphics theory behind these techniques, applying them using industry standard software. Research effects animation use this to create convincing simulations of real-world phenomena.
Produce a portfolio of effects sequences and a breakdown or contact sheet illustrating how they were generated. On completion, reflect on your experience of the module. You look at distance travelled, additional research, challenges faced and learnings on the journey through a short exit interview.
Understand the relationship between the University or workplace and your own practice in a collaborative process of knowledge generation and use. Bring together key elements of learning to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of practice in a work-based project.
The composition, content and context of your project is unique to you. Reflect on your practice to demonstrate continual learning and development. You are taught content to help you successfully manage and complete your project.
Motion design is everywhere we look, from film and TV titles and idents, commercials, and promos to complex sequences in documentaries and educational videos. Further develop your skills by researching and creating innovative solutions to design, using a range of tools and techniques.
You also look at global, ethical and social factors effecting the motion design field and write a short report to show your findings.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You learn in group sessions that focus on practical skills supported by the academic concepts and theories. Which means you can discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in smaller groups.
Your learning experiences are strengthened by sessions delivered by industry practitioners who share their valuable industry insights with you.
You work on projects using the latest technologies such as Maya, Nuke X, Houdini and Unreal, in a scenario that is as close to industry practice as possible.
Subject (or modules) are delivered in six-week blocks. You study one at a time, supported by online learning materials.
How you are assessed
It’s essential that you learn by doing. Which means that most of your assessed work is based around practical projects that you work on throughout. You get valuable tutor feedback to guide your work and your overall development.
As you progress through the course, you develop a portfolio of work - this is an important industry requirement. Our tutors can give you advice and guidance on which work to include.
And your final project allows you the freedom to set your own brief based on your skills, interests and career aspirations.
Entry requirements
You need to have one of the following…
- an honours degree (at least a 2.2) in animation or visual effects
- an honours degree (at least a 2.2) in another subject along with a portfolio of creative work at an acceptable standard.
International applicants
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
What you need
To access the on-campus facilities you need a HTML5-capable web browser on a computer such as a Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Linux computer. HTML5-capable web browsers that can be used include the following:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Safari
- Microsoft Edge
For some sessions you can also access sessions on the following browsers and devices:
- Chrome or Safari on an iPad (iOS 11 or later)
- Android (Android 8 or later)
- Microsoft Surface Pro (Windows 10) tablet
Don't have your own device yet?
Don't worry - we have a bank of devices available for you to loan whenever you are on campus.
You can also access Adobe Creative Cloud - a suite of 20+ world-class, industry-standard creative apps including Photoshop and InDesign.
Employability
Career opportunities
Teesside University graduates have gone on to work as animators, visual effects artists and technical directors at a range of games and visual effects companies including Rockstar Games, Blue Zoo, Imaginarium, FrameStore, Double Negative, Creative Assembly and so many more.
We have excellent relationships with many businesses, giving you the opportunity to apply for internships and graduate positions with key organisations such as Creative Assembly, Double Negative, ILM and more.
You graduate prepared for a career in industry. And you have opportunities to meet and network with our industry partners through ExpoTees, our event to showcases student work to industry.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.