BA(Hons) Animation (with Foundation Year)

This module will provide a supportive introduction to university-level creative study through active and playful engagement with traditional, digital and virtual tools, processes and equipment. You'll experiment with materials, technologies and approaches to making, learning how sources of inspiration and influence can develop themes, ideas and concepts. Structured project briefs will introduce research, creative production and documentation, while reflective and evaluative activities will build your analytical and critical thinking skills. You'll work in an interdisciplinary studio environment and learn how to access university academic, wellbeing and disability support.

Building on earlier creative study, this module will support you to undertake longer projects with greater independence and scope for discovery. You'll develop ideas through drawing, research, experimentation and visual storytelling, documenting your progress from initial concepts to a range of creative outcomes. Collaborative activities will help you reflect on your contribution, while a more self-directed investigation will encourage you to explore personally meaningful themes. You'll consider audience, client or viewer, investigate appropriate ways to present project work, and strengthen your planning, decision-making, reflective practice and creative independence.

In this module, you'll plan, organise and complete a major project in your chosen creative specialism. Beginning with a proposal negotiated with staff, you'll develop an extended body of work that applies the skills and confidence gained across the course. Research, seminar discussion and critique will help you connect your practice with relevant professional and disciplinary contexts. As your project develops, you'll consider audience, client or viewer, select suitable materials and technical processes, and refine your outcome for exhibition, screening, publication or online distribution. You'll also explore sustainable making and relevant health and safety considerations.

This module will introduce you to the cultures, environments and foundational skills of your chosen creative discipline. Through programme-specific teaching, you'll explore core concepts and ways of thinking, investigating and making that will prepare you for study at the next level. A short project will give you opportunities to connect research with creative practice and develop original work using approaches appropriate to your subject. You'll document your ideas and progress visually, add reflective and analytical commentary, and build confidence through discussion, critique and one-to-one guidance within your disciplinary community.

This module will introduce the knowledge, research practices and professional skills expected across the creative industries. You'll deepen your understanding of the aesthetic and formal qualities of your chosen craft while exploring industry roles, activities and processes. Indicative content includes critical reflective writing, teamwork, collaboration, project and time management, professional ethics, responsibility, presentation and health and safety. Broad, open briefs will allow you to develop outcomes that reflect your discipline while working with cross-disciplinary perspectives, strengthening transferable skills and supporting your developing career aspirations.

This module will explore how ideas can be developed and communicated through design and storytelling. You'll investigate narrative structure, audience, context and visual language, considering how sequence, character, image, sound or interaction can shape meaning. Through research and practical experimentation, you'll generate concepts, test different approaches and refine a coherent response. The module will strengthen your ability to communicate an idea clearly, make purposeful creative decisions and reflect on how storytelling techniques can support engaging design outcomes across a range of media and formats.

This module will introduce the principles and techniques used to create animated characters. You'll explore how design, movement, timing, performance and expression can communicate personality and intention. Through drawing, observation and practical animation exercises, you'll investigate pose, gesture, weight, body mechanics and character interaction. You'll learn to develop ideas through planning and experimentation, use feedback to refine movement and make purposeful creative choices. The module will build your confidence in combining technical control with performance-led storytelling to create engaging character animation.

This module will establish foundational skills and principles for animation practice. You'll explore movement, timing, spacing, rhythm and sequence through practical exercises using appropriate analogue and digital techniques. Observation, drawing and experimentation will help you understand how images create the illusion of movement and how visual choices affect communication. You'll learn to plan, test and refine animated ideas, organise production processes and reflect critically on outcomes. These experiences will provide a technical and creative base for developing more complex animation and storytelling work.

This collaborative module will extend your understanding of film production through the development of a film for a defined audience and purpose. You'll draw on historical and contextual animation studies while using innovative approaches to create and refine ideas. Areas of study will include story, sequential construction, design, sound, music, recorded performance and animation processes. Working with production roles and pipelines will develop your decision-making, negotiation and project management skills. You'll also examine audiences, dissemination and ethical considerations while communicating ideas visually, verbally and in writing.

In this module, you'll explore the business and professional environments surrounding animation practice. You'll investigate how creative work connects with audiences, production structures, organisations and commercial opportunities. Research into professional activity will help you understand different roles, working models and possible career directions. You'll consider how to communicate your specialist interests and skills within relevant contexts, while developing greater awareness of employment, enterprise and freelance possibilities. Through reflection and informed enquiry, you'll be better placed to make purposeful decisions about your future animation practice.

This module will enable you to design and complete an independent research project focused on a subject relevant to your creative specialism. Building on previous learning, you'll identify an area of personal interest and develop a project that strengthens your critical, creative and analytical thinking. Supported by supervision and project-planning activities, you'll investigate research methods, evaluate ideas and manage a substantial piece of work from conception to completion. The module also encourages reflection on professional aspirations, helping you develop transferable skills and specialist knowledge relevant to creative industries and future employment.

This module centres on the pre-production stages of an independent animation project, helping you transform creative ideas into a viable production plan. You'll research, develop and refine concepts that align with your interests and professional aspirations while exploring appropriate methods, workflows and timelines. Supervision, workshops and critical discussion will support creative risk-taking and informed decision-making. By planning the research, development and production stages of your project, you'll build the organisational and creative foundations needed for successful project delivery.

This module focuses on the production phase of an independent animation project. Building on earlier planning and development work, you'll create substantial practical outcomes that demonstrate advanced artistic, technical and production skills. Supervision and structured project planning will support the progression of your work while encouraging critical thinking, creativity and professional awareness. Throughout the module, you'll refine your approach to production processes and strengthen your understanding of how animation practice, innovation and career development connect within contemporary creative industries.

This module will support you in bringing an independent animation project to completion through advanced post-production, evaluation and refinement. You'll develop substantial creative work that reflects your aims and specialist interests while applying appropriate production methods and workflows. Critical reflection plays an important role as you evaluate your project against artistic intentions, professional expectations and future ambitions. Supported by specialist supervision, you'll strengthen your ability to manage complex creative projects and communicate the value of your work within contemporary animation practice.