IN A NUTSHELL

Our MA in Animation is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to apply innovative and efficient production processes into your animation projects which could be 2D, 3D and Stop?Motion, or hybrid of techniques. You will explore traditional production skills, but the course will encourage you to experiment with cutting edge creative industry developments and new ways of storytelling in collaboration with game and digital technologies.
 
The course is to help you develop contemporary storytelling and transmedia techniques within your body of work, and/or to deepen your knowledge of a specialist role with a Creative Industry (e.g. Storyboard Artist, Art Director, Character Designer).
 
As a future facing programme of study we will encourage you through collaboration, to explore contemporary ‘expanded cinema’?(i.e.?Extended Reality (XR)? experiences, Projection?Mapping,?and Immersive Installation, Theme Park?Rides) and offer opportunities?to see the value of your transferrable and potentially entrepreneurial skills.? 
 
Underpinning the curriculum you will be challenged to investigate and apply sustainable and ethical practices to your productions and processes and explore diversity and inclusivity in their story worlds and characters.? 

The Greater Manchester region is one of the key areas of?UK?animation industry production,?with an ?ecosystem of large to small?companies –?from?globally?leading companies such as Factory and Mackinnon & Saunders,?to?smaller?boutique studios like Kilogramme and Flipbook?Studio, with?our Media City campus?and CBBC’s HQ?being at the heart of it.?The Region has excellent industry networking opportunities?with Manchester Animation Festival and other regional networking groups like FilmHubNorth.

You will:

• have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art animation resources and equipment
• be part of a vibrant?community?of peers and tutors?to?help?develop?and explore?your practice, challenging you to experiment, collaborate?and embrace new technologies
• be encouraged?through collaboration?to produce professional executed work to take to the next stage of your career
• develop industry contacts in Greater Manchester, one of the key areas of?UK?animation industry production

The programme will be delivered across three trimesters using a combination of practical workshops, lectures, and tutorials. Through practical and theoretical modules, you will gain confidence and in-depth understanding of the technologies and techniques used in effective Animation Production and Visual Storytelling.

You will have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art animation resources and equipment including a specialist Stop Motion Room, Wacom?Cintiqs, Makerspace, Digi Lab with XR facilities, and craft workshops at New Adelphi. Computer Labs have industry software such as?ToonBoom?Harmony, Autodesk Maya and Dragon?Frame.

If you study part-time your modules will be split across two years.

This is an interdisciplinary course open to students from a wide range of backgrounds, however, a previous academic or industry experience in any of the following disciplines would be beneficial:?animation, media studies, film production, game art and design, visual effects.? 

Applicants from other disciplines or professional backgrounds will also be considered if they provide evidence of interest and experience of Animation Production or Visual Development for Animation.

All applicants will be able to demonstrate that they:? 

• Have knowledge of Animation or related subjects?? 
  (e.g.?Post and VFX, XR?& Immersive, Design for Games, Film?Production)? 

• Have fundamental knowledge of animation?techniques and?workflows? 

• are highly?motivated? 

• Are ready to work flexibly and independently? 

• prepared to work in?a team? 

• are effective problem solvers? 

This will be evaluated by interview and portfolio/showreel?assessment.