Overview

Learn how to tell a story and bring your characters to life with our 2D animation and stop motion degree.

You learn essential animation skills including drawing and pre-visualization, cinematography, hand-drawn 2D animation and stop motion techniques.

Gain experience of the animation pre-production and production pipelines by working with other animation students on team projects as specialist 2D animators, stop motion animators, stop motion compositors, prop makers, set builders, or character designers.

If you need additional preparation or if you don’t have sufficient grades to join Year 1 then you can study this course with a foundation year. An optional work placement year is included, at no extra cost.

Top reasons to study 2D animation and stop motion at Teesside

• International acclaim: ranked 15th in the world in the Animation Career Review International Animation School Rankings 2021 (178 colleges considered) . (tees.ac.uk/source).
• Industry links: take part in Animex, our annual international animation and games festival featuring experts from Rockstar, Pixar, Disney and Sony.
• Career-ready: our ExpoSeries of events allow you to showcase your skills to industry professionals who are seeking to recruit new and rising talent.

Course structure

Year 0 (foundation year) core modules

You are introduced to the creative possibilities of image-making using digital tools. The fundamental principles of design and composition will be addressed and a range of image creation techniques will be explored using appropriate graphics software. Skills and topics introduced include: layers, transparencies, vectors, bitmaps, Outcomes & reproduction (web/print/screen), and Input devices

Case Studies

This module provides tools in your reading of cultural texts. Focusing on computer games, animation and film, you gain an introductory level of understanding in the context of your chosen fields of study.
As well as looking at the historical and contextual overview of the history of animation, film and computer games, you also look at how we interpret these types of media historically and materially. You choose a text from within your area of interest and undertake an analytical review in the form of a case study.

Creativity And Design 

You develop your design and drawing styles, essential for the creative development of interesting and innovative visual solutions.

You are guided through a range of techniques and encouraged to push your ideas and designs in alternative directions, expanding your creative thinking and developing your ideas in new ways.

You produce a range of visual images and worksheets to develop your drawing and image-making styles and process. Throughout the module, you are encouraged to experiment with a variety of drawing and mark-making media and techniques.

You are also encouraged to make connections between seemingly unrelated beginnings and outcomes with briefs that allow creative freedom and broad interpretation.

Drawing Principles

You gain confidence in creating rudimentary images using traditional tools such as pencil and charcoal. The teaching enables you to develop your drawing technique and approach and helps you produce images that effectively communicate simple ideas.

With a range of traditional materials, you are encouraged to experiment with different approaches to drawing. You learn methods and techniques to improve your observational skills in relation to still-life drawing. You also look at other formal elements including tone, proportion, perspective, and basic human anatomy.

Modelling Principles

You learn some of the basic principles of 3D computer modelling, lighting and texturing. You use 3D software to produce a simple 3D model that will be textured and rendered with basic lighting. Through guided tutorial tasks, you learn some of the first principles of 3D modelling with the view to creating a small collection of elementary assets for computer games and animation. You create simple textures in appropriate software, such as Photoshop, and consider basic CG lighting.

Story Telling

Here, you apply acquired knowledge and skills to a selected project according to an area of your individual interest or specialism. This module provides an overview of professional graphic practice and enables you to reflect on your own learning and personal career aspirations. You review work from modules through your portfolio presentation and set goals for the next stage.

Year 1 core modules

Through a series of animation exercises, you are provided with an opportunity to learn animation principles in a traditional animation studio setting. This takes place in the first six weeks. The application of animation principles to a short character sequence features in the remainder of the module.

Character and Set Design and Layout

You focus on production design for 2D and stop motion animation. The module will introduce the challenges associated with designing for 2D animation and the real-world context of stop motion production and then follow a developmental process. A brief will be provided to form the basis of research that will lead to a creative solution for stop motion characters and set designs.

Composition To Stop Motion

Compositing is an essential part of the current stop motion animation production process and brings together elements such as dynamic action shots, camera moves, characters, crowds, and extended sets to make compelling coherent imagery.

This module aims to introduce you to the tools and techniques required to successfully integrate on-set stop motion animation, 3D computer-generated sets and props, CG backgrounds, lighting, and digital 2D matte painted backgrounds.

Drawing For Animation 

You focus on 2D visualization skills that will provide you with an appreciation of traditional and digital drawing. Making the transition from paper sketches to producing digital art is a key skill required in the modern creative industries. Whether designing characters, sketching thumbnails, environments or storyboards this module will equip you with a range of digital drawing skills to help you visualize and design original concepts using traditional drawing techniques for animation. Drawing from observation, anatomy, color appreciation, composition, adding texture and digital image manipulation will feature using Photoshop and state-of-the-art digital drawing interfaces. Studying this module will also help you communicate visually with your peers and introduce visualization conventions used in the animation industry.

Introduction To Stop Motion

You are introduced to some of the animation methods, materials, and techniques used in stop-motion animation. You are guided through a series of exercises that explore an introductory range of stop-frame techniques for creating stop-motion animation and applying the principles of animation to the animation exercises.

You develop and animate short sequences such as 3D claymation, object animation, basic puppet animation, as well as using substitution or replacement shapes and cut-out shapes for stop-motion filming. In creating the animation sequences, you will also be introduced to using lighting and camera setups for stop-motion and capturing software.

Pre-vis and Cinematography

Pre-vis (short for pre-visualization) including storyboarding and cinematography is essential when planning and visualizing sequences for animation, live-action, or a combination of both.
In recent years pre-vis has become increasingly used for both animated and live-action films. Some larger post-production companies now have dedicated pre-vis departments and a number of companies now exclusively specialize in pre-visualization.

You are introduced to the context and art of cinematography and learn about basic film language. You learn the techniques for creating a static and moving storyboard (animatic) with sound, developing your drawing and visualization skills, and applying your knowledge of cinematography to your own work. You are also given an introduction to the 3D pre-vis process.

Career opportunities

Our graduates find roles as 2D animators, assistant animators, and production designers for animation.

Our ExpoSeries of events are an opportunity for you to interact with employers. Each event is open to the public and industry guests, allowing you to showcase your work to peers and potential future placements or employers.

Work placement

Including work experience on your CV makes you a much more attractive applicant. You have a higher chance of improving your degree classification and the boost in confidence gives you the edge in job interviews.

Placements are not compulsory but are assessed and contribute to your final degree award.

Our placements team gives you help and support, including guidance on applications and interviews, to help you get a placement that suits you.