Film, Animation and Digital Arts (MA)

Our MA in film, animation and digital arts is a broad multidisciplinary programme which responds to the latest advancements in moving image production technologies such as virtual production, performance capture and synthesis, and real-time visual effects. 

Why choose this course?

• Our programme seeks to develop your core creative competences in a range of relevant contemporary practices, from 3D computer graphics to machine vision, interactive cinema to 'immersive' media. 
• Your skills and talents as a media practitioner, alongside intellectual curiosity, collaborative spirit, technical proficiency and sense of adventure, will all come into play as you make use of Surrey’s state-of-the-art facilities, great workspaces and dedicated multi-disciplinary supervision.
• We enable you to innovate and experiment creatively and technologically in film, animation, digital arts and related areas of contemporary arts and media practices.
• You will also benefit from the extensive connections we enjoy with the creative industries, which include media production companies, animation studios, VFX houses, facilities providers and film studios – locally, nationally and globally.

What you will study

Our programme is primarily practice-oriented, backed up with a relevant and robust contextual framework. The programme is 12 months long, split across two semesters and the University’s summer period.

• Semester 1 includes a set of focused workshops designed not only to consolidate existing practical skills in script development, film production, animation, CG and VFX but also to bring you rapidly up to speed in less familiar areas such as virtual production, game engines, and digital cinematography. These are accompanied by a thorough grounding in contemporary moving image theory and practice. You will then work on a collaborative, multidisciplinary production project, which provides a great opportunity to work together in a small team on an exciting creative brief.
• In Semester 2 you will develop a creative specification for your final project. Alongside this, specialist workshops and tutorials are offered to equip you with any specific techniques you might need.
• During the University’s summer period, you will complete your final project, with regular supervision and mentoring provided by our academics, industry based visiting tutors and associates.

Location and connections

• Our Guildford location is not only a short train journey from central London but is also a media production hub in its own right. Major film studios are nearby, and the town itself is home to a vibrant video games development community, alongside animation houses and design agencies.

Notable players include:

• Supermassive
• MediaMolecule
• Electronic Arts
• Figment Productions
• BlueGFX
• Criterion.

We regularly enjoy visits and engagements with the London film production and VFX community, which includes:

• Framestore
• Moving Picture Company
• Blue Zoo
• Nexus
• Milk VFX
• KeyFrame Studios

We also maintain close links with the British Film Institute, BAFTA, Animation UK, Visual Effects Society, SIGGRAPH London, UKIE and plenty of other important industry networks with whom you can connect.

On campus, we share a building and frequently collaborate with the prestigious Guildford School of Acting. We also work closely with colleagues from Surrey’s engineering programmes and have found touch points in many other departments across the University. In addition to this, we are actively building relationships with other institutions both close at hand and around the world; our approach is one of open collaboration wherever possible across all sections of the arts, culture and technology communities.

Modules

• Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Modules are subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
• The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff, meaning all modules are comprised of multiples of 15 credits, up to a maximum of 120 credits. 

Teaching and learning

• Your practical skills will be assessed through the development of a cumulative portfolio. This will be presented as response to and output from a series of creative and technical skills workshops in Semester 1.
• We round off this part of the programme with a group project which involves multidisciplinary collaboration along with technical and creative experimentation.
• Complementary theory lectures and seminars will be delivered by active practitioners and researchers from within the department and beyond, including those from our own postgraduate researchers.

Advanced skills development is offered to support your final project in areas which can include:

• Writing and screenplay development
• Character creation
• Cinematography
• Editing
• Animation
• Directing performance
• 3D animation
• VFX
• Game engines
• AI assisted content creation.

These advanced techniques will continue to contribute to the development of your final masters project through the on-going creation of prototypes, work-in-progress outputs and shorter portfolio test pieces.

Timetable
Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester. 

• New students will receive their personalised timetable in Welcome Week, and in subsequent semesters, two weeks prior to the start of semester. 
• Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. Part-time classes are normally scheduled on one or two days per week, details of which can be obtained from Academic Administration. 

Career Opportunities

• We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
• The programme will provide you with an accelerated career path into numerous areas of the film, television and interactive media sectors, equipping you with sought-after skills and experience in these exciting fields. On successful completion of the course, your creative aptitude will be matched by technical acuity in whichever areas you have chosen to specialise.
• The programme also provides a valuable springboard for extended postgraduate research on our own PhD programme or indeed should you choose to pursue your research elsewhere.
• 100 per cent of our Music and Media postgraduate students go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA)