MA (3D Animation)

At the end of the degree, you’ll have earned a postgraduate qualification, have a showreel of cool animation work and a deep understanding of the animation and visual effects industries. 

• Our industry connections, experienced tutors, who boast credits including The Lion King, Godzilla and Doctor Strange, Talent Development Team and Aftercare programme will help you build your network to kick-start your creative career.
• Take your animations to the next level by unlocking your creative potential. 
• Advancements in technology and the boom of the VFX industry have made computer animation one of the fastest growing industries, with an estimated value of £1.6bn in the UK only (source Creative UK).
• This postgraduate qualification is designed for students who want to take their computer animation skills to the highest level. 

Why choose this course

• Designed with industry - our advisory board of experts from the likes of DNEG and Cinesite help develop and keep this degree relevant.
• Learn from expert Tutor, Lee Caller, who has over 20 years Animating experience.
• Get to grips with the software used in industry including Maya, Premiere Pro and Unreal Engine.
• Work on industry-standard briefs and experience real-life scenarios, just like in a professional studio.
• Receive feedback from industry professionals - an opportunity to level-up your work and build connections, ready to embark on your creative career. Previous studio partners for our animation course have included Blue Zoo, Passion Animation Studios and Framestore.
• Recognised degree - graduate with a postgraduate MA qualification awarded by Coventry University which will boost your employability around the world. 
• Aftercare package - we'll help you polish your showreel and find the right job, with access to our studios and showreel clinics for 12 months.

Course modules

• This programme is a one-year course including 18 weeks of direct teaching time, a 12-week collaborative project and a 12-week final project.

Module 1 - Locomotion and mechanics Weeks 1 to 6 - (30 credits)

• General introduction to Maya 
• Basic modelling 
• Texturing
• Lighting 
• Rigging 
• General principles of animation 
• Locomotion 
• Introduction
• Runs 
• Hops 
• Jumps 
• Skips 
• Character animation 
• Introduction 
• Building and blocking a shot 
• Parenting 
• Constraints 

Module 2 - Character performance Weeks 7 to 12 - (30 credits)

• Weight and flexibility, physics and adding characterisation 
• Animal locomotion: trots, walks and runs 
• Animal locomotion continued 
• Acting, dialogue and lip sync 
• Final exercise 
• Project 

Module 3 - Animals and creatures Weeks 13 to 18 - (30 credits)

• Advanced character animation: dialogue and lip sync 
• Advanced character animation: acting and performance 
• Advanced motion capture and facial performance
• Advanced creature animation: creature performance and acting 
• Advanced character and creature interactions 
• Project and polish 

Module 4 - Collaborative studio project (30 credits)

• For this module, you will work on a project as a group, to demonstrate your ability to choose correct techniques and approaches, and to apply them to a specified professional brief. 

Module 5 - Production project (60 credits)

• For this module, you will work on a final major project with feedback and guidance from your tutors and industry professionals. It will allow you to showcase your in-depth knowledge of your specialism area, ready for use in a portfolio. 

Assessment

• The assessment methods employed in this programme have been developed to mirror industry practice as far as possible. We balance feedback from tutors and industry experts. It is crucial that, as a student, you learn how to accept and work with feedback from your superiors and peers, as this will be the norm when you work in industry. You also need to develop a keen self-critical eye, to be able to step back from your work and see what you could improve, and to have the ability to look at yourself and your working practices and make changes where necessary.  

Formative assessment

• This is one of the most important aspects of your work. You will receive regular feedback from your tutor, studio assistants and peers during your modules. This will often be oral feedback on your work, sometimes on a one-to-one basis, sometimes in a group feedback session or daily. All of this should help you build on your strengths and develop your skills as you progress through the course. 

Summative assessment

• This will be specifically designed to measure how well you meet the learning outcomes of the module. They will usually involve a task to meet a brief set by your tutor and will allow you to demonstrate the knowledge and skills that you have learned during the module. You’ll need to decide exactly how to complete the task, choosing particular techniques and approaches, and making decisions on the aesthetics and style to meet the given requirements. 
• Each module will have a practical element (usually a practical project, where you make something) and a written element (usually a journal or blog, where you reflect on what you’ve made). Sometimes you will also have to give a presentation to demonstrate your work. All these elements are essential to your development, by showing that you can deliver to a required level and that you understand why you can and how you could improve.

Summative assessment breakdown
For your pathway modules (locomotion and mechanics, character performance, animals and creatures), you will be assessed as follows: 

• Practical project – 60% 
• Production logbook – 30% 
• Individual presentation – 10% 
• For the collaborative module, you will be assessed as follows: 
• Group project – 80% 
• Retrospective group presentation – 20% 

For the production project, you will be marked as follows: 

• Production project – 60% 
• Written retrospective – 40% 

Teaching and learning

Your overall workload will be divided between teaching sessions (5 days per week) and independent learning. 

• During your course, you’ll be able to develop your knowledge and skills in a number of ways. Some learning time will be closely directed and supervised by your tutors, at other times you’ll be free to organise your own study with guidance. All your scheduled studio time, except for some information sessions and presentations, will be in smaller groups based on specialism. 
• For your team project, you’ll be working with a smaller team, collaborating to meet a shared brief. This will give you ample opportunity to get the support and assistance that you need. 
• The first three modules have a high contact time (180 hours for each module), as this is where you will learn the knowledge and skills associated with your chosen subject, directed and informed by your tutors’ expertise and experience. These will normally involve a large part of each day with your tutor and studio assistant, following demonstrations and working on set exercises to help you develop your craft. 
• The Studio Project and Production Project modules will have a lower contact time (15 hours and 30 hours respectively), with your tutors taking on the roles of supervisors or studio leads. You’ll meet with them regularly to get feedback and help you stay on the right path, but these modules are much more about you managing the learning experience to meet your objectives. You’ll be free to organise your work either as a team or an individual to best suit your project requirements. 
• Each module has its own area on our Online Learning Environment (OLE) where you will find information about the module and the resources that are provided to support your learning. Some of this information will be dedicated to the module, other elements may be shared across different modules and some may be external assets that can help with your further study. There may be links to videos, online journals and e-books, and you should take advantage of these to enhance your development and take it beyond the studio experience.

Overall workload 

• This programme has two entry points each year. It is divided into two stages. Stage 1 comprises modules to a total of 120 credits and stage 2 comprises a 60-credit Production Project module. You must successfully complete each module in order to be awarded the specified number of credits for that module. One credit corresponds to approximately ten hours of 'learning time' (including all classes and all private study and research). Obtaining 180 credits in an academic year requires 1,800 hours of overall learning time. 
• The first three modules are taught in intensive blocks of six weeks each, giving a total of 18 weeks. During each of these modules, you will spend around 30 hours per week studying in tutor-led sessions or practice supported by studio assistants. The final two modules are more self-directed. The Studio Project will take around 12 weeks, during which you will have around 15 hours of feedback sessions with your tutor. Finally, you will spend around 18 weeks on the Production Project, including around 30 hours of feedback sessions with your tutor. 
• Each 30-credit module on the course requires you to commit 300 hours of study, with one 60-credit module which requires 600 hours of study. Some of these hours will be formally supervised in the learning environment and others will involve private study. 

Software

• Maya
• Premiere Pro
• Unreal Engine
• Shotgrid (now known as Flow Production Tracking)
• Photoshop

Career opportunities

• “The UK is home to distinct and highly successful centres of animation production excellence throughout the country, including Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, London and Manchester.” (source Animation UK)
• You’ll graduate with a postgraduate qualification, strong creative, technical and soft skills, including collaboration and communication, and a killer portfolio put together with advice from tutors and industry professionals. Ready to apply to start your career in the industry! 
• Animators often start out in junior roles to then rise to mid-level and senior roles such as Lead Animators and Technical Directors, opening the path to becoming an Animation Supervisor.  
• Our students have gone to work in many areas of the industry, including 3D animation for films, TV, games and visual effects, at companies including Pixar, Blue Zoo and Framestore. Read some of our animation Escapee success stories.