Animation with Jim Le Fevre

Studying Animation at the University for the Creative Arts, you will develop your knowledge and skills in a range of animation styles, and have many opportunities to apply these skills to live projects with other students and clients alike. The course was founded in 1972 by Oscar winning creator of Roobarb and Custard, Bob Godfrey, and boasts an array of successful alumni - including Peppa Pig creator Mark Baker. The programme is accredited by the Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision (CILECT).

Hosted at UCA’s Farnham campus, the course boasts access to a wealth of state-of-the art facilities for a wide range of animation styles and mediums. You will study animation across CGI, traditional drawing, oil on glass, sand animation, and pixelation styles. Your learning will take place in studio spaces with individual workspaces, lightboxes, Wacom tablets, line testers, and batch scanners. You will also have access to a fully equipped stop motion studio with Dragonframe Capture. For your digital animation needs, you will have UCA’s dedicated computer suites at your disposal, equipped with the latest animation software. 

Your first year will focus on developing your idea generation and creative practice, while giving you a core grounding in animation principles. You will build your portfolio through various projects, working with other UCA students across disciplines and presenting both group and individual work in different contexts. In your second year you will produce a professionally finished film with the aim of having it screened at a competitive International Animation Festival. You will also explore progressive global perspectives in animation and game animation, as well as develop your research skills and work to a real client brief in a group project. Year three will develop your  professional practice and prepare you for your career, exploring a range of topics from the initial stages of production to honing your research skills through a dissertation project. The major focus will be producing your graduate film, which will represent all the creative, technical and theoretical knowledge you have developed throughout your studies at UCA.  

At UCA, you will be taught by academics with extensive knowledge, experience, and industry contacts - including Aardman Animations and the National Film and TV School. This will allow you to pursue opportunities that align with your future goals in a range of roles within animation. You can also take your employability further by taking a Professional Placement Year, which will give you invaluable experience and contacts ready to start your career after you graduate.