Computer Animation and Visual Effects MSc

Course overview

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Computer Animation

What does this course offer?

• Teaches a range and depth of technical skills necessary to become future Technical Directors within the computer animation and computer games sectors
• It will develop your programming and scripting skills and introduce you to the special techniques and tools associated with computer animation
• You will gain knowledge and skills which will enable you to understand Computer Animation production and implement appropriate tools for such productions
• You will have regular presentations and master classes from invited industry speakers and exposure to real world projects
• This is a Skillset Media Academy Course and is taught at the National Centre for Computer Animation at Bournemouth University.

Where could this lead to?

Recent graduates have gone to work for such companies and films as:

• Moving Picture Company (Troy, Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Kingdom of Heaven)
• Double Negative (Batman Begins)
• Framestore CFC
• Cinesite
• Ninja Theory
• Animal Logic (Happy Feet)
• BBC
• BFC Berlin.

Who should do this course?

• Students joining this course will normally have a technical background, with strong programming and/ or mathematical skills
• Applicants should an honours degree (2:1 or above) in the fields of computing, mathematics, engineering or science or a professional qualification or diploma recognised to be equivalent to an honours degree
• Applicants with relevant Industrial experience can be deemed to be equivalent to an honours degree
• Exceptionally well-qualified applicants from other disciplines may be considered at the discretion of the interviewing panel.

Tell me more....

View an article by The Independent as to why you should study Animation.

The aim of MSc Computer Animation and Visual Effects is to produce graduates with the range and depth of technical skills necessary to become future Technical Directors within the computer animation and computer games sectors.

Students will gain knowledge and skills which will enable them to understand Computer Animation production and implement appropriate tools for such productions. Students have regular presentations and master classes from invited industry speakers. This exposure to real-world projects and state-of-the-art techniques from professional practitioners is highly valued by students and is major course strength. Successful graduates will discover that their transferable technical skills are a valuable asset when seeking employment.

The course is oriented toward the creation of graduates with a combination of artistic sensibilities, problem solving and technical skills. The skills and experience gained can be applied within the animation and games industries, where technical directors often have to work alongside computer animators and resolve technical problems either by configuring existing software tools or designing new tools.

This course develops a student’s programming and scripting skills and introduces them to the special techniques and tools associated with computer animation. Emphasis is placed on the use of industry standard hardware and software in the development of these techniques. These skills are assessed in a variety of projects undertaken by students during the academic Course. Typical examples include the development of C++ programs to test new algorithms; the writing of shaders to support rendering and the developing of scripts to create new animation effects.

Why study MSc Computer Animation and Visual Effects