Computer Animation Arts

Your Minor project assessment proformas have now been sent to your UCA accounts. Please read your feedback carefully and closely - and then read it again.  Alan and I have taken time and energy to put things as plainly and as truthfully as possible for you - and our goal is to ensure the terrain of your Major project is clear to you.   Your Major project is worth 60 credits ; this is a transformative weighting and has the power to propel students into higher grade boundaries and make real change in terms of your ultimate degree classifications.   Without exception, all your reflective statements evidenced you'd underestimated the time and effort required to deliver your films on schedule.  If there is one thing all students need to take forward now it's simply this: you need to use every available day with clarity of purpose and with passion!  To help  you focus on the task in hand, I have some numbers for you... As of today, you have just 99 d...

Calling all students!   Recently announced on myUCA - just in case you missed it! 'Following the outstanding news that the University has been awarded the title of Modern University of the Year 2019 in the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide, we are inviting all Undergraduate students to spread the good news by introducing a friend to UCA for September 2019. >> A modern approach to co-creating our community with our students Starting from the 1st November 2018, if you know someone you think would be a good fit for UCA to enrol in September 2019 on to any Undergraduate course, the University will be offering £350 per enrolee (up to a maximum of 4 enrolees) to current Undergraduate students* every time someone they have referred joins the institution following a successful application. Increasing our creative community by bringing the best talent to UCA will be hugely important in maintaining our quality of teaching, student experience and developing...

Now that your dissertations are all done and dusted, I just thought I would re-post this exciting work experience opportunity... I know it seems a long way off, but before you know it, it'll be May, all your hard work will be handed in, and you'll be out there in the real world... I'm very excited to announce that I have managed to secure a week's work experience for one student, starting from the  20th May, with Bloc Digital, who are based in Derby.  Read all about them  HERE ! If you feel you might like to be considered for this position (or have any questions), please leave a comment below and I will be in touch!  If you have already expressed your interest, you don't need to do so again :) 

Wednesday 6th February is your 'From Script To Screen' Online Greenlight Review 2 (OGR) Your OGR is to be presented as a single Scribd presentation on your blog, beginning with your name, date, and project title. Save your documents as PDFs before uploading to Scribd, as this should mitigate against formating glitches. Your OGR presentations should be uploaded to your blogs by  Wednesday 6th February. Written feedback will follow as a comment on your OGR post and will take between 2 - 3 days. From Script To Screen OGR 2: What do you need to present? Final script (as written using appropriate conventions (see Toy Story example and also here ). Completed 'first pass storyboard' with illustrated camera moves etc and  in accordance with storyboarding conventions.  I want to see evidence you're using your storyboarding resources and applying your understanding of film language to your own 'directing with a pencil'. Also, no stick men! ...

Year 2: Infographic Submission Date Confirmation During the Maya class presentation I gave you a submission date of 14th Feb for your infographic (title credit sequence). Whilst this is technically 'five weeks' into the course I would like you all to have five full weeks to complete your work instead. Therefore the deadline has been extended to the Thursday 21st Feb to give you the full amount of time. Of course, use the extra time wisely.

Applications are now open for Study Abroad! Applications are now open for first year students to apply to study abroad for half of their second year. The deadline to apply is Monday 4 March 2019. Students can apply for a part funded exchange in Europe with Erasmus+ or go to one of our international exchange partners outside of Europe. See  HERE  for more details. Why should students study abroad? Study abroad offers a unique opportunity to enhance students’ career prospects and gain new skills. They can boost their employability by developing cross cultural understanding, foreign language skills and a global mindset. An important aspect of broadening their experience is the opportunity to develop links with key emerging economies and form networks to set students up in their future careers. They’ll develop initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they go, a working knowledge of another language – all qualities employers are looking for. St...

Mood Boost Course A free mini course on Tuesdays for students to learn skills and strategies to tackle low mood. Starts 26th February 2019 16:00-17:30 Over this 4 week course... Learn to apply proved practical strategies for improving mood. Identify strategies to practice in your own time. Build a foundation for increasing confidence, happiness and resilience. The Mood Boost course is aimed at students with mild to moderate depression and anxiety.  To gain the maximum benefit it is necessary for the participants to attend all four sessions. I will bring some application forms down to the baseroom, and application forms are also available from the Gateway desk in the library. Please return them to the Gateway by 24th February. Be Happy! :D 

I know it seems a long way off, but before you know it, it'll be May, all your hard work will be handed in, and you'll be out there in the real world... I'm very excited to announce that I have managed to secure a week's work experience for one student, starting from the 20th May, with Bloc Digital, who are based in Derby.  Read all about them HERE  ! If you feel you might like to be considered for this position (or have any questions), please leave a comment below and I will be in touch! 

All 3rd Year Students: Timetable Update. Please be aware that an updated timetable has been uploaded to MyUCA. The updates include, dates for Nuke classes with Simon, adjustments to the Maya class dates, and additional sessions to get 'project help' with myself in the last month of the Major Project. Please download the new timetable. You can find it under MyUCA/Major Project/Teaching Materials .  - Please pass this information onto anyone you feel may not see this post.

ACCESS:VFX "is a cross company initiative that promotes diversity and inclusion in the VFX and Creative industry. Many VFX companies, educational establishments and industry organisations have come together to create initiatives & events to help raise awareness and champion the important issue, helping to bring about change. Our partners include, The Mill, Third Floor, Framestore, DNEG, Next Gen, Blue Zoo, Escape Studios and many more." " ACCESS: VFX, UK Black Tech, The Brixton Finishing School   and Ultra Education are teaming up to host a series of 'Industry Connect' events that will promote careers and entry routes into the UK VFX, animation and games industry." "This first event, hosted on the evening of Wednesday 27th February at Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton will start the ball rolling by hosting an evening where future talent, students, parents and teachers can attend and hear from industry about the the different routes, skills req...

This is a message for all our hard-working final year students who are sitting over their respective keyboards doing battle with their theses... hold your nerve and keep going!  I'm sure you're all experiencing moments like Paul Sheldon in Stephen King's Misery... see below! When in doubt, just stop and take a look again at your plans and keep asking yourself this simple question: "What does the reader need from this paragraph?"   Ask yourself, "Is this paragraph earning its keep? Is it doing an identifiable job?  Is it making use of good supporting evidence? How is it helping your argument get from A to B as purposefully as possible?"   Your enemies now are repetition, deviation from the through-line of your argument, and departing from evidence-based discussion.  Are you saying the same thing over and over ?  Are you going off on tangents at the last minute? Are you asserting things to be true - or true of everything or everyone -...

Your assessment proformas for your Term 1 1000 word written assignment are available now at your UCA email accounts.  If yours isn't there, let me know and I'll investigate.

BFX is a student competition designed to give you direct exposure to cutting-edge practices and showcase your skills to some of the best supervisors, producers and artists in the VFX and animation industry. The Brief ‘We ask teams of 5 people to submit an application form and showreels (unlike previous years, an animatic or treatment is not required at this stage). The teams with the strongest set of skills and showreels are then shortlisted and 8 final teams chosen to take part in the competition. Each team is given a charity brief selected for them by the BFX team. They will then have approx. 2 months to create storyboards, animatics and character designs for the charity. The charity review the treatment and provide further feedback before the residential competition starts in July. As a team of five people, you will be tasked with creating a stunning 2D or 3D visual effects or animation sequence for 4 charities that is based on one of 8 supplied screenplays. The 7-...

It's time to complete the National Student Survey 2019 Okay - so what does the survey entail? Most of you will have completed surveys very similar to the NSS during your time with us, so you'll know the format: 27 core questions relating to the following aspects of the student learning experience: Teaching on my Course Assessment and Feedback Academic Support Organisation and Management Learning Resources Learning Opportunities Personal Development Student Voice Student Union Overall Satisfaction The survey doesn't take long, but it is important you consider your responses carefully. It may feel like just another box-ticking exercise - it isn't. The NSS survey is crucial to our understanding of what you think about us, and UCA more broadly. Your views on what we do become part of formal monitoring processes within the University.  In short - data derived from the NSS - from you - is taken very seriously. The survey is asking you to reflect ...

Today, a few hints to get (and keep) you motivated in this post-festive season... 1. Acknowledge your resistance and difficult feelings with motivation. It may be helpful to write these feelings or thoughts down and then leave these on the side so you can then study. 2. Do not run away. Avoiding work can make you feel deflated. This is emotionally more draining than having to go through the process of starting your work. 3. Do not blame yourself for procrastinating now and then. Try to become aware of the  habit and gently make yourself to go back to the task sooner rather than later.  4. Try to understand your studying style better. What will make it easier for you to work? We all prefer pleasant experiences and it is natural that we tend to avoid uncomfortable situations, boring chores and duties.  So try to make your study experience as interesting as possible. 5. Don’t question your abilities. Don’t put yourself down by comparing yourself to others...

Year 2: Toolkit 2 Maya Class.  Please bring your Jetpack Jones model with you to the Toolkit 2 Maya class on Thursday 17th.

Thank you Graeme, for pointing out the non-existent link on my earlier post... hopefully that is it sorted now!

Calling all 3rd years! I have been made aware of an exciting opportunity for Computer Animation Arts students to register for a FREE E-Mentoring programme aimed at those considering a career in the animation/VFX industries. The programme is run by a startup called Prospela, it's completely online (think Whatsapp style instant messenger) and the team at Prospela are really looking forward to supporting you.  If you would like to sign up with them to get personalised advice, authentic career insights as well as opportunities from real professionals in the VFX sector, you can sign up to the UCA programme through their website  HERE. Just state that you heard about the programme from me.  With E-Mentors from a huge range of leading companies and startups in VFX, Prospela can match you based on your skills, interests and personalities and you'll enjoy on-demand dedicated support through their web and mobile app.  This is a new venture, so at the moment it is ...

Year 2: Toolkit 2 Check-in Submission 'Percentage'Spreadsheet - The Toolkit 2 check-in submission 'percentage' spreadsheet is now online. Please familiarise yourself with your percentage before attending your tutorial on Tuesday. You can find the spreadsheet on MyUCA under Toolkit 2 /  Teaching Materials

Confirmation of submission time The submission deadline is 6pm not 5pm . Apologies for the typo on the new timetable. 

LA CHUTE from Sacrebleu Productions on Vimeo .

Wednesday 23rd January  is your 'From Script To Screen' Online Greenlight Review Part 1   Your OGR is to be presented as a single Scribd presentation on your blog, beginning with your name, date, and project title. Save your documents as PDFs before uploading to Scribd, as this should mitigate against formating glitches. Your OGR presentations should be uploaded to your blogs by 9pm on Wednesday 23rd January. Written feedback will follow as a 'comment' on your OGR post and will take between 2 - 3 days. From Script To Screen OGR: What do you need to present? The premise of your story The logline of your story The step outline of your story  Your 'like-for-like' storyboard segment (complete) The emphasis of this first OGR is not you giving me full-blown scripts, but rather these condensed summaries of your stories and structures. You might have written more in-depth versions as part of your own process, but all I want to see on OGR day is ...

One of the things on your 'From Script To Screen' to-do list is a 'Like-For-Like Storyboard' - but what is it and what do you need to do? Simple: you choose a short scene from an existing film, animation or television programme and you break it back down into its individual component shots.  You then need to identify and title those individual shots using the various technical names listed on your 'Storyboard Cheat Sheet' and likewise include the conventions for describing illustrated camera moves (zooms, tracking shots etc). You need to choose a sequence that is a) not too long, b) not too short and c) characterised by different kinds of shots.  Please understand - this is not about 're-drawing' a movie, it's about learning to 'see' the construction and combination of different kinds of shots so you can approach the direction of your own scripts just as dynamically! In terms of project-management, I suggest you could start...

As you start thinking about your story ideas and planning your project timetables, take a look at these examples of previous student work in response to the From Script to Screen project brief - all of which began with those same 3 random slips of paper! Mark Bridgland - Laoshu Laoshu - Art Of Charlie Serafini - A Tern For The Better A Tern For The Better - Art Of    Lucy Yelding - Gie (Animatic) Gie 'Art Of'     Samantha Niemczyk -  The Chefs Of Tonga Island  (animatic) The Chefs Of Tonga Island 'Art Of' Jono Pearmain - A Hero's Hat (Maya Pre-viz) Douy Singsamran   - Freak Show Meg Robson   - Arthur This brief is much more than an exercise in satisfying the year one CAA curriculum. This is your first experience of getting an original story idea from 'script to screen' - and what you accomplish in the next few weeks m...

With its emphasis on 'sound', presenting your 'soundscape' project visually can represent a challenge.  How, for example, to express a 'sonic concept'?  How to create engaging experiences of your sonic creations and likewise their creative development?  Take a look at these examples for guidance and inspiration! Sonic Concepts expressed as 'Word Clouds' The three final soundscapes; note how sensitive graphic design and the addition of subtle animation  enrich the listening experience. The brief requires you to archive and present the creative development of your soundscapes - to include all original recordings and then the resulting vocabulary of post-produced SFX originating from them.  You'll need to think about how you can present your workflow engagingly and clearly. You're also asked to profile a sound designer (for film, television or game etc) - check out this profile of Yuu Miyake - complete...

Year 2 & 3 please be aware that... Year 3: The Pipeline 1 turnaround/demo reel shot 'how to' tutorial is now online. You can find it under the Pipeline 1 tutorial set. Please take this video into consideration when planning your Minor Project assessment. Year 2: Your Collaboration feedback and grades are now online on MyUCA. Please note that we will discuss your grade and feedback in more depth during the Premise tutorials.