How Can You Tell if Our Course is For You?

free 3D software

A career in animation and visual effects is not for everyone. A lot of what we do day to day involves solving software problems, trying to make stuff work on a PC or a Mac, and cursing our computer when it doesn't. Being a digital artist isn't for everyone. One way of finding out if this is something you would like to do for a career is to do a couple of tutorials online. A great place to start is with the 3D software Blender - it's completely free, and there are many free tutorials out there to get you started.

Free Blender Tutorial at YouTube

To begin, go to the Blender homepage at www.blender.org and download their free software. It's easy to do, and quick to install on your laptop, or your friend's laptop. Any reasonably modern machine should be able to run Blender.

Next, go to YouTube and search for Basic Blender Tutorials.  What you want are the most basic tutorials available, that teach you the really simple stuff, assuming absolutely no prior knowledge of the programme. Below is one we like, which teaches you how to model a coffee cup. To do this tutorial you will need a PC (it's not so good on a Mac) and a three button mouse (or Wacom tablet).




If you're running a Mac, you might try this Mac-friendly tutorial below instead. The author gives instructions for both platforms (Blender is slightly different on a Mac vs a PC), so if you are on a Mac you are more likely to be able to follow the tutorial without running into problems.



If you can follow one or both of these tutorials without giving up in despair and wanting to chuck the computer out of the window - a career in animation and visual effects might be for you.

A willingness to learn, an openness to embrace new software, the desire to combine technical and artistic skills - these are the hallmarks of a good digital artist. If this sounds like you - you will most likely enjoy our course at Bucks.

---Alex

For more on the experience of studying at Bucks New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days,  take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK. Find out why we're giving free laptops to all our students, and why we give all our students free access to videos at Lynda.com. Also, see what financial assistance might be available to you. Learn which is better for animation, a PC or a Mac? Get hold of a copy of a map so you can find your way around campus, and learn about motion capture at Bucks. And find out about how our online video tutorials work.

UK Cartoons Boom - good news for British animators

Calamity Island. Shipwrecks... and penguins

According to an article in today's Guardian, the British cartooning industry is booming as never before, thanks in large part to the tax credits put in place by Chancellor George Osbourne in April 2013. CBeebies, the UK's most popular broadcaster of animated children's content, is apparently doubling its output, and it is largely local talent which will reap the rewards of this new boom in UK cartoon spending.

New series include Boj, about a marsupial, Toggle, Circle Square, and Calamity Island. London-based Lupus films, who created the return of the Snowman, two Christmases ago, is making no less than 52 episodes of Toot the Tiny Tugboat in partnership with a Welsh company called Cloth Cap.

According to Kay Benbow, the head of CBeebies, the deciding factor was the new 20% tax credit which had "tipped the balance"in favour of new production at home.

Adrian Wilkins, of the famous Cosgrove Hall animation company in Manchester, said that the boom now meant that it could re-open their studio, closed since 1999. In their heyday, Cosgrove Hall made Danger Mouse, Count Dukula, Wind in the Willows and The BFG. Their first new cartoon will be Pip Ahoy!

Oli Hyatt of Blue Zoo, the UK's largest independent animation company, said that animators were reaping the benefit. "There were so many jobless animators wandering around; now they have come back into the industry. There is a 50% rise in employment."

Ruth Fielding, joint managing director of Lupus Films, was one of a number of company executives who said they were actively recruiting new talent, offering jobs, work experience, and training.

The tax credit works like this: the rules allow tax relief of up to 25% (depending on the amount of British spending and cultural input) on 80% of the core budget. That could mean, in theory at least, a refund of £400,000 on a £2m budget. So, a producer spends £2m in the UK, and gets 20% of it back from HM Government.

So, animators, time to start polishing your demo reels and start jobhunting!

---Alex

To read the whole article in The Guardian, follow this link.

(Editor's Note: For more on how we are helping our graduates to find work, see this piece on finding your first job in the animation industry, and learn what studios look for in a great demo reel.  Hear what London's Blue Zoo has to say about finding work, and take a look at this video by Sony Pictures Animation. You can also watch Alex's ten minute video on creating a great reel, and read this post on the perfect demo reel. Also, check out our guide to animation careers here, and also take a look at this map of digital studios - a great place to start your search for work in the business. Learn the nuts and bolts of freelance life by reading our guide to invoicing clients, and our guide to putting together a great CV.)

Student Showcase - Anton Alfimenko re-creates Old Trafford

Old Trafford stadium by Anton Alfimenko

Anton Alfimenko is one of our first year undergraduates, studying on our new Animation and Visual Effects course, launched in September 2012. One of the reasons that Anton came from Kazakhstan to study in the UK is his passion for Manchester United, and you can see the excellent "Super Fergie" animation he did as a tribute to the retiring club legend Sir Alex Ferguson. As part of his first year studies, he has re-created a digital Old Trafford club stadium. Here at Bucks we salute Anton's digital skill and his enthusiasm for the club.

Part of the trick with studying animation and visual effects is to pursue your passions. The medium involves a lot of hard work and it can be tough to go the distance, to create a portfolio that competes with the very best international competition. By picking a subject close to his heart, Anton ensured that he would complete the project to a high standard.

As well as the modeling, Anton has also demonstrated a strong grasp of textures and lighting to create a final result that feels believable and technically accurate.

(Editor's Note: For more impressive work done by our students and recent graduates here at Bucks, check out Ben Gray's Moonbeam, and the architectural visualisations of Sabah Masood. Also take a look at the work of Andy Thomas here, see our latest commercial project for Rocketseed, our short film done for a global aid agency, and take a look at the excellent work of designer Monika Dzikowicz, architectural visualisation specialist Krsytof Michalski, Alex Whitfield and the 3D artwork of Mike Swan.)