Animation BA (Hons)

Our multiple award-winning programme differs radically from most animation programmes in that we teach the full spectrum of production methods. You will learn about 2D and 3D techniques, using both cameras and CGI, as well as puppet based stop-frame. You will work individually or in a team to make films, documentaries and installations. Our students have previously won awards at Annecy, the Royal Television Society (RTS), the BAFTAs and the Emmys. Animation is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and animators are becoming more sought after by employers. From the animated icons on your phone, the visual effects on the latest feature films, and the interactive worlds and characters on games consoles, to multi-million-view viral web animations; all of this is the work of animators. Here at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) you will be taught in a uniquely broad way, synthesising classical animation technique with innovative technologies that results in a distinctive digital/analogue hybrid. Animation is one of the few media that will allow you to create worlds, populate them, and develop consistent systems of cause and effect (moral, ethical and physical). These are the resources that animators use to either inform an audience for social and commercial purpose, or to immerse them in a compelling narrative - often both. Hand-in-hand with the development of your practical skill base, you will also develop your critical awareness of the medium and its associated industries. You will be able to contextualise your practice and maximise your chances for employment within a continually diversifying range of opportunities within the field. Integrated with the practical studio work, Design & Screen Cultures courses provide a contextual and theoretical understanding of the holistic nature of contemporary design and screen studies.