Awarding Body University of the Arts London Teaching Institution Ravensbourne Final award BA (Hons) Animation UCAS Code WQ15 Relevant QAA Benchmark Statement Communication, media, film and cultural studies Date of production/revision September 2013 Programme Aims The course aims to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills appropriate to a range of career outcomes in the animation industry. In particular, the programme aims to enable you to develop: An understanding of the fundamental principles, practice and technique of 2D and 3D narrative based animation. A contextual understanding of the history of animation, its related industries, and possible futures. An understanding of industrial workflows and methodology as it relates to animation, and a practical experience of them within the studio. An ability to undertake self-directed research for the continued development of animation skills for life-long learning. Programme Outcomes The programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas. Knowledge and Understanding A1: Understand the established skills and techniques of animation. A2: Understand the use of narrative structures in literature, film, games and animation. A3: Understand the key professional practices and business processes necessary to underpin graduate employment in the creative industries. Learning and teaching methods Knowledge and understanding are gained through: Project briefings Studio based lectures Group seminars, technical or practical Workshops Demonstrations Critiques Individual or group tutorials Self-directed study by the student 1
Assessment Knowledge and understanding are assessed through: Pitching of proposals Group and individual presentations Submission of rationales, background research, and developmental materials Evidence of reflection on project development Project work submitted for summative assessment Creative application in practical projects Values and Attitudes B1: Be intellectually curious, analytical and reflective. B2: Be aware of the importance of independent research and enquiry in maintaining industrial relevance. B3: Be able to balance personal creativity with the needs of a client, or parameters of brief. Learning and teaching methods Values and attitudes are informed through: Lectures, seminars, workshops Individual tutorials and self-directed study Project based learning Assessment Values and attitudes are assessed through: Pitching of proposals Group and individual presentations Submission of rationales, background research, and developmental materials Evidence of reflection on project development Project work submitted for summative assessment Creative application in practical projects 2
Skills (Cognitive and Intellectual) C1: Be able to independently and collaboratively generate ideas, concepts, or arguments in response to set briefs. C2: Be able to use visual means to investigate, analyse, interpret, develop and articulate ideas and information. C3: Be able to effectively present and communicate ideas, and concepts to others. Skills ( Specific/Professional) D1: Be able to generate animation proposals, which meet the requirements of professional practice, in response to a brief. D2: Demonstrate diversity in output, producing work in a variety of media, formats and styles. Learning and teaching methods Cognitive and intellectual skills are gained and developed through: Lectures Seminars Workshops Individual tutorials Self-directed study Project based learning Assessment Cognitive and intellectual skills are assessed through: Pitching of proposals Group and individual presentations Submission of rationales, background research, and developmental materials Evidence of reflection on project development Project work submitted for summative assessment Creative application in practical projects Learning and teaching methods Animation specific and professional skills are gained and developed through: Self-directed project based learning Live projects Industrial simulation Placements Industrially sourced project briefs D3: Demonstrate an ability to use digital working methods in the practical application of animation principles. 3
Skills (Transferable) E1: Work independently, setting own aims, objectives and deadlines to manage learning, workload and projects. E2: Work effectively and collaboratively with others from a variety of disciplines. E3: Research, evaluate, analyse, reflect and present information from a range of media sources for improvement in project work Assessment Animation specific and professional skills are assessed through: Project work submitted for summative assessment Submission of rationales, background research, and development materials Evidence of reflection on project development Individual or group presentation may form part of the assessment requirements of some projects Learning and teaching methods Lectures Individual tutorials and self-directed study Group seminars Workshops Critiques Journals Placements Live projects Assessment Transferable skills are assessed through the following evidence: Learning plan Reflective commentary Evidence of personal learning Evidence of research Peer, group and self-assessment Reference Points - The following reference points were used in designing the programme; FHEQ Level 6 FHEQ Level 5 Dip HE FHEQ Level 4 Cert HE Skillset National Occupational Standards Programme Summary Code Unit Credit Value ANI13101/C101 Theory and Context 15 ANI13102/C102 Planning for Enterprise 15 4
ANI13103/C103 Mapping Your Profession 15 ANI13104/C104 Communication and 15 Visualisation ANI13105 Time Based Narrative and 15 Visual Studies ANI13106 Animation Technique and 30 Visual Studies ANI13107 Character Performance 15 and Visual Studies ANI13201/C201 Debate and Polemic 15 ANI13202/C202 Making it happen 15 ANI13203/C203 Dissertation Preparation 15 ANI13204/C204 Promotions and 15 Advertising ANI13205 Digital Environments and 15 Visual Studies ANI13206 Post Production and 15 Visual Effects ANI13207 Industry Exercises 30 ANI13301/C301 Dissertation 15 ANI13302/C302 Taking it forward 15 ANI13303/C303 Major Project Report 15 ANI13304 Advanced Skills 15 ANI13305 Pre-Production 15 ANI13306 Portfolio (Major Project) 30 ANI13307 Animation Promotion 15 Total 360 Modes In order to maximise student access to the course it may be available in a 3 year fulltime mode and in a 2 year fast-track mode. If you apply to complete the course in full-time mode will normally complete the three levels over three academic years (each composed of three terms). Able students who can demonstrate the maturity of outlook and commitment necessary may apply to complete the programme in an intensive fast-track mode. If you are accepted for this mode will normally complete the three levels of the course in two academic years by the accumulation of additional credit and the completion of a fourth term of study in the first calendar year. Ravensbourne reserves the right not to offer, and to withdraw, a mode where a student cohort is of insufficient number to sustain a viable student experience and when other modes are available for completion. Transfer of Mode of Attendance Once you are accepted to a particular mode of attendance you are normally expected to complete your studies in that mode. Exceptionally, a student enrolled on Level 1 of the programme may apply to transfer from the 3 year full-time mode to the 2 year fast-track mode or vice versa by completing a Transfer of Programme/Mode form. Applications for Transfer of Mode from the 3 year full-time mode to the 2 year fasttrack mode must be submitted to Registry by the end of Term 1 of Level 1. No 5
applications for transfer of mode will be considered after that point. Applications will be considered initially by the Leader who will normally meet with the student concerned to ensure that she or he is aware of the demands of the 2 year fast-track mode and the consequences of the transfer. The transfer of mode will commence from the beginning of Term 2 of Level 1. Leaders will assess whether the student is able and has demonstrated the commitment and maturity of outlook necessary to complete their programme in the 2 year fast-track mode, and in doing so will take the following into account: Student project work has evidenced higher than average practical and technical skills There is evidence that the student has demonstrated higher than average collaborative, organisational or interpersonal skills necessary to undertake the 2 year fast-track mode. Applications for Transfer of Mode from the 2 year fast-track mode to the 3 year fulltime mode must be submitted to Registry by the end of Term 2 of Level 1. No applications for transfer of mode will be considered after that point. For all applications for Transfer of Mode, the Leader will make a recommendation to an Interim Assessment Panel or Final Assessment Board. No transfer shall be confirmed without the approval of the Interim Assessment Panel or Final Assessment Board. Distinctive features The programme builds upon the success and reputation for industrial relevance of Ravensbourne s Animation course, which was the first Skillset accredited animation course in Greater London, with students garnering two of the three possible regional nominations for animation from the Royal Television Society and going on to win the 2009 regional final. This BA Animation course is vocationally focused with an additional emphasis on theory, research and analysis of project work. Designed to build competency in the first level, specialisation in the second and independence in the third, graduates will be ready for employment at an entry level within the animation industry or for progression to further study. The course ensures that our learners are fully prepared for the rapidly changing social and technological context in which they will work. A vital part of this is to equip you to make informed choices in your creative use of digital technology in your professional practice and as lifelong, independent and inter-dependent learners. The course s excellent links with industry mean that we are able to maintain good currency, with regular visiting lectures by animators, producers and commissioning editors from companies such as Passion Pictures, Dreamworks, and Aardman. Exposure to industrial process is also taking place beyond the immediate environment of the institution with companies such as The Mill, Double Negative, Rushes, Framestore, Molinaire, Tiger Aspect, Blue Zoo and Frontier Games approaching course staff directly to provide students for placement. Our students are gaining a high profile and industrial recognition for their work; examples of our graduates work are now used to showcase animation packages such as Autodesk s Maya and the Adobe suite of applications. Graduates enjoy good levels of employability, with a 50-50 split between the broadcast and interactive 6
entertainment industry sectors. The course s primary objectives are to provide a structured delivery of fundamental animation skills in Level 1, in both traditional two-dimensional techniques as well as three-dimensional computer generated techniques. In accordance with Skillset guidelines for animation, life drawing is an integral component of appropriate units across all levels of the course. On completion of the first level of the programme and the achievement of the learning outcomes of the units within that level you will be eligible for the award of a Certificate in Higher Education if you exit the programme. In Level 2 the course enables you to identify potential areas of industrial specialisation, and to develop your studies towards preparing for level 3. The emphasis of teaching moves more towards self-direction, independence and reflective practice. This is coupled with increased contextualisation of the animated media, and associated industries. When you successfully complete Level 1 and Level 2 of the programme having achieved all the learning outcomes at these levels you are eligible for award of Diploma in Higher Education. Level 3 mirrors industry practice and encourages cross-discipline work on projects across other pathways. Through a delivery based on collaborative group work all pathways share a common structure that allow each specialism to engage deeply with their subject area while benefitting from opportunities to collaborate and work together across pathways facilitated by the programme as a whole. You will develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates a diverse range of animation techniques that have been produced through studio practice mirroring industrial workflows. This work is presented in a live broadcast event at the end of Level 2 and a final degree show exhibition in Level 3. Graduates will leave Ravensbourne equipped with knowledge and skills in animation but also with experience of team working, inter disciplinary collaboration, and the entrepreneurial skills and broader business awareness necessary to survive, succeed and innovate in the creative professions. The course structure draws on the creative synergies and frictions of the different disciplines at Ravensbourne and provides physical and intellectual opportunities for you to meet, learn and work together with students from different disciplines. You will study subject specialist units, shared units and core units. specialist units focus on subject specialist methodologies, technologies and processes and offer project-based learning that simulates contemporary professional practice. Knowledge and understanding of contextual and theoretical issues are delivered as an integral part of the practice based units. Shared and core units additionally ensure the ability to articulate an intellectual, theoretical and critical awareness of the subject, both located within your practice and in a broader context. This prevents a theory/practice dichotomy while ensuring that this aspect of learning is sufficiently weighted in the curriculum. Shared units are units which bring together courses in analogous specialist subject areas and allow you to gain skills common across these specialist subject areas, or to develop skills complimentary to those of the other specialisms and to work together on collaborative projects in the kinds of interdisciplinary teams common in industry. They therefore begin to introduce you to the real world context of specialism, a world where inevitably specialists work in inter-disciplinary teams. 7
units provide fundamental knowledge, skills and contexts which we believe are necessary for all the creative professionals who graduate from Ravensbourne and provide a model of the types of knowledge you will need continuously to update throughout your career. units equip you with the ideation, visualisation and communication skills required in the creative process characteristic of design and media industries and common across our disciplines. They also provide the conceptual skills, theoretical frameworks and professional contexts necessary for you to position your work and develop your professional identity. Additionally, they ensure that you gain the promotional, marketing and enterprise skills necessary to make success happen in the real world. In Level 1, whereas specialist units encourage cohort identity-building, core and shared units ensure that you get to know others on different courses, quickly develop networks and learn to access the breadth of resources within the building and the various specialisms at Ravensbourne. They also ensure that you experience a broad range of teaching and are exposed to specialist expertise outside of your own areas. and shared units function as a structured and supported introduction to the real world in which people work in mixed professional workplaces rather than single subject communities. Across Level 2 and Level 3, this approach develops what some commentators call T-shapedness. Industry values highly graduates who are strong subject specialists but are also adaptable, empathetic to other professional perspectives and open to learning from these approaches. This balanced blend of core units, shared units and subject specific units provides a unique, bold and enhanced student experience, preparing our graduates for the business environment they will be entering as professionals. It also ensures that your currency as an industry-ready professional does not expire after your first job but instead grows and matures, leaving them open to new challenges and career progression. Recruitment and Admissions Admission Ravensbourne will use a number of methods to assess an Policy/Selection Criteria applicant s suitability for their course of choice. Primarily applicants are selected on the basis of: an applicant s prior academic achievement / qualifications and/or previous employment / life experience; assessment of the applicant s ability and aptitude to succeed on the course for which s/he has applied. Students are selected according to the generic criteria set out below: Personal attributes shows commitment, enthusiasm and interest in the subject area initiative and problem solving 8
ability to communicate Creative process can generate ideas and use external sources to develop them ability to research an idea and follow it through to a finished product Study skills can understand and organise information clearly can investigate and analyse information shows reasoning and intellectual curiosity Professional skills has shown they can initiate and deliver projects can work in a team and with people with different skills has shown confidence with IT Career aspirations understands the relevance of the course to her/his career ambitions understands current debates within industry Accreditation of Prior Learning Applications are welcomed from those who may not possess formal entry qualifications, mature students, those with work experience or with qualifications other than those listed above. Such applicants should demonstrate sufficient aptitude and potential to complete the course successfully. Applicants will be assessed at interview in accordance with Ravensbourne s Accreditation of Prior Learning Policy and Procedure. Where an applicant s first language is not English, proof of competence in English will be required. This will normally take the form of an approved English language test at B2 level, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference. This should have been achieved within the last 18 months prior to commencement of the course. Entry Requirements You will normally be expected to possess five GCSEs (grade C or above) or equivalent (including English and Mathematics) and also to hold at least one of the following or equivalent UK or international qualification: 2 A Levels (grades A-C) or 4 AS Levels (grades A- C) 2 vocational A Level (grades A-C) Level 3 Foundation Diploma or National Diploma Advanced Diploma (grades A-C) International Baccalaureate (28 points or above) 9
Course Diagram 3 Year Full Time Level 1 Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 ANI13103/C103 Mapping Your Profession ANI13104/C104 Communication and Visualisation 30 Credits ANI11105 Time Based Narrative and Visual Studies ANI13106 Animation Technique and Visual Studies ANI13101/C101 Theory and Context ANI13107 Character Performance and Visual Studies ANI13102/C102 Planning for Enterprise Level 2 Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 ANI13202/C202 Making it happen ANI11204/C204 Promotions and Advertising ANI13201/C201 Debate and Polemic ANI13205 Digital ANI13206 Post Environments and Production and Visual 10
Visual Studies Effects 30 Credits ANI13207 Industry Exercises ANI13203/C203 Dissertation Preparation Level 3 Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 ANI13301/C301 Dissertation ANI13302/C302 Taking it forward ANI13307 Animation Promotion ANI13305 Pre-Production 30 Credits ANI13303/C303 Major Project Report ANI13304 Advanced Skills ANI13306 Portfolio (Major Project) 2 Year Fast-track year 1 Level 1 Term 1 Term 2 ANI13103/C103 Mapping Your Profession 11
ANI13104/C104 Communication and Visualisation 30 Credits ANI13105 Time Based Narrative and Visual Studies ANI13106 Animation Technique and Visual Studies ANI13101/C101 Theory and Context ANI13102/C102 Planning for Enterprise ANI13107 Character Performance and Visual Studies Level 2 Term 3 Term 4 12
ANI13203/C203 Dissertation Preparation ANI13202/C202 Making it happen ANI13205 Digital Environments and Visual Studies ANI13201/C201 Debate and Polemic ANI13204/C204 Promotions and Advertising 30 Credits ANI13207 Industry Exercises ANI13206 Post Production and Visual Effects 2 Year Fast-track year 2 Level 3 Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 ANI13301/C301 Dissertation ANI13302/C302 Taking it forward ANI13307 Animation Promotion ANI13305 Pre-Production ANI13303/C303 Major Project Report ANI13304 Advanced Skills 30 Credits ANI13306 Portfolio (Major Project) 13
Please note, this specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each unit can be found in the Course Handbook, Unit Descriptors and Project Briefs. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed by Ravensbourne and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. 14