BA (Hons)
Animation and Visual Effects

Module Overview

This module develops the applied production skills required for creating 3D assets in animation and visual effects. Students work on environment and character projects, exploring how design, form, and surface communicate narrative and function in digital space. They gain experience with industry-standard tools for modelling, sculpting, surfacing, and rendering, and learn how to optimise and present work for production pipelines. The module emphasises creative problem-solving, procedural thinking, and professional presentation, providing a foundation for advanced CGI and team production practice in the final year.

Module Overview

Creative Collaboration is a Level 5 shared core module that develops students’ ability to work effectively with others in the conception, development, and presentation of creative media projects. Through a series of intensive design sprints, students will collaborate in small groups to respond to a set of themed creative challenges aligned with real-world contexts such as social impact, sustainability, and emerging cultural practices.

The module emphasises collaboration as a creative and professional practice, foregrounding communication, negotiation, leadership, and problem-solving alongside ethical and cultural awareness. Students will be supported to reflect critically on both the creative outcomes and the collaborative processes that shape them.

The module culminates in a project-pitching event in which students present their collaborative projects and participate in a panel discussion, demonstrating their ability to articulate creative intent, evaluate collaborative dynamics, and respond to critical questioning.

Module Overview

This module aims to give you an opportunity to immerse yourself in a specialist area within the creative arts. The content of the module is shaped by the research and practice expertise of staff members who actively collaborate with and mentor you throughout your exploration of this specialist area. This ensures that you benefit from the latest insights and methodologies within the chosen specialist area, gaining a well-rounded understanding that integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application.

Module Overview

This module explores the creative and technical processes of post-production for animation and visual effects. Students learn to integrate multiple visual layers, rendered passes, and live-action plates to produce seamless, cinematic imagery. Workshops cover keying, rotoscoping, tracking, and grading using professional software and emerging novel tools that enhance efficiency without replacing creative control. By the end of the module, students will produce a short composited sequence demonstrating visual coherence, colour harmony, and narrative intent — preparing them for advanced production and real-time workflows in Level 6 study

Module Overview

This module introduces students to the principles and practices of commercial motion design, where animation, graphic design and video combine to create moving visuals for professional and promotional purposes. Motion design is widely used in advertising, branding, broadcast, digital and social media, as well as in corporate communication and experiential contexts such as title sequences, film credits, music videos, product launches and digital interfaces.

Module Overview

Power up your audio production skills with this hands-on, deep dive into the virtual worlds of game audio. Learn how sound designers and studios create atmospheric and action-packed soundscapes to accompany complex gameplay. From creating bespoke sound assets to integrating audio into game engine software, this module is tailor made for those seeking to work in the game audio sector.

Module Overview

The module aims to introduce you to a range of conceptual and theoretical approaches to the study of horror in popular culture. It explores the history of the genre and selected subgenres as well as contemporary manifestations, both supernatural, and realist horror.

The module looks at the horror genre in terms of various social, cultural and national contexts. Students can study psychoanalytical approaches to these fictions as well as approaches such as affect theory which attempt to go beyond psychoanalysis. Through lectures, screenings and discussions, students are encouraged to apply these approaches to the analysis of selected media texts and subgenres.

Module Overview

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes on a professional film set? This module lifts the curtain on the fascinating world of the lesser-known – but absolutely essential – roles that bring a production to life. From discovering what an Assistant Director actually does to exploring the creative magic of a Foley Artist, you’ll get an inside look at the craft, the teamwork, and the problem-solving that power the screen industries.

You’ll be introduced to the full range of production roles, learning what each one does, how they collaborate, and the specialist skills involved. By the end of the module, you’ll have a confident, industry-level understanding of the entire production pipeline—and a clear sense of where you might fit within it. Whether you’re aiming to step onto set, into the studio, or behind the scenes, this module helps you discover the exciting career pathways that lie ahead.

Module Overview

This module is part of the University's commitment to academic programmes that encourage a high level of vocational relevance. This module encourages students to think beyond their University life, reaching into the wider community to hone their skills and target future employment possibilities. The module aims to enable students to examine how arts-based organisations, educational and non-traditional arts-based establishments function and provide students with valuable workplace experience.

Module Overview

Discover the twin pillars of professional screenwriting: creating original story material and evaluating scripts with an industry-ready eye. In this module, you’ll learn how to develop compelling film and television ideas, shape them into concise story outlines, and craft polished opening pages of screenplay that showcase your voice and creative intent. You’ll also step into the world of script development, where you’ll analyse feature film screenplays and produce clear, insightful script coverage — a skill used daily across studios, production companies, agencies, and development rooms. Through workshops, practical tasks, and guided feedback, you’ll build the creative, analytical, and communication skills that underpin successful writing careers. Whether you’re aiming to write your own projects or support the development of others, this module gives you the tools, confidence, and professional mindset to thrive in the screen industries.

Module Overview

The Industry Placement Year is an exciting opportunity for students to take a year out of formal study to gain real-world experience in the creative industries. Whether you’re looking to build industry connections, develop professional skills, or explore career options, this year will give you a full-time, hands-on experience within an arts, cultural, or creative organisation.

This year is a collaborative experience between you, your employer, and the University—ensuring that you get the most out of your time in a professional setting.

Module Overview

Study Abroad is an optional module which enables students to spend a semester studying abroad at one of the University’s approved partner institutions. Eligible students must have completed their first year of study to a satisfactory standard and successfully completed the application process for the study abroad scheme. During the semester spent abroad, students share classes with local students and study on a suite of locally-delivered taught modules which have been approved in advance by the University. Upon their return, as part of the assessment for this module, students are required to critically reflect upon their experience of living and studying in a different cultural environment and the skills acquired.

Module Overview

This module aims to give students a thorough understanding of production design, together with practical and creative skills to develop their own design solutions. Using key examples of production design throughout cinematic and televisual history, students will develop an understanding of how the role has evolved and changed over the years, and where it may be going. Using diverse examples of production designers across multiple genres, the aim is to provide a broad range of contextual references, to provide a foundation for the students’ own creative exploration and experimentation. The students will develop and realise their own production design proposal. This will be presented in an industry-inspired portfolio.

Module Overview

The space occupied by Youth is one that is frequently highly contested, debated and dissected. From ideas of alienated Other to active change maker, youth culture is situated as a fascinating in between site (as a bridge between child and adulthood), as challenging authority and belonging nowhere. The screen scrutinises youth culture through a socio-political lens and asks questions of it, such as how is it perceived, where is it positioned and what does it want?

Screening Youth explores the representation of young people in film and television within the context of society, culture and politics. The module will address youth on screen through themes that contextualise young people in and out of society, which may include image, space, sexuality, violence, identity and sub-cultures to enable students to understand and disseminate youth representations on UK, Hollywood and Global screens.

Module Overview

Enter the exciting world of sound design for moving image, where you will learn the methods and techniques employed by audio professionals working on some of your favourite films and television shows. You will be taken through the processes of creating the soundtrack for a dynamic moving image production, from its inception to completion. Using your imagination, you will channel your creative ideas into sound, using a range of industry-aligned equipment and facilities.

Module Overview

Storytelling for Animation and VFX equips students with the creative skills needed to write compelling narratives that challenge preconceptions of the medium. Students explore global animations, comics and folklore as inspirations and create their own original short form stories.

Module Overview

This capstone production module turns pre-production plans into a completed short film or VFX moment. Students specialise in Art Direction, Animation Direction, or Technical Direction while collaborating across the full pipeline—from layout and rigging to animation, rendering, and post. Working to a negotiated production plan, teams simulate studio practice and deliver a broadcast-quality outcome supported by professional documentation and evaluation. Graduates emerge with a substantial portfolio piece and demonstrable production experience

Module Overview

Creative Futures is a final-year module designed to prepare students for the transition into professional life. Through guest talks, lectures, tutorials, and flexible online learning, students gain a critical understanding of creative careers and the wider labour market. The module focuses on key transferable skills such as emotional intelligence, resilience, digital literacy, critical thinking, leadership, and intercultural awareness. Students will reflect on their strengths, values, and goals, and emerge confident, career-ready, and equipped to thrive in diverse professional environments.

Module Overview

Students undertaking this module develop the ability to generate, research, and realise innovative ideas through an independently conceived project within their Animation and VFX specialism. Guided by workshops and tutorials, students move from concept development and research through to the creation of a visual artefact or written piece. The module supports creative autonomy, problem-solving, and reflective practice, enabling students to produce an outcome that reflects their developing interests, skills, and professional identity.

Module Overview

This module explores the technical backbone of animation production, focusing on rigging, technical animation, and character-effects workflows used in professional pipelines. Students learn how to design, build, and manage functional rigs for characters, props, and articulated systems, while integrating procedural or effects-driven elements to enhance motion and performance. By combining creative problem-solving with industry-standard production methods, students gain the core technical direction skills that underpin modern animation and VFX practice

Module Overview

Community Impact gives students the opportunity to apply their creative skills to real-world challenges in collaboration with external partners and communities. Working individually or in teams, students research, propose, and deliver creative responses to community-focused briefs that address social, cultural, or ethical issues. The module develops professional and transferable skills including project management, communication, collaboration, and reflective practice, while encouraging students to consider how creative work can make a meaningful contribution beyond the University environment.

Module Overview

This module helps you discover how to market and promote creative work effectively. You’ll build practical skills in communication, marketing, and distribution, exploring how creative products and services are positioned and reach audiences across different sectors. You’ll also learn research approaches that give you insight into industry trends and apply these ideas to real-world contexts. Through hands-on assignments, you’ll develop strategies to showcase your work and make it stand out in the competitive creative industries.

Module Overview

This module examines principles of games and play as cultural, aesthetic, and conceptual forms across multiple film and media contexts. It considers how these principles increasingly shape visual culture and digital media practices, including cinematic games, streaming cultures, and forms of interactive storytelling. Through critical study and creative experimentation, the module explores gamification, gameful design, and the growing influence of play-based systems across media and everyday life. It culminates in the creation of design prototypes that reflect games as spaces of cultural expression and innovation.

Module Overview

In this module, you’ll develop skills and knowledge in immersive audio. You’ll explore cutting-edge concepts, technologies, and production techniques that bring sound to life in three dimensions. Through hands-on experience, you’ll work with spatial audio formats like Ambisonics, Dolby Atmos, and binaural rendering, while mastering the principles of multichannel capture, mixing, and monitoring in a professional immersive studio environment.

Module Overview

This module gives students the opportunity to explore how digital content can shape physical spaces, real time environments and interactive experiences. Through hands on experimentation, rapid prototyping and user centred design, students investigate contemporary immersive practices and develop adaptable production methods suited to a fast-changing creative landscape. By the end of the module, students will have produced a small-scale immersive prototype that demonstrates clear problem solving, creative exploration and confident technical decision making.

Module Overview

The module focuses on screen media representations of minds and bodies with an emphasis on moving beyond assessing accuracy of portrayals to understanding the ideological contexts, discourses of power and critical debates in which perceptions of authenticity are constructed. It expands students’ knowledge of screen media’s role in processes of racialization, gendering and othering. Students taking this module will venture beyond film and media scholarship to develop intellectually rigorous critical reading. Drawing on this advanced engagement with established and contemporary debates students will undertake nuanced close textual analysis Students taking this module will develop research skills and written argumentation to support preparation for independent study or similar in-depth engagement with critical ideas.

Module Overview

This module offers students the opportunity to produce a professional-quality short film project that reflects their creative interests and career ambitions. Working within an open brief, students will develop and realise a moving-image work that demonstrates both creative intent and professional production practice. The completed film will serve as a key portfolio piece, supporting progression into industry or further study.

Module Overview

This module offers students the opportunity to develop a professional-quality screenplay project tailored to their creative interests and career goals. Working within an open brief, students will produce an original screenplay artefact that demonstrates advanced storytelling and professional presentation, forming a strong addition to their final portfolio.

Module Overview

This module immerses students in the creative and technical processes of real-time animation production. Using digital content creation (DCC) tools and game engines, students design cinematic sequences that bring animated stories to life in real time. They explore 3D layout, digital cinematography, and shot composition while learning how to manage efficient real-time workflows used in pre-viz, game cinematics and virtual production. By end of the module, students will have produced a short real-time cinematic sequence that demonstrates professional storytelling, aesthetic control, and technical proficiency suitable for contemporary animation and VFX pipelines.