The Animation programme is a world leader in practice and research, with a commitment to broadening the understanding of our discipline. We offer a unique learning and teaching environment, developing the creativity and skills required in an age of rapid cultural and technological change to enable students to contribute to this expanding and maturing field of moving image. Through innovative, practical research and an understanding of different contexts, traditions and histories, students learn through a potent combination of workshops, lectures, tutorials and, most importantly, through their own practice.

The emphasis of the Animation programme is the development of auteur–artist–filmmakers with a relationship to the industry. Our programme is very much about making animated films and expanded moving image projects within a visually sophisticated, innovative and multidisciplinary art and design context, which includes and demands developing skills and expertise.

Our graduates shape the progress of animation in- and outside the industry as innovative designers and directors. The success of our graduates in senior creative roles indicates that the auteur–filmmaker approach practised by the programme is effective as a holistic method of preparing animation artists for a number of roles within gallery-based and industry-based animated filmmaking, and provides innovators to the animation professions.

Download Animation Programme Information Pack (PDF).

The Animation programme offers:

• an exceptionally stimulating multidisciplinary environment, surrounded by other award-winning programmes in art and design practices
• a curriculum that allows students to explore the creative slip between the diverse forms of moving image: animation, documentary, fiction
• excellent facilities, including shooting studios for stop-frame/green screen, sound recording/mixing, digital studio, digital and film cameras/editing, and a dedicated work space for each student
• excellence of teaching by leading practitioners with input from a wide variety of outside established filmmakers/artists of international reputation – Suzan Pitt, Dennis Tupicoff, Wendell McShine, Marina Warner, Peter Blegvad, Asif Kapadia and Nick Park
• encouragement through the programme for collaboration with other disciplines both within and outside the College and support for extra-curricular activities that broaden the scope of animation practice – running workshops abroad, internships, live projects, studio and festival visits
• a world-leading research environment, attracting AHRC funding
• ongoing relationships with the most successful and innovative sectors of the UK animation industry: the programme receives input from top production studios
• demonstrable real-world impact (e.g. awards: BAFTA, Royal Television Society, Adobe Achievement, Jerwood Prize), exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide, film screenings at festivals, and licenses to terrestrial and satellite television
• alumni including 2008 Oscar-winning animator Suzie Templeton and BAFTA-winning Mike Please.

+44 (0)20 7590 4512
animation@rca.ac.uk

Open Days are held at the College between October and January of each academic year, to enable applicants to explore teaching programmes and meet staff and students