3D Animation (evening - online)
3D Animation (evening - online)
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Course details
Location
Live online
Start date
3rd March 2025
Duration
20 weeks
Mode of study
Part time (Monday and Wednesday evenings:
7pm-10pm)
Fees
£3,250
Course overview
Bring your characters to life
This course is suitable for anyone looking to break into the animation industry or enhance their skills, learning key techniques, software and skills required to become an Animator. You'll cover essentials, such as locomotion, mechanics, character and creature animation, so you can start to create work for your own animation showreel.
In the final weeks of the course, you'll develop your portfolio with help from our experienced tutors who boast credits including The Lion King, Godzilla and Doctor Strange.
See also MA 3D Animation and 3D Animation short courses (12/18 weeks).
Why choose this course
Ranked 3rd in the UK - and 8th in Europe in the Animation Career Review’s school ranking
Ranked 3rd in the UK - and 27th in the world for 3D Animation by The Rookies
Based in London - home to some of the best animation studios in the world
Industry briefs - work on industry-standard briefs and experience real-life scenarios, just like in a professional studio
Professional input - our advisory board of experts, from the likes of DNEG (Avengers: Endgame and Oscar-winning Dune) and MPC (The Lion King and 1917), help keep this course relevant
Successful alumni - join our community of thousands of Escapees, many of whom have gone on to work at some of the world’s top studios. 31 Escapees worked on Thor: Love and Thunder, 28 on Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and 16 on Stranger Things
AfterCare package - we'll help you polish your showreel and find the right job, with access to our studios and showreel clinics for 12 months
Industry-standard facilities - study in a studio environment that mirrors current industry practice, using professional software such as Maya
Fast-track learning - studying a short course allows you to learn new skills quickly, in a fast-paced environment, so you can start applying for jobs as soon as you’ve completed the programme
Intensive training - we pack a lot into a few evening classes, and we recommend that you work outside of classes for an extra few hours per week to complete your assignments
Flexibility - study live online and in the evening to fit the course around your professional and personal life and other commitments
Strong portfolio - along with an Escape Studios Certificate of Completion, you'll leave with strong creative and technical skills and great pieces for your portfolio
Small class sizes - a convivial environment allows students to assist and inspire one another and benefit from personalised feedback from tutors.
Course modules
Animation basics
Bouncing ball
Lamp hop
Basic walk cycle with basic biped
Basic human walk
Basic run cycle
Human biped run cycle
Basic jumps
Human biped jump
Foxy bouncing ball with tail
Helicopter overlap
Weight shift
Weight lift
Person throwing a ball – use of live action reference
Person throwing a ball – develop and recap
Lifting a heavy object – develop
Lifting a heavy object – refine
Creating thumbnail sketches
Creating character poses
Thumbnail sketches for pantomime animation
Pantomime animation
“Phone booth man” – key poses for character on stepped curves
Add breakdowns to “Phone booth man” using Tween Machine
Reaction shots – animate a “take” with Monty
Reactions – animate a “take” with a human biped
Building and blocking a shot, parenting and constraints
Very short dialogue shot with Monty
Very short dialogue shot with human biped – Norman, Morpheus or Eleven
Block medium dialogue shot
Refine medium dialogue shot
Block advanced dialogue shot
Refine advanced dialogue shot
Quadruped walk
Quadruped trot
Quadruped run
Birds
Animal locomotion using live action reference
Spiders and scorpions
Vehicles and machinery
Assemble the first draft of demo reel
Create a blog to host it
Demo reel review and recap
More information
Minimum requirements
We welcome and encourage applications from students with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
To study this short course, you must:
Be over 18
Have a good understanding of written and spoken English
Feel comfortable using a computer.
If you’d like to discuss your circumstances before applying, contact us!
We can provide remote access to our workstations during teaching time. Due to availability restrictions, we highly advise you to have your own set up at home to study in your own time.
More things you’ll need:
A strong internet connection
Cloud storage or external hard drive to back up your work, 1TB+ recommended
A three-button mouse or graphics tablet. Please note, the Wacom Intuos Pro range of tablets have the best support for our remote desktop software and provide the best experience.
A computer microphone (and optionally a webcam)
Note-taking materials.
If you have any questions about learning online or if you need help with what to buy, get in touch at hello@escapestudios.ac.uk.
To apply, complete the relevant online application form linked below:
Our Admissions Team will get in touch to take you through the next steps.
If you have any questions about your application or our entry requirements, get in touch!
As part of the application process, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions for your place on the course to be secured.
Fees
Live online: £3,250
Payment plans
We offer a range of payment plan options for all courses. Following an initial deposit at registration stage, your chosen payment plan will break down your remaining fees into equal instalments, to be paid over the course length.
Visit our admissions page for any questions about fees, funding and payment plans.
We pack a lot into each class of our evening courses, to be able to offer a learning option that is more flexible and fits in with your personal and work life. This means that contact time with your tutors will be intense learning and hands on. To make the most of this course, we recommend that you spend at least 10 hours working on your projects or practising your new skills in your own time each week.
Maya
“The UK is home to distinct and highly successful centres of animation production excellence throughout the country, including Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, London and Manchester.” (source Animation UK)
You’ll leave with an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, along with strong creative and technical skills and some great pieces of work for your portfolio, which you can add to with help from our Aftercare programme. Ready to apply for jobs in the industry!
Animation Artists often start out in junior roles, such as Runner or Junior Animator, to then rise to mid-level and senior roles such as Lead Animators and Technical Directors, opening the path to becoming an Animation Supervisor.
Our students have gone to work in many areas of the industry, including 3D animation for films, TV, video games and visual effects, at companies including Pixar, Blue Zoo and Framestore. Read some of our animation Escapee success stories.
Check out our Careers Guide for more information about career opportunities and progression routes.
Why Escape Studios?
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Meet our industry-experienced tutors
They all have industry experience and are experts in their fields. They are certified trainers for Autodesk Maya. They’ve worked at studios including Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Framestore, on credits including The Lion King, Godzilla and Doctor Strange.
Student showcase
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Escape Studios is a place that puts students in the perfect position to succeed. The most important thing was networking - exposure to the people who have the jobs to give! I met recruiters, artists, producers, just about every person I needed to meet to gain connections.
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