Animation with Foundation BA Honours

Critical thinking is fundamental to our ability to progress in an increasingly complex and changing world. It is an essential skill across a range of academic and practice-based disciplines.

This module helps you understand the importance and function of critical thinking both at university and beyond. By working in partnership with academic staff and peers, you will explore how critical thinking aligns with disciplinary practices, shapes scholarly knowledge, and addresses inequalities. Through problem-posing education and anti-racist practices, you will engage with real-world problems, fostering the ability to create a more just and sustainable world.

This module provides you with an opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the key working methods, concepts and principles of the Art and Design disciplines within the Foundation course. You will be challenged to complete a sequence of short projects, working across a range of techniques within the subject disciplines. Self- evaluation and documenting your learning are both important elements of this process, and you will be learning by doing.

This Semester 2 module deepens and consolidates the fundamental skills, approaches and processes of Art and Design research and practice developed in Semester 1 through a practical Extended Project. It helps you to develop your creative practice, based on iterative practical, technical and contextual research, and undertaken through a negotiated project. With an overarching theme set across disciplinary pathways, you will work within a chosen discipline, with group and individual tutorial support, to develop a project proposal in response to the initial brief that after approval is realised through a body of work aimed at presentation in a public exhibition.

This Semester 1 module introduces fundamentals of Art and Design practice and research. It helps you to develop your individual creative practice based on an understanding of visual and contextual research processes through structured studio, research and technical activities.

This module introduces you to the key academic, professional, and personal skills essential for success at university. It encourages good practices in writing, presentation, and time management, while also fostering reflection to help you build confidence as you transition to higher education. Open to all students enrolled in courses delivered through Westminster Foundation Pathways, the module provides a creative and supportive environment where you can reflect on and develop your academic and professional journey. You'll work with specialist facilitators who play a crucial role in guiding your academic and professional development.

With a focus on managing academic choices in a higher education setting, the module emphasises the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using methodologies that prioritise equality, diversity, and inclusion. Through these lenses, you'll explore topics that prepare you to address real-world challenges as highlighted in the SDGs in a socially conscious, inclusive, and responsible manner.

Following the Art and Design modules of Semester 1, this module provides you with the opportunity to engage with some of the key themes and practices of Art and Design disciplines. You will be challenged to complete several projects of approximately one month’s duration, selecting techniques and working methods from the available disciplines. Self-evaluation and documenting your learning continue to be important elements of this process, and you will be learning by doing.

This module is an introduction to working with 2D animation software. It will give you an overview of the various applications of 2D modelling and animation, as well as an understanding of 2D aesthetics. A series of workshops will introduce you to the skills needed to create your own 2D assets, and you will practice animating a 2D rig. These workshops will be the building blocks you need to develop your own concept for a 2D asset or animation.

This module introduces you to the practice and production of 3D computer and video games art. You will consider some of the principles and methods used to create objects as assets for game environments. To do this, you will look at simple briefs and consider the different ways in which a brief for a game can be interpreted creatively. You will then learn how to use 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional tools to create 3D game assets in response to a brief.

The 12 animation principles are the keystones of animation production. Putting them into practice every time you animate will allow you to polish your animation skills for a showreel that stands out to employers. This module will introduce you to the principles of animation through a series of workshops and support you as you put them into practice for your own animation clip. Analysis of existing contemporary industry animation practices will help you to understand the various ways to implement the animation principles and help you to interpret these animation styles for your own animation production.

This module will introduce you to the contexts and industries in which animation is used. You'll examine the professional roles of the animator, as well as the various forms and applications of animation. Workshops and projects will introduce you to the way actions are visualised into movement through filmic languages and processes.

This module focuses on visual storytelling and narrative filmmaking for animation, with a particular focus on narrative in relation to the visual sequence. You'll engage with and critically reflect on a variety of sources and apply some of these approaches in your own practice. The module is designed to provide a link between animation theory and practice. You'll produce critical writing and also participate in weekly practical experiments.

This module introduces you to the practice and production of 2-dimensional (2D) game development. You will consider some of the principles used to develop 2D games. Look at the concepts and methods used to create 2D assets to match a games design brief, including those used to create retro styles such as pixel art.

This module introduces you to the creative and professional practice of concept art across games, film, and related creative industries. You will develop your ability to communicate visual ideas through a range of traditional and digital techniques while exploring the role of research, iteration, and presentation in visual storytelling. You'll investigate how historical, cultural, and global perspectives shape visual languages and production contexts, and how awareness of inclusion, representation, and audience can inform creative choices. Through workshops, research-led visual studies, and iterative creative projects, you will produce original concept work that demonstrates both creative intent and contextual understanding.

This module is designed to open up speculative enquiry and creative exploring of drawing approaches. Learning on this module is transferable and interdisciplinary offering a range of practical workshops and projects to widen the potential of possibilities in drawing practice and deepen your understanding of visual design and image-making.

This module introduces you to core game development concepts of level design and environment art. You will consider some of the principles and methods used to design a level for a game and then concept and develop the game assets used to build the environment. To do this, you will look at simple briefs and consider the different ways in which a brief for a game can be interpreted creatively.

This module is an introduction to working in 3D. It will give you an overview of the various applications of 3D modelling and animation, as well as an understanding of 3D aesthetics. A series of workshops will introduce you to the skills needed to model your own 3D assets, and you will practice animating a 3D rig. These workshops will be the building blocks you need to develop your own concept for a 3D asset or animation. You will develop a digital 3D computer animation using tools such as Toon Boom / Maya.

This module asks you to develop and apply your intellectual, creative and technical abilities to produce an impactful short film that has a high relevance to the real world and the contemporary experience. Working either individually or in small teams (maximum 3), you will create a short film that meets festival distribution standards, ready for exhibition at the Animation end-of-year Show. This film project provides you with essential learning and preparation for your Level 6 experience and your Major Project. You will learn ‘voice-embodiment skills’ (the use of lip sync and expressive body language), consolidate your visual skills and practice of animation workflows, and expand your editorial skills and imagination to make meaningful relationships between word and image. This year-long module provides you with a complete experience in animation film-making. You are expected to engage with this project sustainably and with good professionalism. The following aspects will be key to the success of your project: attendance to classes and respect for deadlines, a willingness to work iteratively with animatics and documentary making approaches, experimentation with film language, storytelling, and visual aesthetics, attention given to production workflows and audience reception, your intellectual and ethical commitment to your chosen issue and subject, and your engagement with collaboration and peer/tutor feedback.

This module provides students with the opportunity to experience industry-standard professional practice through participation in a live or simulated client project, such as producing a title sequence, ident, or promotional animation for a recognised broadcaster (eg BBC), charity, or cultural organisation. Students will work collaboratively to interpret a professional brief, manage production workflows, and deliver a creative solution that meets client expectations for quality, tone, and audience engagement. The project is supported by workshops on team management, sustainability, and professional communication, ensuring students gain a realistic understanding of creative industry practice. The module embeds BAFTA albert sustainability principles, encouraging ethical and environmentally conscious approaches to production.

This module gives you an introduction to the use of visual effects (VFX) for film and games. The module will explore digital aesthetics and creating digital workflows, and the software used to create VFX. Technical support will be available through live demonstrations and online support. When possible, external lectures by industry professionals will enhance your learning on this module. You'll have a varied set of digital experiences when you start the module, so teaching and learning activities will be adapted to suit both those who require extra support, and those who are already familiar with the core software and wish to improve their knowledge and experience.

Visual Identity and branding are key areas of engagement for visual designers. Branding employs design solutions to bring recognition to a wide range of companies, organisations, products, services and causes - providing users with meaningful ways to access and interact with them.In this module, you will consider some of the principles and methods behind visual Identity and branding. The module will introduce design research methods towards the construction of a brand identity and will look at branding from historical and contemporary positions. Through a combination of research, academic writing and design processes, you'll explore the dual sides of branding as both a generator of potent narratives and the impetus behind problematic consumerism, evoking related social contexts and the responsibility of the designer's role in this. As technologies and new user experiences are increasingly embedded within branding and visual identities, the module opens areas of creative exploration to complement physical, spatial and conceptual outcomes.

This module develops your creative and technical understanding of character and creature design within the context of games and related creative industries. You'll explore how anatomy, form, silhouette, and visual style contribute to personality, narrative, and gameplay. Through research, sketching, and iterative design, you'll generate ideas that can be taken from concept art to a resolved visual piece. Working with both traditional and digital techniques, you will develop awareness of cultural influences, representation, and inclusivity in design practice. The module encourages critical reflection on how different artistic and cultural traditions inform the design of characters and creatures, and how concept artists contribute to visual world-building across genres and media.

This module enables you to create a modern piece of interactive media in the form of a website, while also expanding your knowledge of the theories and practices common to the production of interactive media. Through definition and research, you will develop an exciting and unique website project concept, using creative technologies to produce a final professional product. The final prototype website will be developed using current industry digital tools.

Through immersive technologies, creatives have new opportunities to create interactive and immersive experiences, exhibit work at any scale and bridge distances between audiences and artistic experiences. This module will focus on the different aspects of designing for extended reality, while learning about the development of immersive arts as a medium and exploring the ways in which emerging technologies are being utilised by contemporary artists for the exploration of new digital realms. Within this module, you'll be provided with an academic space to creatively explore a range of emerging technologies suited for producing immersive VR and AR experiences.

You'll be exposed to software and hardware relevant for VR and AR, and a selection of workshops will form the framework for creative enquiry and exploration. You'll have the option to explore either AR or VR-based production approaches in your final project, depending on individual interests, with both pathways supported in the workshop course. Within the assessment, there is scope to be experimental, speculative, or applied within the exploration of immersive technology.

This module introduces students to the narrative traditions of the video game industry, with a focus on the use of interactive stories and text-based games to give players a sense of agency. It compares the nature of these works with more traditional narrative forms, and introduces concepts of narrative mechanics, narrative choice and consequence, and audience agency. Students will learn to develop ideas and designs in response to gameplay and narrative requirements, and then develop them from the concept stage through to full digital artefacts.

This module provides you with the opportunity to explore stop-motion animation practices, including puppet animation, sand or paint on glass, pixilation, cut-outs, time-lapse etc. You'll complete a self-negotiated animation, working either individually or in a group, through a process of negotiation with tutors and peers.

In this module, you will explore key principles and theories of narrative. You will be invited to discuss a range of traditional and contemporary applications for visual narrative. Through practical projects, you will examine basic narrative structure, the role of character, environment, action, time, technology, culture and audience interaction in the storytelling process.

This Level 6 module focuses on professional promotion and industry engagement for animation projects. You will create individual promotional packages – such as festival packs, pitch decks, or online campaigns – demonstrating creativity, originality, and industry-standard presentation. You will apply research into audience expectations, industry trends, and sustainability to inform your work. In addition, you will collaborate on a group promotional campaign for a major showcase, developing teamwork, project planning, and professional delivery skills. By the end of the module, you'll be equipped to present your work confidently to industry, festival, and online audiences while demonstrating professional readiness for careers in animation. The module embeds BAFTA albert sustainability training, encouraging environmentally and ethically responsible professional practice in all aspects of your work.

This module gives you the opportunity to plan and produce a complete character performance (animated or sequential) to industry standards. The module puts a strong emphasis on self‐directed processes and developing your individual and personal creative approach to the visualisation of your character's performance. You are expected to expand your aesthetic range, make imaginative use of software/tools, and produce a character performance that will be a great asset for a showreel and/or portfolio.

This module is designed to support you to produce a sequence that shows the best of your creative and technical skills. To do this you'll examine your creative practice in the light of contextual studies, and your understanding of the contemporary animation industry. This analysis will help you identify areas of your practice that are your best asset, so that you can develop an innovative piece of work that will make your professional showreel really stand out to employers.

This module provides you with the guidance to produce a practice portfolio that will serve you in preparation for your future employment, further study, personal and professional objectives. Tutorial guidance is supervisory, and projects and practice undertaking is self-defined with minimal guidance from tutors. At the end of this module, you'll have produced an original piece of animation showcasing your signature style, that you can submit for competitions, festivals, and in your job applications.

This module offers the space for a research-led critical enquiry into a topic connected to your area of creative practice. Including a research presentation and a short academic essay, you will undertake a self-directed investigation into a key aspect of the discourse specific context that surrounds your visual output. Researching and writing about contemporary concerns that frame visual culture will provide a path to a more critical approach to studio practice. This module will be of particular interest to students who may be considering a postgraduate degree.

The module focuses on collaboration with others from different disciplines, to research, explore and experiment with possibilities for expanding storytelling. Through hands-on workshops and critical provocations, you will explore multi-sensory approaches to interactive storytelling, spatial narratives and installation design. Playfulness, speculation and experimentation are encouraged as you work individually or collaboratively to develop proposals and prototypes for a narrative experience.

This module will support you in researching and planning your postgraduate employment journey, whether as a freelancer or by starting a small business in the media, creative, and related digital industries. Through the module, you will develop an awareness of commercial opportunities and learn how to focus your entrepreneurial skills on a chosen field – learning how to develop business ideas and how to present and pitch them effectively. You'll develop a plan to create a start-up business or become a freelancer, learning about personal branding, marketing, project management, budgeting, sustainability, and building an online presence along the way.

This module encourages you to engage with experimental practice as a form of inquiry and research. You will explore creative processes that push beyond traditional subject-disciplined techniques and methods, embracing risk-taking, innovation, and interdisciplinary approaches. Through practice-based investigation, you'll be challenged to develop work that questions boundaries, explores new territories, and opens alternative ways of thinking about your subject discipline and its role in contemporary culture.

In this module, you will explore the opportunities and creative challenges of publishing in various printed formats, ranging from low-fi to luxury, including zines, booklets, magazines, art books, and books. You will be required to pitch, design, and publish an outcome that incorporates writing, illustration, photography, design, typography, and layout, expressed across a range of possible materials and processes. Working in multidisciplinary groups, you will fill all roles needed to conceive, develop, populate, and produce a publication that channels your personal voice, complemented by an appropriate design and format for a specific audience. Skills covering technical, project management, writing, and creative branding components will be supported. The final publication will be an excellent addition to any portfolio.