By Nathan, BA(Hons) Animation student.
Our student, Nathan, tells us about the industry-focused opportunities he’s had while studying Animation at UWE Bristol. He shares his positive experiences of working with New Wave, the University’s own creative agency. Keep reading to find out more about Nathan’s story.
Nathan’s story
My name’s Nathan and I’m a 3rd year BA(Hons) Animation student at UWE Bristol. I chose to study at UWE Bristol because of its strong reputation for animation. Located in Bristol’s creative hub, it’s the perfect place to study animation, film and TV and offers professional connections with local animators.
My favourite thing about my course is that I’m not restricted to one medium or discipline, or animation itself. We’re able to explore different areas of animation, such as filmmaking, storyboarding, 2D, 3D and stop motion animation, as well as experiment outside of animation.
We also have access to industry-standard facilities and software on campus, which we’ll use as graduate animators in the real world. Working on film projects here feels like being in a professional studio environment.
Animation opportunities on my course
In the first term of my second year, we were assigned to groups to create a short film for pre-school age children, which lasted the entire term. Later that year, when the third-year students began working on their final films, we had the opportunity to join their projects as animators, helping us to build our showreels.
As part of the course, we also took an Animation Business module aimed at preparing us for the industry and enhancing our professional development. This module allowed me to create my own website and showreel, and to write a reflective essay about the experience.
Through these experiences, we learned how to present ourselves professionally, brand and market our skills, and understand what employers are looking for. This gave us a better understanding of how to boost our chances of getting employed in the industry.
“We also have opportunities to learn from leading industry guest speakers, such as Aardman, and attend Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) networking events.”
My experience of my animation project
During Creative Industries Week in my first year, I attended some talks and signed up for New Wave, a creative agency run by UWE Bristol. Through this agency, I’ve had valuable opportunities, such as spending a day on set with a film crew.
I recently received an email from New Wave about an animation opportunity for a wellbeing project. The freelance work involved creating an animation piece of a student’s story about how they found their confidence at UWE Bristol.
After lacking confidence in my first year, I connected with this story and saw how it could help new students facing a similar situation. This encouraged me to put my name forward. And I’m glad I did – the team supported my vision throughout the project, and I had a positive experience working with New Wave.
“This work gave me an opportunity to work with a real client and get feedback, like I will when I work in the industry after I graduate.”
My future animation career
The animation industry is highly competitive, so I’m planning to put myself out there and build more professional connections during my final year. Building connections in the industry is challenging, so having UWE Bristol’s respected name behind me will be a huge advantage.
After graduation, my goal is to work for an animation company, while finding freelance work on the side. In the long term, my ultimate dream is to make my own animations as a director.
Find out more about studying Animation at UWE Bristol.