Normally a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in animation or film.
You must submit a portfolio as part of your application. Your portfolio should:
contain at least one completed animated film
show evidence of observational drawing (drawing from life)
show evidence of sequential drawing (storyboards, comic strips etc)
Your personal statement should detail a proposed film project to be completed as part of your studies.
If you do not meet the academic entry requirements, we may still consider your application on the basis of your portfolio and/or relevant professional experience.
show evidence of production design (character and environment designs, shot layouts etc)
show evidence of production planning (shooting schedules, production schedules)
demonstrate a broad range of animation method and technique
demonstrate confidence and competence with a range of software
For 2020 entry we accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified**:
IELTS: total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module and 6.5 in writing)
TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module and 23 in writing)
PTE Academic: total 67 (at least 56 in each of the "Communicative Skills" sections but 61 in Writing)
CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 176 in each module and 139 in writing)*
Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components
**(Revised 21 February 2020 to remove PTE Academic from 2021 entry requirements. Revised 21 April 2020 to include TOEFL-iBT Special Home Edition in 2020 and 2021 entry requirements.)
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
For 2021 entry we will accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified**:
IELTS: total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module and 6.5 in writing) TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module and 23 in writing) CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 176 in each module and 139 in writing)* Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components
*Revised 1 October 2019 to correct entry requirements for the CAE and CPE, to change from 175 to 176 and include 169 in writing.
Animation is a fantastically diverse medium, and its possibilities are expanding continually. Animators are dealing with new platforms for delivery, new technologies for production and new audiences as the theories and contexts of animation are being developed and understood.
Animation has become an integral element of most feature production through VFX pipelines, documentary production through the use of data visualisation and improved compositing techniques, and a vital part of any interactive production.
In order to address the wide range of potential interests within the discipline of animation, our courses are non-prescriptive in terms of methodology and output and take advantage of extensive classical and digital technical resources.
A large part of your research work on the course will relate to both your chosen way of working and how to position yourself in the wider milieu of animation. You will develop an awareness of how to affect dynamic transformation and movement, whether it’s upon a product, an environment, a data set or a film narrative. You will be required to be resourceful, critical, and above all independent.
The main focus of your programme will be the production of a short animated film or an equivalent set of smaller animations. Although there is no set limit, most students produce animation with a duration of between five and 12 minutes in length. This will be part of a substantive body of practical and written work that will also be submitted for assessment.
The two year MFA allows you time to experiment, to allow possible participation in the events of the Edinburgh Festival, and importantly, to explore the new opportunities that Edinburgh offers as a location in which to base your studies.
The programme includes a combination of practical studio work, theory, written studies, professional practice preparation, and a lecture/seminar series, which explores the wider context of your discipline.
It is important to mention that our programme is not focused on a particular piece of software, or a particular technique. To this end it is vital that you have some experience of film making before you consider studying with us. We would expect this to be evident in your application portfolio.
Our graduates find work in four main arenas: animation for cinema, broadcast and web platforms; interactive animation; compositing and visual effects; and data visualisation. Many of our graduates have gone on to careers as award winning independent filmmakers or have followed the studio route and worked with companies such as the BBC, Channel 4, Rushes, Aardman, Laika, Passion Pictures, KoLik, and Nexus Productions, or with directors such as Tim Burton and Wes Anderson.
