Escape Award for UWE Animation Graduates 2010

Some of our graduating class of 2010 were put forward for an Escape Award - top prize up for grabs was a spot on the new Self-Directed ZBrush Course from Escape. Read more about it at:

http://www.escapestudios.co.uk/top-talent-at-uwe/

Key Skills in the Animation Industry

Key skills for animators include:

• Creativity and imagination
• Patience and attention to detail
• Drawing skills
• Computer literacy and familiarity with graphics software
• Communication and presentation skills
• Ability to meet deadlines and work as part of a team
• Storytelling through acting and storyboards
• A good sense of timing and composition
• An understanding of motion, size, ratios and perspective
• Teamwork
• An ability to take direction
• An ability to work quickly, to deadlines, while retaining a high standard
• Interpersonal communication - especially with clients who may interface with even the most junior roles
• Management - of self, others, work, time and projects
• Understanding and knowledge of job roles and responsibilities
• Understanding preproduction, production and post production pipeline
• Computer operating systems, (notably Linux/Unix as well as Windows and Mac OS)
• Software-specific computer scripting languages (e.g. MEL scripting for Maya, action scripting for Flash)
• Digital asset management
• Creative specialists must know how to communicate with technical specialists and vice versa.
• Contemporary Design skills
• Ability to promote work

Web Design Inspiration

Links to sites on web design:
http://bestwebgallery.com/
http://foliofocus.com/
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/what-makes-good-blog-design/
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/first-impression/
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/find-the-perfect-colors-for-your-website/

navigation:
http://webdesignfromscratch.com/website-architecture/navigation-models.php

Business Cards

Links to Business card design:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dailypoetics/sets/72057594104389710/

Animation Festivals

Most weeks of the year there is an animation festival going on somewhere. So make a film and enter it into all of these festivals. (The deadlines are usually between 6 months and 3 months before the festival itself).

JANUARY.
Animation festival free month!

FEBRUARY.
Animex, Middlesbourough. UK. animex.tees.ac.uk
Animated Exeter. UK. pub.exeter.gov.uk/asp/animatedexeter2006/
Anima, Belgium. www.awn.com/folioscope

MARCH.
BIMNI. Riga Latvia. www.bimini.lv
ANIMAC. Spain. www.animac.info

APRIL.
Cartoons on the bay. Italy. www.cartoonsbay.com
Trickfilm, Stuttgart. Germany. www.itfs.de
Anima, Argentina. http://www.animafestival.com.ar/

MAY.
Anifest, Czech Republic. http://www.anifest.cz/
KAFI. USA. kafi.kvcc.edu
SICAF. Korea. www.sicaf.or.kr

JUNE.
one dot zero. UK. www.onedotzero.com
Annecy. France. http://www.annecy.org/home/index.php?Page_ID=2
Animafest. Zagreb, Croatia. www.animafest.hr
MIAF, Australia. www.miaf.net

JULY.
Anima Mundi, Brazil. www.animamundi.com.br

AUGUST.
SIGGRAPH. USA. www.siggraph.org
Kroc. Ukraine. www.krokfestival.com
London International Animation Festival. UK. http://www.liaf.org.uk/
Hiroshima. Japan. www.urban.ne.jp/home/hiroanim

SEPTEMBER.
TIAF Taiwan. tiaf.ctfa.org.tw
Fantoche. Switzerland. www.fantoche.ch
Arts Electronica, Austria. www.aec.at/festival
Ottawa, Canada. ottawa.awn.com
Fantastick. Sweden. www.fff.se

OCTOBER.
Norwich Animation Festival. UK. http://www.niaf.org.uk/
Fredrickstard Animation Fest. Norway. www.animertedager.no

NOVEMBER.
Holland Animation Film Festival. haff.awn.com/
PISAF. Korea. www.pisaf.or.kr
Cinanima. Portugal. www.cinanima.pt
Calanifest. USA. www.calanifest.com
IAF. Turkey. www.iafistanbul.com
BAF. Bradford. UK. www.baf.org.uk
Animated Encounters. Bristol. UK. www.encounters-festival.org.uk/
SAND (Swansea Animation Days) www.sand.org.uk

DECEMBER.
Castelli. Italy. www.castellianimati.it
TIFF, Albania. www.tiranafilmfest.com
DMF. Australia. www.dmw.com.au
NOT SURE OF TIME OF YEAR!
British Animation Awards www.britishanimationawards.com
Flipbook Festival. USA. www.flipbookfestival.com

Sitting Comfortably

How to sit comfortably at your computer:
http://www.ergonomics.com.au/pages/400_useful_info/420_how_to_sit.htm

Working long hours we sometimes forget about our posture.

Professional Practice Links

a  uwe blog resource for starting out in art, media and design
articles, advice, links, job boards and more; comment and contribute!
http://startdesignmedia.blogspot.com/

a collection of professional practice related bookmarks:
http://delicious.com/startdesignmedia

http://delicious.com/stylobiro

http://delicious.com/rachel_robinson