'Avatar and The Bournemouth supremacy'

With so much educational press written of late on the importance of Science,Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and career opportunities, I particularly enjoyed Lucy Tobin's insightful article in the Guardian (6th March 2010) into the making of the recent sci-fi blockbuster 'Avatar.' The article considers the work done in the different departments of Bournemouth university where expertise is shared in the complimentary disciplines of computer technology and design technology to produce arguably the most talked about film of the year.Read more


The National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) on Bournemouth's University media campus is bringing film makers flocking to sign up graduate talent. There, in studios containing computer pods with the latest modelling software, tutors teach courses such as digital special effects and computer visualisation and animation.  Its alumni are so in demand from the movie industry that more than 50 Bournemouth graduates had a hand in making Avatar.

Paul Kavanagh is one of the industry's heavyweights.  He graduated with a Master's in animation from Bournemouth in 1991 and was Avatar's animation supervisor, overseeing work on character and visuals. But many young graduates who entered the working world at the beginning of the credit crunch also managed to land jobs on the film.

Many of the recent graduates have found work with Lola, a visual effects studio in London, and another London animator, Framestore. Such work and projects like Avatar are a source of inspiration for the current crop of graduates.

The industry is growing alongside a passion for animation in the UK.  Boosted by the special effects used in the Harry Potter series and other British films, it's also in demand by the video games sector.  Studio giants such as DreamWorks often farm out shots to production companies with a specific skills base, so British films are grabbing bigger slices of global projects, too.

All of this means brighter opportunities for new graduates. Again on Avatar, Bournemouth graduates worked on everything from animation supervision to facial technical direction - designing muscles and skin so characters have believable faces and bodies. The particular structure of the NCCA courses makes their students very employable.  They are a marriage of art and sciences.  Lectures cover 'techy' things such as programming as well as aesthetics, idea generation and cinematography.  In addition, industry experts - including many Bournemouth graduates - visit on Fridays to talk about their work on films, games and advertising.  Many are able to offer work experience in the industry. Each year Bournemouth's annual animation student show attracts industry high flyers to talent-spot. Often the student show reels are so good that a number walk away with interviews and job offers!

Such initiatives provide healthy employment rates.  For example, six months after graduating in 2008, 82% of students on the computer visualisation and animation course were in jobs or involved in further study. One particular past pupil made a short film for his Master's course that so impressed DreamWork, that he was signed up and subsequently worked on Shrek and Madagascar, and this year was nominated for an Annie, the animation industry's big award.Read more