BA (Hons) Animation

Introduction

Your portfolio review will be conducted on our video interviewing platform, Shortlister. You will receive an email from us if you have been selected for interview and then you will hear from Shortlister with your log in information.

Once you have received your invitation for a review, you will be sent a log in to Shortlister. Once logged in, you will find a lobby area with a few tips on how to navigate around the platform, a practise area where you can try out answering a few questions, test sharing your screen if required and to build your confidence.

Please note that this interview will require you to share a portfolio and therefore you will need to access this via a laptop or PC.

Please note that the first question will always ask for a form of ID to be shown to the camera. This must be photo ID (a passport, driving license – full or provisional, or a college ID card).

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to the question of what to include in your portfolio. All of our applicants and students are wonderfully different, but what is important, is that you give us a sense of who you are and what current skills you have.

Your portfolio might include examples including:

• Observational / Life Drawing – traditional or digital
• Animation tests or sequences – in any chosen form (these do not need to be ‘finished’ – work-in-progress is great to see too).
• Visual storytelling and character designs.
• A sense of ‘you’ – sketchbook work demonstrating the ability that you are able to think for yourself (some of your time will be untutored at the University and it is important that you show evidence that you are able to work independently).
• Basically – a ‘snap-shot’ of who you are right now – what interests you and what creative / technical skills do you currently have.

The BA (Hons) Animation course at University of Staffordshire is a practical course, so as part of the selection process we would like to see some of the work that you have already made, either during your studies and/or in your own time.

Your personality and passion for the subject is vital–so don’t be afraid to demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm in the subject area –and try to be yourself. 

It is important to remember that we are looking for your potential, not the finished article.

Your portfolio can comprise of JPEG images of your work, PDF of examples, videos of your work or a PowerPoint presentation. You could also provide a link an online website like Artstation or your Youtube Channel where you have uploaded examples of your work.

To ensure every candidate has the same opportunity to highlight their key achievements, skills, and experiences we publish our interview questions. The questions are:

1. Please show a form of ID

2. What are your most successful pieces of work? (Sharing)

3. What’s been the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received about your work and why?

4. If you could show your work to an individual or a company from your creative industries subject area – who would it be and why?

5. If you could animate or create a comic of a single moment from your life to share with the world, what would it be and how would you bring it to life on screen? Reflect on personal experiences and consider how animation would translate emotions and memories.

6. Pick an animation or comic, that blew your mind and consider how would you push the boundaries even further if you were part of its creation and had to contribute innovative ideas.