BU's excellence in VFX
BU has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its visual effects and animation graduates
In 1989, BU's National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) was established, creating a home for the work already taking place at BU.
Since then, the quality of BU's visual effects and animation work has gone from strength to strength, with the NCCA winning a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2011.
The university has produced scores of industry-ready graduates who, armed with what they have learned at BU, have gone on to work at some of the biggest studios in the world, including ILM, Framestore, Double Negative and Pixar.
The NCCA also carries out a range of research, blending visual effects and animation with other sectors such as medical technology and psychology to create real-world applications for the animation and visual effects learning that takes place.
BU offers courses in Visual Effects, Computer Animation Art and Design, and Computer Animation Technical Arts at an undergraduate level, as well as postgraduate degrees in Digital Effects, 3D Computer Animation, and Computer Animation and Visual Effects.
The university and the NCCA are also actively engaged in industry, sending students on placement as well as partnering with studios to ensure that the courses are producing graduates that are ready to go straight into industry.
The university also runs a yearly BFX Festival, bringing industry professionals from around the world to Bournemouth where they speak to students, graduates and fellow professionals about the latest visual effects techniques used in making films and games.
Click here for more information about the NCCA and the courses available at BU.
Many BU graduates have gone on to win awards for the quality of their visual effects work.
One such graduate is Andrew Lockley, who graduated from BU in 2000 and now has two Oscar wins to his name, for Inception and Interstellar respectively.
Speaking after his Oscar win for Interstellar, Andrew (third from the left) said: " I attended the NCCA in 1999-2000 where I did the MA in Digital Special Effects. I really enjoyed my time there, I came in as a mature student and hadn't been to university before, so I embraced student life to its fullest.
"I have very fond memories of my classmates and working through the night in the rather smelly lab - it doesn't sound great but there was great camaraderie among everyone and we'd go out and get pizza at one or two in the morning to bring back to the room and carry on working."
Andrew has been working for Double Negative, based in London, since graduating, also working on the Harry Potter film series and Dunkirk.
But Andrew isn't the only BU graduate to win an Oscar.
In 2016, at the 88th Academy Awards ceremony, Ex Machina picked up the Best Visual Effects Oscar. Taking to the stage to pick up the golden trophy was BU graduate Mark Ardington.
Mark Ardington graduated from BU's BA (Hons) Computer Visualisation & Animation course in 1997.
Mark was one of four visual effects supervisors from the film who attended the Academy Awards to collect the Oscar.
“The four of us that went up on stage were the lucky ones that steered the project but there were a hundred people who worked on it and it’s their work that was rewarded up on that stage and so they should all feel so, so proud,” said Mark.
“We didn’t expect to win – we thought just being nominated was absolutely incredible, for such a small independent movie with the sort of budget that we had.”
The film was Mark’s first project with visual effects company Double Negative, where he works as a Creature Technical Director.
There is more to the visual effects industry than Oscar wins, with BU graduates also going on to start their own animation and visual effects studios.
“My time at Bournemouth University was great for giving me the skill and drive to help start Blue Zoo and, 16 years later, I am so proud of all we have been able to achieve.”
Tom Box, co-founder of Blue Zoo
BU graduate and Blue Zoo Co-Founder Tom Box talks about the quality of BU graduates.
BU graduate and Blue Zoo Co-Founder Tom Box talks about the quality of BU graduates.
BU alumni have continued their success into 2018, with two graduates nominated for prestigious awards for the quality of their visual effects work.
Andy Kind is a Visual Effects Supervisor at Framestore and was part of the team who worked on Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Andy studied the MA Computer Animation and Visualisation course, graduating in 1998, and has gone on to work on films such as Children of Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Harry Potter film series.
Andy bumps into BU graduates wherever he goes.
“BU grads are everywhere! At Framestore where I work there are many Bournemouth alumni who completed the same course and others who have gone on to work in the industry all around the world.”
The film was nominated in the Visual Effects category at the 2019 BAFTA Awards and, though the film didn't win, Andy was proud of the work of the team...
“It is a huge honour to be nominated and in no way did I expect it, I hope to just enjoy the evening.”
Andy Kind
Andy wasn't the only BU graduate to be nominated for an award in 2019, with over 30 graduates nominated across 11 films at the 2019 Academy Awards.
Among them was Theo Jones, who was named in the Best Visual Effects category alongside his colleagues for his work on the film Christopher Robin.
Theo graduated from BU in 2003 with an MSc in Computer Animation and began his career in research and development at Framestore, a BAFTA and Oscar-winning creative studio.
Theo has worked on a range of films including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Tron as well as commercials and theme park rides while working at both Framestore’s London and New York offices.
After spending 11 years working in New York, Theo moved back to the UK in 2017 to supervise VFX on Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 and Paddington 2 before taking the lead role on Christopher Robin, which saw him work on more than 900 shots, animating characters Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Tigger.
Theo said: “I learnt an enormous amount in my year at Bournemouth and will always be grateful to BU for giving me my gateway into the visual effects industry.
"I also met people there that have become lifelong friends and who now work at all the major studios in London. You are never far from a BU graduate in the London VFX industry!
“Being nominated was an enormous thrill! I was watching the announcement live stream in the office with my fellow nominee Chris Lawrence and some of the crew who worked so hard on the film. It is fantastic to have their enormous efforts on such a beautiful movie recognised by the academy - there were a lot of hugs and high-fives!”
BU graduates have worked on internationally-acclaimed films, television programmes and games.
These include Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Gravity, Avatar and Bohemian Rhapsody.
The industry continues to grow and universities like Bournemouth need to continue to take young people through the talent pipeline into industry for the UK's success in the sector to continue.
Tom Box, a BU graduate who co-founded animation studio Blue Zoo, said: “My time at Bournemouth University was great for giving me the skill and drive to help start Blue Zoo and, 16 years later, I am so proud of all we have been able to achieve. We are growing all the time, employing many BU graduates as we do so, and as we continue to grow, we’ll need organisations like BU to remain at the sharp end of creating talent that is much needed in this ever-growing industry in the UK.”
Visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/digitech-futures to learn more about the digital and technological advances taking place at Bournemouth University.
