Sarah Al Runner at ILM

Sarah Al

Many congratulations to Sahra Alsheekhamid (known as "Sarah Al"), who starts work as a runner for Industrial Light and Magic (ILM)  tomorrow, Monday 1st February.

Sara took our online course at Animation Apprentice, graduating from Buckinghamshire New University with an MA in 3D Animation. 

Working as a runner is a well proven path to break into the animation and visual effects industry.

ILM is of course one of the world's leading animation and VFX houses, responsible for the pioneering work on Jurassic Park and on the Star Wars series of box office hits. 

To see more about working as a runner, and the benefits it can bring, read this blog post.  

Getting Started with Stop-Motion Animation

My six year old daughter did her first animation over the Christmas holidays, with a little help from her Daddy.  To make it, we used the Lego Animation Studio, aimed at kids 8-12 years old, which you can buy here.  Father Christmas gave it to her for Christmas (how did he know?), and we did this short stop-motion animation on Boxing Day.  We also needed some kit that didn't come with the Lego pack - an iPhone, a tripod (we used this one here), and the app "I can Animate" which cost $3 to download from the App Store. 

Online MA in Animation - Apply Now

"School Run" by MA student Lee Caller

We are now taking applications through UCAS for the September 2021 intake of our unique online MA in 3D animation.

The online MA is a unique degree (the first of its kind) which can be undertaken by students anywhere in the world, leading to a formal qualification in the field.

You will not only learn how to animate, but you will engage at Masters' level with the underpinning theory and structure behind the art form.

Webinar with YouTube Animator and Entrepreneur Charlotte Gimbird 26 Jan

QC Animations at YouTube - the future of animation?

On Tuesday 26 January at 11.30am I'll be interviewing Charlotte Gimbird, one of my most entrepreneurial animation students. 

The webinar is hosted by Escape Studios, and features undergraduate animation student Charlotte Gimbird, creator of QC Animations.  QC Animations is a YouTube Channel with over 80,000 subscribers, and hundreds of thousands of views every month.  To see how Charlotte has created her own successful animation business out of thin air, sign up for the free webinar here. 

Last Call For Our January 4th Class!

Alien animation by Jeton Lakna

Last call for our 2021 New Year classroom; the new class begins on Monday 4 January 2021.

It's still not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.