Anyone who studies or has studied animation at the University of Westminster...

I'm considering this university. I watched the showreels and the artworks are really interesting. However I have a slight doubt about the course itself: I noticed there're lots of 2D, stop-motion and traditional animation, but no 3D — which is what I was really looking forward to.
I would like to know if the students have works with 3D or it's not something much explored there. Thank you in advance.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 1

username4465234

6

Just look up 3D Animation courses and they should cover the more 3D aspects of art compared to Digital Media or Animation.
Or you can look up their course details for sections that have some 3D stuff being taught.
A good animation university should always have a degree showreel or even better multiple student showreels, if the student decided to not do 3D in an Animation course that explores 3D in their units then it was their overall decision/interest to not focus on it.

But honestly regardless of 3D or 2D all you want to end up with is a decent portfolio which will help you get a job and determine your value, a degree in a creative course is not really going to give you and advantage in getting a job or anything but it does give you an excuse to grind for 3 years for a decent portfolio. The courses are coursework based too so you'll be on your or their pc all day doing your projects and learning about half the things in your own time especially how to fix software glitches or cool tips and techniques. University isn't necessary but if you want to go ahead but just know youre putting money on the line.

Reply 2

sparkylab

9

Original post by BlueWolf99

I'm considering this university. I watched the showreels and the artworks are really interesting. However I have a slight doubt about the course itself: I noticed there're lots of 2D, stop-motion and traditional animation, but no 3D — which is what I was really looking forward to.
I would like to know if the students have works with 3D or it's not something much explored there. Thank you in advance.

Westminster uses Adobe Suite, Dragonframe (stop motion), TV Paint (2D) and Rostrum animation. IF they use anything for 3d animation, you'll have to seriously ask them.

here are some 3d animation uni from my list:

Middlesex Uni has a 3D animation/ games course, have you looked into that one?

UCA -(Rochester)
Hertfordshire Uni
Staffordshire
Bournmouth Uni.
Ravensbourne
Uni of Portsmouth
UWTSD
Manchester School of Art
AUB (still wondering how much 3d though, might have the software for it though)
Teesside
Falmouth Uni
Wrexham Glyndwr
Solent
NTU
USW
Cardiff Met
UWE
Uni of Lincoln
Northumbria Uni
Uni of Chichester
New Bucks
Leeds Arts (seems 2d but saw 2 quick 3d in their student compilation)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 3

username4465234

6

Original post by sparkylab

Westminster uses Adobe Suite, Dragonframe (stop motion), TV Paint (2D) and Rostrum animation. IF they use anything for 3d animation, you'll have to seriously ask them.

here are some 3d animation uni from my list:

Middlesex Uni has a 3D animation/ games course, have you looked into that one?

UCA -(Rochester)
Hertfordshire Uni
Staffordshire
Bournmouth Uni.
Ravensbourne
Uni of Portsmouth
UWTSD
Manchester School of Art
AUB (still wondering how much 3d though, might have the software for it though)
Teesside
Falmouth Uni
Wrexham Glyndwr
Solent
NTU
USW
Cardiff Met
UWE
Uni of Lincoln
Northumbria Uni
Uni of Chichester
New Bucks
Leeds Arts (seems 2d but saw 2 quick 3d in their student compilation)

Out of the list i'd only suggest Bournemouth or Hertfordshire which i had a conditional. I had an unconditional offer at Westminister, UAL and Middlesex university back then. I would like to say first of all to not panic about what uni is the best at the course but do look at what softwares (they HAVE TO be industry standard), facilities (drawing tablets, renderfarm, strong pcs, good library) and if they teach you the basic dos and donts of those softwares enough for you to be comfortable/ make things indepententlly and teach you the fundimentals of traditional/2d art. This varies on what you want to do too like 2d animation or 3d or visual effect stuff.

Second of all if you do not end up in Bournemouth or wherever do not be upset as the course is coursework based and you will basically be tought how things work and how to work on things and then the rest will be up to you to create things. It means the uni will teach you things but because you will be working on things indepentently on your own projects you shouldn't really rely on the uni wether its "good" or "bad" to spoonfeed you everything, you should actually develop and self teach a lot of extra incredible skills throughout the years. If not, you and the rest of your class will be graduating and carrying similar portfolio contents varying in skill levels and it wouldn't make your portfolio very unique.

There are lots of tutorials and other resources online that will help you throughout your course. Uni will be there to help you aim the right way but it will not gurantee a good portfolio by the end or improvement in skill or a job, those will be completely up to the student and their hardwork regardless of how fancy the uni seems to be, i just want to give a little heads up as the industry is quite tough, fun, but tough.

Reply 4

Uni of Westminster

9

Hi there

The Animation course at Westminster includes all major animation techniques, so if you have a particular interest in 3D animation then you would be able to specialise from year 2 onwards. Please check out our work online by searching for "Westminster animation " at the links below ... this might help to give you a better impression of the range of the course and the techniques that we explore.

Westminster Animation student showreels
Westminster Animation Facebook

Best of luck with your studies.

Kim
Course Enquires Team :smile:

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 5

Staffordshire University

Official Rep

17

Original post by sparkylab

Westminster uses Adobe Suite, Dragonframe (stop motion), TV Paint (2D) and Rostrum animation. IF they use anything for 3d animation, you'll have to seriously ask them.

here are some 3d animation uni from my list:

Middlesex Uni has a 3D animation/ games course, have you looked into that one?

UCA -(Rochester)
Hertfordshire Uni
Staffordshire
Bournmouth Uni.
Ravensbourne
Uni of Portsmouth
UWTSD
Manchester School of Art
AUB (still wondering how much 3d though, might have the software for it though)
Teesside
Falmouth Uni
Wrexham Glyndwr
Solent
NTU
USW
Cardiff Met
UWE
Uni of Lincoln
Northumbria Uni
Uni of Chichester
New Bucks
Leeds Arts (seems 2d but saw 2 quick 3d in their student compilation)

Thanks for mentioning our course @sparkylab.

@BlueWolf99 - with our course, you'll get the option to specialise in 3D animation if that's your area of interest. Please give me a shout if I can help with anything else.

Thanks

Amy

Reply 6

University of Chichester

11

Original post by sparkylab

Westminster uses Adobe Suite, Dragonframe (stop motion), TV Paint (2D) and Rostrum animation. IF they use anything for 3d animation, you'll have to seriously ask them.

here are some 3d animation uni from my list:

Middlesex Uni has a 3D animation/ games course, have you looked into that one?

UCA -(Rochester)
Hertfordshire Uni
Staffordshire
Bournmouth Uni.
Ravensbourne
Uni of Portsmouth
UWTSD
Manchester School of Art
AUB (still wondering how much 3d though, might have the software for it though)
Teesside
Falmouth Uni
Wrexham Glyndwr
Solent
NTU
USW
Cardiff Met
UWE
Uni of Lincoln
Northumbria Uni
Uni of Chichester
New Bucks
Leeds Arts (seems 2d but saw 2 quick 3d in their student compilation)

We are very proud of our 3D Animation course that is hosted in our brand new state of the art Tech Park. The course is run by two times BAFTA winner Max Tyrie who has worked on films such as The Amazing Spiderman and Suicide Squad.

If you have any more questions - just ask!

Reply 7

Ravensbourne

13

Original post by sparkylab

Westminster uses Adobe Suite, Dragonframe (stop motion), TV Paint (2D) and Rostrum animation. IF they use anything for 3d animation, you'll have to seriously ask them.

here are some 3d animation uni from my list:

Middlesex Uni has a 3D animation/ games course, have you looked into that one?

UCA -(Rochester)
Hertfordshire Uni
Staffordshire
Bournmouth Uni.
Ravensbourne
Uni of Portsmouth
UWTSD
Manchester School of Art
AUB (still wondering how much 3d though, might have the software for it though)
Teesside
Falmouth Uni
Wrexham Glyndwr
Solent
NTU
USW
Cardiff Met
UWE
Uni of Lincoln
Northumbria Uni
Uni of Chichester
New Bucks
Leeds Arts (seems 2d but saw 2 quick 3d in their student compilation)

Hey, thanks for giving us a recommendation @sparkylab

Hi @BlueWolf99,

The Animation course at Ravensbourne lets you specialise in 3D as well as 2D. Our graduates often go on to become 3D generalists. If you want to know more about the course let us know.

Thanks,

Row :h:

Reply 8

Bucks New University

12

Original post by sparkylab

Westminster uses Adobe Suite, Dragonframe (stop motion), TV Paint (2D) and Rostrum animation. IF they use anything for 3d animation, you'll have to seriously ask them.

here are some 3d animation uni from my list:

Middlesex Uni has a 3D animation/ games course, have you looked into that one?

UCA -(Rochester)
Hertfordshire Uni
Staffordshire
Bournmouth Uni.
Ravensbourne
Uni of Portsmouth
UWTSD
Manchester School of Art
AUB (still wondering how much 3d though, might have the software for it though)
Teesside
Falmouth Uni
Wrexham Glyndwr
Solent
NTU
USW
Cardiff Met
UWE
Uni of Lincoln
Northumbria Uni
Uni of Chichester
New Bucks
Leeds Arts (seems 2d but saw 2 quick 3d in their student compilation)

Thanks for the mention @sparkylab!

Hi @BlueWolf99

The animation and visual effects course at Bucks mainly specialises in 3D animation, although some 2D work is used to underpin the creative process and broaden your capabilities.

As well as great facilities, we’re also in a great location, just 30 minutes on the train from London. Just head over to our course page or Bucks forum if you want to know more!

Laura
Bucks New University

Reply 9

BlueWolf99

OP

3

Omg this took more than it should I'm sorry.
Thanks a lot for all the info, guys! (:

Reply 10

sausagebanger

1

I would not recommend it. I had a bad experience myself. I know this thread is from years ago but can hopefully add scope to anybody wanting to join. Firstly you don't learn animation. They teach you social politics. Most of the teachers lack the energy to teach and classes are drawn out to the extent of absolute boredom. They will suck any fun out of what animation should be. One of the teachers goes out of her way just to vocalize she is a feminist. Like cmon i'm here to draw *****. Another teacher will chant 'vote socialism' and will hate anyone who thinks differently from her. This is Julie, she is dangerous and shouldn't be in a position to teach students. They actually, no kidding, will push their agendas down your throat. This is the indoctrination that happens at a lot of universities and this one is no different. If they feel your work doesn't meet their views, they will either censor you or fail you. I've witness this happen to a few students. One student drew a character that was wearing a bra. It didn't even look explicit. And the 'teacher' (no names) just had to yell about women's rights and that they where wrong. It was sad because the student didn't even know how to stand up for themselves, and they got really upset. They will bully and silence you. They go against anything that's ethical. The teachers are mess up. Oh and most of the students either brag about how they drink soya milk or are cokeheads. My time their I just got so depressed. I stopped doing my work because I saw no value in what art was meant to be. I'm a little bit wiser now and more loving. FYI if you love art learn something that you can apply to your art. Something that involves a book and proper education. Most things under the art category is a waist of money.

Reply 11

OttBott

3

I know this post is old but like the person above me, I had a terrible time on the Animation course at Westminster and hope anyone considering it might find this and knows to avoid it!! It was a wasted year for me and a waste of money since Westminster refuses to accept my complaint about the course.

We weren't taught animation on the course, at all. I spent the entire year doing irrelevant tasks like taping down sheets of plastic on a field, and building a box that made an optical illusion. It was completely pointless towards my degree. Our life drawing sessions were irregular and poorly scheduled, our tutor taking the class barely even showed up to the sessions. There was a staffing issue in the year I was there and Westminster failed to sort it out, we were told we were missing our only animation class of the year because of this. Our replacement for this class ended up being two sessions of watching youtube videos, which we only received after students complained about the lack of animation classes. Their other solution was to have us take the class again in the second year alongside the 1st years.
To put 9k into a university for a class that was just watching youtube videos was absurd. It was such a frustrating course and it really felt like the tutors were just there for their paycheck. They had the worst attitudes towards class and the other students, they're completely uncaring, and on multiple occasions, I had friends who were told to drop the course because they weren't good enough by one of the staff members. The points made by the person above me about the way the staff act are 100% accurate as well. They will fail you if your work doesn't meet their own preferences.

I really can't express enough how important I think it is that anyone interested in animation stays away from this uni. I ended up leaving after my first year and going to AUB. About 6 of my friends from the same course at Westminster also left after their first year because of how poor the quality of teaching was. This university will just suck the life out of you it was horrible. The students I know who stayed on the course still hated it, but stayed for the sake of completing their degree. Their quality of work is really down to their own self-study, the university was just taking their money at this point.

The UK has so many better options for animation, and I wish anyone applying for animation good luck!!

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 12

Mellow1

1

I have to choose between Westminster or Ravensbourne for animation. I want u to be real with me. Reading through the comments, it seems Westminster isn’t the one. Are there any helpful suggestions between the two? Is Ravensbourne any better?

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 13

15amor

1

hey, I'm studying at Westminster and unfortunately, I'm in the same boat as the others. Don't go to Westminster I feel like they don't how to teach animation and their teaching is so lazy but hey I keep reminding myself that you don't really degree in this field. The reason why I went to uni is that I need the experience of pushing my art skill and building connections. Ravensbourne for me, the teachers seem to care a lot about how student present their work and I believe this course is very 3D-based idk if you are interested in that type of animation, I don't have many details about this course but it is better if you do research on this. I strongly recommend AUB, they really care about improving student art skills. In the courses, they explore different areas in animation and they let you pick which area you want to do in the 2 years, as well the course is very collaborative as you go into production for the 3 years, you work as a team which is important when working in the animation industry. but that is what I have been told and seen by other people. I looked up the student film they really have good talented artists over thereThere is a lot of great Uni for animation like :h:

ertfordshireFalmouth Royal College of Art (i feel they are more in experimental animation)

Reply 14

Arts University Bournemouth – Uni Rep

Official Rep

6

Thanks for the shoutout! We're really proud of our Animation course and our approach to teaching/learning. As you said, collaboration is really important to us at AUB and we have a real focus on preparing you for industry and nurturing your creativity. You can find out more about the course on our website here: https://aub.ac.uk/course/animation-production/details.

Reply 15

Anonymous #1

Currently studying 'Animation' at Westminster Uni - and there has been very little animation taught on it. DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ANIMATION, I can't say that loud enough!! I regret coming here but unfortunately, I have to see it through - but I do not want other prospective students to make the same mistake and be misled into taking a place here, some students have left/leaving because the syllabus and module options are all mostly graphic design based. For example, Stop-Motion is an optional module in the final year in its place are worthless industry modules that have nothing to do with the Film and TV industry and are tailored to the Illustration and Graphic Design courses. 75% of lecturers and lectures are of a poor standard.
For the 1st year students already on this course, I would see if you can transfer because it doesn't get better and it has not been worth the tuition fee.

Reply 16

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

It’s such a shame to read so many bad reviews of student experience at Westminster. But useful to see that all these reviews are very detailed about the specific problems so that anyone considering taking this course can make a decision with all the relevant information.

Also good to hear that some of the affected students have managed to successfully transfer elsewhere and are able to recommend courses at other universities.

Anyone who studies or has studied animation at the University of Westminster...

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