1.EXPLORE AND NEGOTIATE A RANGE OF PROJECTS WHICH WOULD BE SUITABLE RO INCLUDE IN A PROFESSIONAL EXIT PORTFOLIO FOR ENTRY INTO THE ANIMATION AND RELATED MOVING-IMAGE INDUSTRIES. 3 - ENQUIRY

2.SHOW THE ABILITY TO RECOGNISE AND APPLY PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND DISCIPLINE IN THE CREATION OF A CLIENT-BASED BODY OF WORK AND TO FORESEE AND MANAGE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS. 4 - ANALYSIS

3.DEMONSTRATE AND RECORD CLEARLY THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH OTHERS AND EXTERNAL CLIENTS EVIDENCING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TO REALISATION OF NEGOTIATED BRIEFS.
DEMONSTRATE A CLEAR ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE PROJECT GOALS AND DEADLINES ACROSS A RANGE OF PROJECTS WITH BOTH STAFF, PEERS AND EXTERNAL CLIENTS. 6 - COMMUNICATION

4.CONSOLIDATE AND APPLY ALL PRIOR LEARNING ACROSS THE AWARD TO THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF NEGOTIATED WORK. 7 – APPLICATION

5.REFLECT ON PRIOR MILESTONES AND MAKE ITERATIONS WHERE APPROPRIATE TO PRODUCE WORK OF A PROFESSIONAL STANDARD SUITABLE FOR GRADUATE LEVEL ENTRY INTO THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY. 8 - REFLECTION

Students will be expected to attend all module sessions in order to benefit from the delivery and understanding of new material, gain understanding of module expectations / tasks and to engage in weekly peer-to-peer and tutor feedback.

In CUBE 8 includes assessment components:

In CUBE 8: PORTFOLIO
Client-negotiated Production portfolio / showreel of work completed to a professional standard appropriate to client expectations and demonstrating relevant audience awareness.
All students will be expected to submit completed screen-based Portfolios for assessment via the professional video-sharing platform Vimeo (www.vimeo.com)
Duration showreel to be negotiated dependant on specifics of individual project needs.
Learning Outcomes: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8

In CUBE 8: BLOG – 1000 words, illustrated
Documented evidence of your individual contribution to a ranges of negotiated client project(s) – individually or as part of a group - and of your professional collaboration skills and working with others.
Submissions must be in the form of a professional, appropriately formatted and organised on-line BLOG.
Learning Outcomes: 3, 4, 6, 8

Please see module handbook for further details. It is expected that you will understand digital formats for submission of digital work.

This is a specialist skills module designed to support you in your chosen specialism of animation production and further development of your Industry relevant portfolio.
This module is a culmination of your award and should demonstrate professional application of all prior skills and learning.

‘CUBE 8’ is an in-house Animation Production facility and ‘incubator’ for development of industry facing creativity and production skills where final year students, working alongside others and in negotiation with external clients can polish their professional skills and portfolio as they prepare for Graduate employment in the moving-image industries.

Supported by Academic and Technical staff students will be responsible for sourcing, securing and producing a variety of moving-image projects in-line with a client’s needs and expectations. These may include (but are not exclusive to):
- Industry live briefs
- Short film(s)
- Web-site design
- Music Video(s)
- Creative commission(s)
- Competition entries

Designed to allow students to gain real-world experience, production management skills and further CV and portfolio development, work will be carried out throughout the two-semester module and negotiated to individual project deadlines and needs.
Work may be executed individually but working in small collaborative teams and sharing duties and responsibilities is encouraged.

The module aim is to engender independence and professionalism in project initiation, development and realisation in preparation for leaving the University and entering the Graduate marketplace.

It is essential you take executive decisions where appropriate to ensure that the project is achieved within a client-negotiated timeframe.
As part of the module you will write project proposals which clearly outline the proportion of time you intend to spend in completing the tasks.
Where appropriate liaison with other creative practitioners, such as, scriptwriters, sound production artists and character voice artists maybe outsourced to enhance the professional standard of your work.
Students should have an awareness of copyright law and licensing of software and sound resources so that their productions meet the requirements for public screening and self-promotion.

The finished work should be of a professional standard, appropriate for public viewing and inclusion in your Graduate portfolio, allowing your work to be seen by a wider animation community and potential employers.
In short – it is work you should be proud of!
It is important to note - the contribution that you make in this module will form a vital part of your showreel that you will be formally presenting to a panel of Industry professionals as part of ‘Portfolio Week’***. It is important that you make your contribution count and that you produce work you are proud of and willing to share in a professional forum.

Working in CUBE 8 intends to give you essential real-world experience of working towards a client-specific outcome- an essential, industry-relevant skill that will enable you to professionally and effectively communicate your ideas and apply your skills to contribute to a range of client-based productions.

A series of supporting Technical Instruction sessions (T.I.’s) will also be available to all students to further promote individual learning, knowledge and understanding of Technical software.

***Portfolio Week is the culmination of your three-year programme of study and a key focus throughout the course. It is proposed and designed as an opportunity for Graduating students to meet with invited members of the moving-image Industries to present their completed portfolio / showreel for discussion and direct industry feedback.

There are no formal lectures during this module as the main emphasis is on a student’s self-management.

The main contact time spent with staff will be during weekly Seminars and Peer Reviews where the progress of the project(s) can be measured against the project proposal(s).

There will be bi-weekly screenings (Rushes) of work-in-progress from pre-production through to post-production in order for staff to ascertain whether the project is on track as detailed in the original proposal.

Additional tutorials can be scheduled by staff and students to meet with individuals or teams as relevant.
It is expected that as a Final Year student that you will fully self-manage your time schedule in the realisation of the module outcomes and client needs.
As such you will need to create a detailed ongoing blog in order to identify your own personal contribution throughout the duration of all projects.

Final Assessment should include all components of the module submitted via Presentation, Vimeo or BLOG.

Your work will be supported by online resources from a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) providing There are no formal lectures during this module as the main emphasis is on a student’s self-management.

The main contact time spent with staff will be during weekly Seminars and Peer Reviews where the progress of the project(s) can be measured against the project proposal(s).

There will be bi-weekly screenings (Rushes) of work-in-progress from pre-production through to post-production in order for staff to ascertain whether the project is on track as detailed in the original proposal.

Additional tutorials can be scheduled by staff and students to meet with individuals or teams as relevant.
It is expected that as a Final Year student that you will fully self-manage your time schedule in the realisation of the module outcomes and client needs.
As such you will need to create a detailed ongoing blog in order to identify your own personal contribution throughout the duration of all projects.

Final Assessment should include all components of the module submitted via Presentation, Vimeo or BLOG.

Your work will be supported by online resources from a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) providing resources for study. As the majority of completed work is submitted digitally this is an integral part of learning on the course.

Where required, booking of equipment and facilities may be necessary by the student.

ON-LINE READING LISTS WILL BE UPDATED ANNUALLY.
THIS IS AN INDICATION OF REFERENCE TEXTS REQUIRED FOR 2019-20 ONLY.

COLLINGTON, M (2016) ‘Animation in Context’, Fairchild Books

DOWLATABADI, Z & WINDER, C (2011) ‘Producing Animation’, Focal Press

MILIC, L & McCONVILLE, Y (2006) ‘The Animation Producer's Handbook’, Open University Press

PILLING, J (2001) ‘Animation: 2D & Beyond’, Diane Publishing Company

Links:
www.vimeo.com
www.skwigly.co.uk
www.awn.com
www.creativebloq.com

Animation Studio facilities.
Motion Capture facilities and studio stage.
2D line testers and light-boxes.
A3 scanners.
Digital Animation Suite – Toon Boom Harmony. Storyboard Pro. Autodesk Maya. Adobe Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects.
Seminar / Lecture room with projector.
Stop Motion Animation studios – Dragon Frame. Canon SLR digital cameras. Lighting.
VLE: Blackboard / Digital Tutors / Lynda.com / other supporting Online resources
Vimeo.com – to be used for display and submission of completed work.

University Library resources: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/uniservices/infoservices/library/
Reference books / DVD collection / Journals and periodicals (physical & online)