National Film and Television School (NFTS) is the only film school in the UK with its own in-house television and film studios known as Beaconsfield Studios. This allows the school to operate like a major studio, with professional state-of-the-art production facilities for animation, film, television, games, design, and more.
NFTS has several paths to study animation including a two-year Directing Animation MA; a one-year Model Making for Animation post-graduate diploma; and the three-week Storyboarding for Animators program. The MA and diploma program are delivered at the main campus (Beaconsfield Studios).
Funded by ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund, the Storyboarding for Animators program explores film language; storyboarding for the animated TV series; acting; storyboarding for audio; Storyboard Pro; and pitching and revising. The program culminates with an online networking event.
Across all programs, students benefit from interactions with guest speakers such as Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls) and Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast); courses taught by instructors who are active in the industry; participation in workshops and student showcases; and partnerships with Prime Video, the Film Distributors Association, ITV, The National Lottery, BBC, the UK Cinema Association, and many others.
The Directing Animation MA is delivered in module format, with the opportunity to choose a specialization from the following options: Producing, Screenwriting, Production Design, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, and Composing. Modules include: 1 - Animation Screen Language with Sand; 2 - From Ideas to Animatics; 3 - Character of Place; 4 - The Character Film; 5 - Animation Techniques and Sound; 6 - Animation Graduation Film: Ideas; and 7 – Animation Graduation Film.
The film consists of three stages: Pre-Production, Production, and Post Production. Final films are presented in Central London in front of a live audience at the end of the school year. Films are also entered into major festivals. In addition to the final film NFTS MA students will complete a dissertation consisting of a written piece or video essay.
The Model Making for Animation diploma program is the only UK-based program of its kind located in a dedicated film studio environment. Provided in partnership with Mackinnon & Saunders (animation producers), the program features courses and modules created by the professional animators from Aardman Animations. Examples include Miniature Set Building to Scale; Stop Frame Animated Puppet; Introduction to Pattern and Mouldmaking; and 1:1 Propmaking.
Other program features include the opportunity to collaborate with students from other NFTS programs to create films and complete projects; participation in the Screen Arts Program and Cinema Club; and masterclasses at NFTS and venues in London. Diploma students may also have opportunities to obtain work experience at places such as Warner Brothers, Aardman Animations, Mackinnon & Saunders, Arch Model Studios, and BGI Supplies.
Graduates of the NFTS Model Making for Animation program have gone on to work as prop artists, animators (traditional, puppet, etc.), and modelers at places such as Aardman Animations, Factory Create, Arch Film Studio, and Mackinnon and Saunders. Program alumni have worked on productions such as Spitting Image, Wicked, Dune 2, Wonka, Masters of the Air, Pinocchio, Barbie, Chicken Run 2, Isle of Dogs, and The House.
Overall, graduates of the Animation programs at National Film and Television School enjoy a 90% employment rate. Other studios that have hired NFTS animation alumni include Blue Zoo, Jellyfish Pictures, Blinkink – London Animation Studio, and Animortal - Stop-Motion Animation Studio.
National Film and Television School launched in 1971 as The National Film School. Today, the school provides more than 30 MA, diploma, and certificate programs; short programs across the games, film, and television disciplines; and specialized programs in cinematography, script supervision, directing, and production accounting. Serving more than 700 students each year, National Film and Television School was awarded both the BAFTA for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema, and the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2018.