Character Creation and Technical Effects – (M.A.)

* Develop your Character Creation and Technical Effects skills and knowledge to a more advanced level
* Develop a personal portfolio in approach, style and vision that looks to the forefront of current practices
* Theory and context understanding of character creation and technical effects, its audiences and media culture
* Enquiry, research, creative invention, project planning and management practices
* A multi-disciplinary environment of discussion and ideas exploration

The postgraduate Media programme offers you a coherent learning in one of several awards. It enables you to develop creative practical skills in a discipline of your choosing. That work may extend your existing skills, knowledge and understanding, or it may mean a change of direction, new learning, and new experiences. Induction, seminars and social events for students and staff mean that you will be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community, which includes film makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned professionals work with postgraduate students, helping you to develop original and challenging work.

Your study will include ways of thinking about the cultural resonance of your work and about the audiences it is made for, about the nature of creativity, and the role of the Cultural Industries in a modern knowledge economy.

Through your study you will develop a range of project management skills, and an ability to identify and manage your own learning. You will consider the role of enterprise opportunities in commercial, professional and social environments. Enquiry, research and clear communication underpin work throughout the programme. As well as specialist modules in your chosen discipline area the programme includes modules that are shared with other postgraduate awards in the School of Creative Arts.

This structure promotes cross-discipline discussion and maintains the enthusiasm and focus of discipline specialists. It enables you to develop the key transferable skills of postgraduate study grounded in activities that have currency, relevance and application for your future career and for further academic study.

This award explores what constitutes ‘character’ in various forms of media. It will help you to develop advanced knowledge of the artistic, technical and craft processes (including digital) needed to create characters, as well as training you to a high level in artistic and craft practices. The area involves developing the methodologies and approaches that underlie a thorough analysis of the way characters work including their appearance and actions, performance and expression, the history of character design, and its origins and influences.

Careers

Particular emphasis is given to providing you with the skills necessary to further your career as a Character Creation and Technical Effects practitioner. The course is designed to help you understand and work within the contemporary media environment. Particular attention is given to helping you acquire enquiry and information handling skills, enterprise skills in the development and presentation of ideas, in communicating in the spoken and written word, and addressing particular audiences.