First Year
• Research Studies
• Drawing for Creative Development
• Visual Development
• Digital Creative Development
• Traditional Creative Development

Second Year
• Professional Practice
• Action Props
• Transformative Techniques
• Digital Development
• Professional Consolidation

Final Year
• Project Research and Preparation
• Final Major Project
• Dissertation/Report
• Final Show and Portfolio

Our model making team have a lot of industry experience and so maintain a strong client database including:

• Aardman Animation
• Industrial Light & Magic
• Alpha Star Productions
• BC-FX • Sea and Sky Pictures

Guest lecturers have included:
•Doug McCarthy, SFX, Weaponry & Vehicles Specialist
• Simon Cox, Independant Film Maker, Writer & Director
• Bentley Advanced Materials, Film Industry Suppliers

As well as having access to a brand new television and film studio and 129-seater theatre space already in use for students, a new 30,000 sq ft commercial film and television sound stage facility and studio complex ‘The Northern Studios’* is currently in development which will provide on the doorstep access to the only television and film studio in the North East.
These facilities will allow students an extraordinary opportunity for access to industry guest speakers and the possibility of work experience on professional film and television programmes, as well as industrial links within both the worlds of stage and screen.

Your portfolio is a visual statement it says a lot about an applicant and their practice. The advice below is not meant to be restrictive but rather offers some simple advice to help you prepare for your interview.

What we like to see
A well-presented and organised portfolio of work demonstrating your best examples, which may also include 3D practical/digital models and a level of progression and development through your recent study. Also having the confidence and enthusiasm to talk about your work and portfolio.

Drawing
Technical drawing and perspective drawing would be beneficial but not essential. A wide range of media is also an advantage, which would demonstrate that an exploration of drawing is taking place.

Sketchbooks
Ideally these should include research and clearly show how this research relates to the project work undertaken.

Questions we may ask
• What TV shows, theatre productions and films are you excited about?
• What have you been to see recently?
• Do you have any practical experience such as backstage work or working on festivals or events?

Our school engages with a wide range of partners working across each creative sub-sector to ensure that teaching and learning are in line with the latest developments in and requirements of industry, including:

Aardman Academy
Aardman Animation is employee-owned and exists for the benefit of its workforce and the industry they are passionate about. The Aardman Academy is one pillar of Aardman Animationset up to nurture talent and to build sustainable careers They are committed to encouraging talent into the industry by delivering world-class animated-related courses and working with institutions like The School. Working with the Academy gives us access to talented members of the whole Aardman Animation team from animators through production designers, model makers and character developers and story board artists. Film director Mark Hewlis, Head of Aardman Academy, has told us “You can’t create something digitally until you know how it works in the real world.”
academy.aardman.com

Tina Sherifa Hicks
Tina is a Production Designer and Art Director whose many credits include: Waterloo Road; Scott and Bailey; Moving On; and The Dumping Ground. Tina has long worked with the school and enabled our graduates to get work experience and jobs. She says…“As a designer in the industry I am always looking for students with outstanding qualities and abilities who can be trained and guided into the roles within the Art Dept.
The BA Production Design for Stage and Screen course trains and educates numerous outstanding graduates yearly, they are equipped with a broad range of skills and knowledge, have keenness and show dedication, all the right ethos and skills that can be transferred into the TV and Film industry.”
www.imdb.com

Grant Montgomery
Grant Montgomery is a production designer and art director, known for his work on HETV projects such as Peaky Blinders, Sanditon and Ghost Stories – he also worked on feature films such as The Secret Garden (2020) and Tolkien (2019) . Grant says…“Good production design is obvious. Great production design is transparent. But most of all it’s the search for the magical balance of craft and art in the service of storytelling and world building”
imdb.com

Matt East
Matt is the co-founder of EPH Creative a supplier to the themed events industry specialising in the design, creation & supply of high quality & visually outstanding event theming and props. They have bases in London and the North of England. Matt is one of our graduates, with his partner he has built a business that now employs 60 people and works with many clients - if you’ve ever seen Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice, This Morning, Masked Singer, Celebrity Juice, A League of Their Own, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway or Britain’s Got Talent the you’ve probably seen their work in action.
eventprophire.com