Animation, which has had to fight for recognition as a form of art with its own history and its own aesthetic, though initially linked to the cinema, of which it was a precursor, today is also linked to new communication media, of which the internet is the last frontier. It is in this context of technological advent and multidisciplinarity that mastery by graduates of new technologies, associated with high creative capacity and the concepts of traditional animation is defined as the central aim of the MA in Digital Animation. In the creative process, these new technologies should be envisaged as traditional materials, not to substitute them but to add to their variety. The following are also aims of the course:
•
to guide animation production towards various formats, from film and television to the new interactive supports;
• to prepare graduates for the whole process of audiovisual production: project management, the various phases of production, and distribution and broadcast to Portuguese and foreign markets;
• to consolidate and deepen knowledge acquired in the Bachelor’s degree in this subject, in the development of new techniques of expression using digital media.
This cycle of studies is organised as follows:
• a master’s course, corresponding to 60 credits, spread over two semesters;
• a second part, corresponding to 60 credits, involving a project or a work placement.
Taking Animation as an area of artistic confluence, the MA is structured in such a way as to maintain some proximity to the areas of Design, Illustration and Communication. The Optional modules allow for complementary training or for the acquisition of specific professionally relevant skills. The 3D Modelling module precedes 3D Animation, a structure that allows the student to develop animated characters in settings he or she created earlier. The Animation Project module continues throughout the year, since it involves the planning of the individual work by the student that is the focus of the 2nd Year of the course.
The course is structured in such a way as to allow the student to acquire the basic skills to create, manage and carry out projects, with a view to their insertion in a professional context; the same objectives apply to the adoption of methodologies, differentiated according to the characteristics of the various Credit Units. Hence, Theory (T) as a methodology, is used exclusively in the modules Research Methods and Practices, Animation Cinema and Entrepreneurship, since what is required is the construction of a theoretical framework in the areas of applied research, the principles of Animation and entrepreneurial application contexts for the skills acquired; Theory as a methodology also appears in the 3D Animation and 3D Modelling modules, to clarify the working principles and operational capacities of the software, whose practical application will then be explored in Practical Laboratory sessions (PL); the rest of the modules are Practical sessions (TP), complemented by a Portfolio, and Tutorial Guidance (OT), particularly the Animation Project, aiming to promote independence and self-discipline in the student, qualities particularly important for the work in the 2nd Year of the course.
Animator, illustrator for animation, video and multimedia producers.
Animator, illustrator in 2D and 3D environments in design studios and publicity agencies.
Director of short animation films, video clips and publicity films.
| Subject Area | Abbreviation | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Animation | A | 27 |
| Design | D | 9 |
| Professional Preparation | GP | 6 |
| Communication | COM | 3 |
| Research Methodologies | MI | 3 |
| Options | ----- | 12 |
| Project or Work Placement | A | 60 |
Cycle of studies: 2nd cycle
Duration: 2 years (2 semesters + 1 year)
Degree: Master
Total ECTS: 120 credits
Higher Education subsystem: Polytechnic
Places: 18
Predominant subject area: Animation
Course Director: To be announced
| 1st Year | 1st semester | 2nd semester |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Year | Dissertation, Project or Work Placement | |