Studying Animation at Falmouth as an international student

This article was written by Animation  BA(Hons) student, Liam

When I was a child, I was obsessed with watching cartoons like Animaniacs and Phineas and Ferb, and my family and I always went to see the latest Disney movies when they came out. It’s no secret that the style of 2D animation appealed to me from a young age. However, it wasn’t until I took a History of Animation class in community college that I realised I wanted to study animation at university.

I enjoyed telling stories, but I wasn’t very good at writing them down. But I found my strength in storytelling through visual arts. I drew and made 3D models in my spare time, and did some stop motion animation when I was younger.

Why study Animation at Falmouth University?

When I was looking at universities, Falmouth’s Animation degree stood out because it teaches a range of styles and techniques in animation and prepares students for industry. I liked that you’re not tied down to studying 2D or 3D animation immediately, like many other courses I’d seen. Plus, I don’t even recall any other universities I looked at offering stop motion as a specialism. 

Many other courses seemed to focus on the individual. You go to class, do your work in your room or the library, then do it all over again. However, at Falmouth there’s a focus on collaboration, where the tutors encourage us to work together and get us ready for the industry. No one makes films alone; the sooner you get used to working in a team, the better. Additionally, the studio spaces are equipped with industry standard software and equipment, like the rooms full of Wacom tablets equipped with TVPaint.  

Studying overseas

I knew I wanted to get out of my hometown as soon as I graduated from community college in the US, but I never expected it’d be over 5,000 miles away. When deciding on which university to study at, I priorities the university that felt like the right fit for me, regardless of distance.

Honestly, my biggest challenge has just been getting homesick, especially missing the food from back home. Luckily, I have a few dishes that are both nostalgic to me and very easy and cheap to make, so I’m winning on that front! 

My experience of studying at Falmouth so far  

Settling into university life at Falmouth was very easy for me because there were so many people in the same position as I was. This made it easy to just approach people you’ve never met before and strike up a conversation. Everyone’s in the same spot, so you’re never alone.

I made some of my first friends when I landed in the UK. We met through the airport collection service the University was running. I’m also really lucky that everyone I met on my course was super approachable and friendly, so it was easy to make friends that way as well!  

Going back to the Animation course, this past semester I made and animated my own puppet from scratch for a Character Design module, which was definitely a standout project for me.