Aardman/RCA Animation (Professional Residency) MFA

The Aardman RCA Animation MFA is a new programme, with its first intake in September 2027. This five term (20 month) programme is a collaborative programme between the RCA and Aardman designed to develop your authorial voice across any animation technique, medium or genre. Students create their own animated project while benefiting from studio space, technical facilities, mentorship and support from both institutions. The programme combines a year of practice-based, academically rigorous study at the RCA in London with two terms professional residency at Aardman’s world-renowned studios in Bristol, preparing graduates to become confident and innovative leaders within the animation industry.

Programme structure:
Term 1
In Term 1, you will study Serious Play, exploring a wide range of creative practices and their cultural, historical and critical contexts. Through rapid prototyping and experimentation, you will develop ideas and receive feedback from tutors and peers. You will also present a poster at the Animation Autumn Symposium, with a focus on inventive approaches to form and concept.
Term 2
In Term 2, you will study Development and Exploration, refining the ideas and skills developed in Term 1 into a plan for a sustained animation project. Through experimentation and research, you will develop your creative process and articulate the influences that inform your practice. Alongside this, you will take an elective unit, working with students from other disciplines on cross-disciplinary challenges.
Term 3
In Term 3, you will study Independent Research Planning, focusing on the development of your main animation project. You will refine your concept, create proofs of concept and production materials, and critically position your work through research. Working with tutors from the RCA and Aardman, you will also develop a production plan for the next stage of the programme.
Term 4 & 5
In the second year, terms 4 & 5, you will undertake a residency at Aardman Academy in Bristol through two units: Animation Professional Residency One and Two. During this period, you will bring your MFA project into full production, working with Aardman staff to deliver a professional animated work. The residency will be completed in a finished animation ready for public screening, along with a distribution plan.

Please upload up to three moving image projects:These must include animation but may also include other media and material forms where relevant, such as illustration, sculpture, installation etc.We would like you to submit complete films rather than clips where possible, up to a maximum of 10 minutes in total for all three projects.If you include a showreel or group work, please indicate this clearly in on screen captions.Please avoid using portfolio templates; we want to see how you curate your works imaginatively and clearly.To support each of the three projects, you may add (up to three in total) additional items to show the project’s research and development.Show us your conceptual research process and practices, and demonstrate a clear relation between imagination, contextual critical engagement and making.Each of these three additional items should be uploaded and not exceed a maximum of five PDF pages with images, descriptive captions and concise written comments.It is important that you ensure all project materials and films are uploaded. Please do not include external links as we will only view what has been uploaded and will not refer to external sites.Personal statement:What applicants need to include in their portfolio.Please provide a 300-word written personal statement that addresses the following points:Introduce yourself, your interests and your motivations for applying to this MFA.Briefly summarise any educational background, professional experience to date that will support your application.Tell us what you want to do in the future, and how you hope the MFA will enable you to achieve those ambitions.Video requirements:You should upload a (maximum 2 minute) video of yourself taking to camera.NB: Selected candidates will be invited for a short online interview:We want to know why you are applying to the Animation (Professional Residency) MFA and what you want to achieve both during your studies and beyond.Please tell us about your artistic, social, political, and/or contextual interests, and how you hope to expand these during your time at the RCA.