Diploma
Explore this course
Key details

Location Beaconsfield

Duration 1 year

Commitment Full-time

Next intake September 2021

Application deadline 06 May 2021

Scholarships available

Overview

Mackinnon and Saunders and Aardman logos

This unique and exciting one year full-time practical Postgraduate Diploma course aims to equip students with the skills and experience necessary to enhance their career in the field of professional model/prop making within animation or other media industries.

“For the first time in 5 years, I can’t wait to get to work." Oliver Arnell-Argles, Model Making for Animation student.

Our students work in a fully-equipped workshop/studio environment and collaborate with those in other specialisms, such as animation, production design, digital effects and cinematography, to make several films and practical projects – with all production costs met by the School.

All NFTS students can attend Masterclasses. Recent guests include David Fincher (Fight Club), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave), Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Ben Wheatley (Free Fire), Rapman (Blue Story), Louis Theroux, Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), Denis Villeneuve (Bladerunner 2049), Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), Sam Mendes (1917), Asif Kapadia (Senna), Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir), Russell T Davies (Doctor Who) and Travis Knight (Kubo And The Two Strings).

​This course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based industries, and carries the ScreenSkills Select quality-mark which indicates courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.​

The NFTS wants to encourage applications from the brightest and best talent out there, whatever your background. That’s why we have made scholarship funding available for this course – visit our scholarships available for diploma courses page for more information.

Recent credits and successes

NFTS Model Makers bring Roald Dahl’s writing hut to life to mark the 50th anniversary of his classic children’s novel, Fantastic Mr Fox. Read more.

NFTS Model Makers collaborate on ambitious brief for SHEBA®. Read more.

NFTS has once again been named one of the top five animation schools in the world in this year’s Animation Career Review 2020 School Rankings list, with the School named Number 5 in the world and Number 2 in Europe. Read more.

Head of Model Making John Lee and 2019 graduate Lisa Ott led a Masterclass at Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) 2020, one of Europe's largest animation festivals.

Watch their Masterclass here.

John Lee and three of his Model Making graduates recently worked with renowned Commercials Director Chris Palmer to create a spaceship model in just four days for experimental clothing brand Vollebak. Read more.

Model Making students were delighted to see their work on the big screen in A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, created as part of the course’s work placement with Aardman. Read more.

Nick Park Returns to NFTS to Celebrate Wallace & Gromit's 30th Anniversary. Read more.

John Lee attends Encounters Film Festival with Graduate Model Maker Lisa Ott who is currently working with the UK's largest animation festival. Read more.

Model Making Grads Roisin McCallum and Gemma Byrne recently designed and built four alien puppets for a music video featuring The Big Moon, working with Stink Films. Watch the video here.

NFTS recently launched AccessNFTS, a national outreach programme. The first event was a huge success! NFTS Head of Model Making John Lee headed to BBC Scotland to showcase the unique work of his department. Read more.
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Photos from recent student projects

  • Students replicating a set in miniature from The Shining.
  • Students replicating a set in miniature from The Shining.

What you will study

This is the only UK-based model making course located in a dedicated film studio environment. We intend to take advantage of that. We will be creating professional models, sets, props and puppets. Successful candidates will work individually, and as part of a team within a course comprising of challenging modules, workshops, and tutorials, some of which will take place online.

Later in the year students will produce work on some of the animation graduation films.
 

Download programme specification (PDF) 

Download course outline (PDF)

Head of Department

The course is run by Head of Model Making, John Lee. During his career, John has worked in Commercials, Animation, Children’s TV, Promo’s, and Feature Film, as both Modeller, Art Director and Designer. Credits include Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Isle of Dogs, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Fantastic Mr Fox and Frankenweenie. He was also Production Designer and supervising model maker with his team of artists on the multi award winning John Lewis Christmas advert The Bear & The Hare.

Current or Recent Tutors

Recent visiting tutors have included Joe Holman (Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride, Fantastic Mr. Fox) and Josie Corben (Isle of Dogs, Frankenweenie, Fantastic Mr. Fox).

Fees and funding options

Fees for this course are as follows:

Home/EU/EEA £9,500 (for September 2020 intake)

The tuition fees for September 2020 intake will be confirmed in June 2020, and are likely to be the same, or very similar to 2019

The NFTS does not charge you extra for the cost of productions or materials.

A non-refundable deposit of £500 is required against the cost of your fees on confirmation of your place.

Students are expected to provide their own laptops and to pay for any travel and accommodation related to any work experience we arrange. Students will also be expected to pay for any travel involved with exhibitions or events scheduled away from the NFTS campus subject to travel/ transport/ safe distancing guidelines .

At the NFTS you will get far more time learning directly from tutors, in real production facilities and on real projects, than in the vast majority of film schools or universities. The specialist nature of our courses mean that our students gain the relevant skills and experience they need to go straight into the industry.

Showcase

Model Making students take part in a range of modules and exercises throughout the year. 

Entry requirements

There will be no typical candidate for this course. Your background will almost certainly be in the Arts, and you may well be a recent graduate or Industry professional looking to further specialise.

You will most likely have some pre-industry experience of model making or training in your chosen field and have a basic understanding and experience of workshop equipment and machinery. The ideal candidate should have a mixture of creative, technical, communicative, and problem solving skills necessary to work within a highly productive team.

You will be expected to have your own tool kit and to expand on this during the year, at your cost.

Your application should be supported by a brief outline of your interests in modelling, puppet making, sculpture, filmmaking etc, and show photographic examples of a selection of your best work with detailed notations.

While many applicants will have a degree from a British or overseas university, we will consider applicants who do not have a degree if they have an impressive portfolio, a creative track record or an alternative qualification.

If you are not an EEA National, you must already be in possession of a UK visa valid for the duration of this course.  We are unable to accept your application if you do not.

If you have any questions, please email info@nfts.co.uk.

How to apply

Application deadline: 06 May 2021

 

Applicants must supply the following:

  • Please provide links to your online portfolio, website or showreel and supply detailed notations of your contribution to the images. State whether the work is collaborative or created by you entirely.
  • If you are selected for an interview, you will be expected to show examples of your work in the form of a photographic stills portfolio, as well as digital format on a laptop or tablet and bring to interview some examples of models or puppet making.

Applications open 4th January 2021.

We are happy to receive applications from 4th January until the midnight of the application deadline date.

More content that you may be interested in...

NFTS Model Makers Bring Roald Dahl’s Writing Hut To Life with a Twist In The Tail!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel, Fantastic Mr Fox.

NFTS Model Makers Collaborate On Ambitious Brief for SHEBA®

John Lee, Head of Model Making at the NFTS was thrilled that his students were once again given the opportunity to become heavily involved in another inspired ‘real life’

NFTS Once Again Named as Top Five Animation School in the World

The NFTS has once again been named one of the top five animation schools in the world in this year’s Animation Career Review 2020 School Rankings list

Model Making Students Reveal Incredible New Puppet Creations!

Each year the NFTS Model Making students create their own brilliantly original stop frame animation puppets as one of their modules on the one year full-time Model Making Diploma.