Over 50 BU graduates, as well as a number of staff, worked on Oscar-winning film Gravity, a testament to the quality of our teaching in this area, as well as a demonstration of our strong links with the profession.
Our computer animation and visual effects courses, taught at BU through the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), are world leading. Our fusion of a thorough education and excellent ties with the animation and VFX industry is the cornerstone of this success.
There’s no better example of this coming into play than the success of Gravity, the Hollywood blockbuster that picked up seven Oscars in 2014, including the accolade for Achievement in Visual Effects.
Around 50 BU graduates had a hand in creating the set and backdrop for this space-themed drama starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, through their work at VFX studio Framestore, which has a base here in Bournemouth, as well as its headquarters in London. NCCA lecturer Adam Redford also worked on the film for about six months as a senior texture artist at the studio.
See more of the NCCA's work
He takes this and his other experience of working on high-profile films back into his teaching, ensuring BU’s students learn the skills they need to work on cutting-edge projects in the movie and gaming industries.
Adam said: ”The NCCA at Bournemouth University has a great reputation for producing graduates who go on to achieve amazing success in the feature film visual effect industry all over the world. A lot of the tools, techniques and processes used in the creation of the visual effects for Gravity are being taught in NCCA classrooms every day, this will give our students the necessary education and understanding of visual effects to enable them to achieve great success in the feature film visual effects industry of the future.”
Those working in the visual effects industry are equally impressed by the skills of BU’s graduates. Anna Swift, Recruitment & Talent Development Manager at Framestore, commented: “We are so thrilled to be celebrating Gravity’s success, which is a testament to the commitment and skill of our talented staff, including Bournemouth University graduates.”
And Gravity is far from the only example of a high-profile movie that’s had the input of BU graduates - among the other films our alumni have been involved with are Avatar, Inception and the Harry Potter movies.
Word of BU’s prowess in the field of computer animation and visual effects has even spread to Parliament, with David Cameron congratulating the university on its work during Prime Minister’s Questions shortly after the Oscar win.
He stated: “Bournemouth University has excellent courses that have helped to build up the British post-production and facilities industries, which are busy helping to create blockbuster films. It is very good news not only that are we winning Oscars for British films but that British studios are full to bursting point making movies.”