Stop Motion 2 is designed for animation graduates, postgraduates, those looking for an alternative to university, and those with animation experience who want to improve their practical skills. Applications to the course are portfolio-based.

To enroll on Stop Motion 2 there are certain skills that should be demonstrated in your portfolio when you apply. We do not expect you to have completed the Stop Motion 1 course to be accepted on this course, but we do ask that you demonstrate the equivalent experience of bi-ped character animation to a reasonable standard. This is more to make sure the level of the lessons and mentoring are appropriate and to avoid you paying for a course that is not right for you. If we look at your work and think there is a more appropriate course for you (such as Stop Motion 1), we will let you know.

In your portfolio showreel, we would like you to demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles of stop motion character animation, including:

• Walk cycles - basic and character
• Scenes that involve character acting
• An understanding and demonstration of physical performance 

To apply you must provide a link to either a showreel or other moving image work created by you and a 200-word explanation to why you are applying.

Please note that applicants will not be selected due to their writing ability! We just want to know a little bit about who you are and why you are applying. Feel free to write a short summary about you and what you have done as a bullet-pointed list if you’d like. In fact, use whatever style, form or structure that you find easiest.

To partake in the course, you will need:

• A stop motion armature or puppet (This is included in our SM1 course kit)
• An armature rig
• A copy of Dragonframe (This is included in our SM1 course kit)
• A computer or smartphone compatible with Dragonframe to capture your animation. Many webcams and DSLRs are compatible with Dragonframe to partake in the course

Optional but useful:

• Basic lighting (can be a simple household lamp)
• A basic tripod

Please email us after you have been accepted on the course for more information on suppliers! You will be invited to do this upon receiving acceptance onto the course.

For more information, you can find a list of cameras compatible with Dragonframe HERE.

On week one of the course, you will be presented with advice about how to create this simple home set-up.

For each course, you will be sent all the specialist equipment needed. For Stop Motion 2 this includes  replacement mouth shapes, modelling clay, armature head, eyes, and an animator’s tool kit inspired by the equipment all our animators have to hand during production. These will be posted to you before the course begins and are yours to keep.

Please be aware that anyone outside the UK may be required to pay import duties specific to their country. We do everything we can our end to try to make that cost minimal, free, or as low as possible. Please drop us an email if you’d like to ask us more about this.

Each Aardman Academy course is devised by industry professionals with expertise in the specific field of study.

Stop Motion 2 is taught by highly-experienced stop-motion professionals from the Academy Award®-winning Aardman studios, through video lessons that you can watch as many times as you want. Once a week you will have a one-to-one video session with your mentor. This is a chance for you to be mentored and supported throughout the course. 

Course Lead Stuart Messinger - who worked on Aardman’s feature film “The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!” before becoming one of the UK’s leading animation teachers - will deliver live-streamed lectures once a week, where the entire course cohort will meet.

Alongside that, former Aardman commercials director, filmmaker and now Head of Aardman Academy Mark Simon Hewis, will be available each week to meet-up and talk ideas as well as offer help with your weekly tasks.

The active community where you can share ideas, thoughts and problems is supported by Aardman Academy staff and mentors.

Due to the pressures of our active studio productions, the final list of mentors and teachers is built during the 2 months prior to the course launch. We can promise that you won't be disappointed with the calibre of mentors and teachers we have lined up. 

Regular Aardman Academy Mentors Have Included:

Laurie Sitzia

Darren Thompson

Inez Woldman

Will Becher

Hannah Brookes

Tim Allen

Carmen Bromfield Mason

Andy Symonowski

Marie Lechevallier

James Carlisle

Maria Ribas Vicens

The Aardman Academy delivers world-class industry education and skills training as an alternative or addition to the traditional university pathway.

We are interested in your talent and the skills and passion you can offer the industry, rather than focussing on the grades you received at school, college or university.

All of our courses are written and taught by highly experienced professionals from the Academy Award®-winning Aardman studios, not academics. Our courses are less expensive than university degrees, yet we are able to offer weekly one-to-one mentoring with industry leaders and real-person support five days a week.

Each 12-week programme is taught online and follows a flexible structure that gives you time to complete your tasks at a time that best suits you, making this the perfect option for international students. We will find a convenient time for the weekly one-to-one session, whatever your time-zone and commitments, and the Academy team will be available if you have questions or need advice.  

We’ve also decided to keep the course small with no more than 38 participants on any course. That way we can offer you a personal experience; one where you never get lost in a huge teaching group and where everyone knows your name!

All our Industry Training Programmes follow the same 12-week-programme. After successfully completing Stop Motion 1 or Stop Motion 2, you can join another 12-week course but are absolutely under no obligation to do so! You could even come back in a few years and start again if you wanted to - you are in complete control of your Aardman Academy pathway. We believe that education and professional development should be fluid and flexible; meeting the varying needs of our participant's lives and careers.

We also offer payment plans, but this is subject to there being enough time for all instalments to be paid before the course start date.

• 6 monthly payments of £466.67*
• 3 monthly payments of £933.3*
• Single payment of £2800

^{*All fees are paid in full before the course begins.}

If you need any help with this or have any questions at all, please get in touch by emailing [email protected].