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Dan Root

Dan is a Lecturer on BA (Hons) Animation and BA (Hons) Animation and Visual Effects.

Dan teaches various types of 2D animation, from motion graphics to hand drawn frame-by-frame. He has a particular interest in 2D FX and game animation and has an award-winning YouTube channel that studies animation in video games. He has animated in the games industry as an FX artist and has hosted many talks on video game animation for conventions and other events.

A collage of animated scenes: an exploding game console, a flaming figure, a woman in a purple field, a baseball game, a simple cartoon character walking, abstract white shapes on black, a red car hitting a log, and colorful light bokeh on black.

One of my interests within animation is how video games are animated, as they have an additional set of fundamentals that need to be followed as well as the traditional animation principles. This thread of research, which began as a YouTube channel, has led me on a path of enquiry that has connected me to industry professionals and provided me with opportunities to work within the games industry as an animator.

I love animating weird and wonderful characters and exploring visual effects, like fire, water and fairy dust. I enjoy the process of figuring my own methods for capturing the illusion of movement, which always comes down to the study of movement itself and then stylising that movement. My practice has allowed me to work with other professional animators like Kevin Parry with my visual effects animation.

Motion graphics, puppet rigging and frame-by-frame animation are processes I am very familiar with and enjoy teaching.

Practice

  • 2018 – Wireframe Magazine – Article on the history of Mega Man
  • 2020 – YouTube Silver Play Button – Award for hitting 100k subscribers
  • 2021 – Uplink Con Talk – Talk about video game animation
  • 2021 / 2022 – Agora Community Talk – Talking about animation in video games
  • 2023 – Ember Knights video game – FX animator
  • 2024 – Post Graduate Certificate of Higher Education – Fellow

Other academic activities

  • Animation Consultant: 2023 – current, Forust Studios, Game Studio
  • Animation Workshop Tutor: 2014 – 2016, Signals Media Centre
Dan’s website (opens in a new window)

News

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Norwich University of the Arts is proud to announce that it has been named the inaugural Arts University of the Year by the Daily Mail University Guide…
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Norwich joins global conversation on creativity at ELIA Biennial 2024

Norwich University of the Arts’ Dean of Education, Professor Hilary Carlisle, recently took part in the ELIA Biennial Conference 2024 in Milan, held from 20 to 23 November.
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Body Matters AHRA International Conference

Thursday 21 November – Saturday 23 November 2024 The 21st Architectural Humanities Research Association International Conference is taking place at Norwich this November, with the theme ‘Body Matters’.
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Embracing AI in Textile Design

BA (Hons) Textile Design student, Megan Merhar, shares her journey of incorporating AI into her creative process.
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Norwich University of the Arts
Francis House
3-7 Redwell Street
Norwich
NR2 4SN