THE QUESTION THAT COMES UP IN ALMOST EVERY INTERVIEW.
“Do you have mocap experience? Can I see it?”
Motion capture is everywhere in AAA games and film, so studios ask. And raw mocap is never the final product. Somebody has to retarget it, clean it, stitch it together, loop it, and make it feel intentional.
Studios need animators who can do that well. Most animators have never been shown how, so when the question comes, they have nothing to show.
This course makes sure your answer is yes, with work to back it up. Six weeks, start to finish.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF
You already know your way around Maya and you're tired of guessing. Your animation looks okay, but not quite right, and you can't put your finger on why. This is where you find out.
NOT READY YET IF
You've never opened Maya before. Start somewhere else first and come back. This course assumes you know the basics.
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH
A polished takedown animation, planned, splined and finished, ready for your reel.
Walk, run and sprint cycles that hold up under a hiring manager's eye.
A real understanding of weight, balance and momentum, so you can fix your own work long after the course ends.
Parkour, attacks and impacts that hit with genuine force.
LENGTH
12 weeks
FORMAT
Recorded lessons + 3 live drop-ins
SOFTWARE
Autodesk Maya
YOUR INVESTMENT
£595
LEVEL
Intermediate
THE RIGS
Use any rig you like for your projects. On top of that, you get exclusive lifetime access to male and female base rigs built for retargeting mocap cleanly, yours to download from the rig section whenever you need them.
WEEK BY WEEK
WEEK
1
WALK CYCLES
The foundation everything else is built on. Weight shift, contact, passing, and why most walks look floaty.
WEEK
3
WEIGHT
Making a character feel like they have mass, so every movement has a cost.
WEEK
5
PARKOUR
Momentum through the environment. Takeoffs, landings and staying believable at speed.
WEEK
7
IMPACTS
Making hits land. Force, reaction and the frames that sell the contact.
WEEK
9
TAKEDOWN PLANNING
Your final project starts here. Reference, planning and blocking.
WEEK
11
TAKEDOWN POLISH
The last 10 percent that separates a student shot from a professional one.
WEEK
2
RUNS AND SPRINTS
Speed changes everything. How the body commits, leans and pushes off.
WEEK
4
CHARACTER INTERACTION
Two bodies, one shot. Plus your first live drop-in session.
WEEK
6
ATTACK ANIMATION
Anticipation, commitment and follow through on combat moves.
WEEK
8
SECONDARY MOTION
The overlap and follow through that make a shot feel alive. Plus your midpoint drop-in session.
WEEK
10
TAKEDOWN SPLINING
Turning a strong block into clean, believable motion.
WEEK
1
FINAL DROP-IN
Your finished takedown, your questions, and your next steps.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Project files for every lesson
Three live drop-in sessions
Pro tools and scripts
Certificate of completion
Lifetime access to four exclusive rigs
The Student Animation Vault
Private Discord community
Support when you're stuck
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
ABOUT JEROME
I'm Jerome Rodgers-Blake, founder of the Advanced Animation Academy.
I've been animating since 2013. I started as an intern at a VR studio in Gateshead, freelanced through VR, trailers and short films, and worked my way through the industry from there. My credits include Total War: Warhammer 2 and 3, Lords of the Fallen and Dune: Awakening, and I spoke at GDC Microtalks in 2022
Today I'm a Lead Animator, which means I sit on both sides of the table. I know what gets an animator hired, and I know what gets them quietly passed over.
Quite frankly, it's rarely talent. It's usually the gaps nobody pointed out. That's exactly why I built these courses.
MY SHOWREEL
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE MADE
Don't take my word for it. This is work from animators who went through the Academy.
QUESTIONS
Can I do this around a full time job?
Yes. The lessons are pre-recorded, so you work through them when it suits you. The three drop-in sessions are live.
What software do I need?
Autodesk Maya.
Who is this course for?