WHEN the credits roll on the latest blockbusters, some people in Bournemouth are sure to stay in their seats.

“One of my favourite pastimes is, at the end of a film, watching the credits and spotting the different people I’ve worked with over the years,” said Adam Twycross, associate lecturer in computer animation at Bournemouth University.

The town’s two universities are supplying talent to the film and video games industries at an impressive rate. But the Bournemouth area is also becoming a centre for film-making itself, with special effects being created here for major movies, and a host of start-up businesses producing films and videos themselves.

Bournemouth University's National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) was set up in 1989 – six years before Hollywood produced the first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story.

Today, it is known for the quality of its graduates, as well as for its courses in film direction, production, cinematography and screenwriting.

The Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), meanwhile, is known for courses including film production, visual effects and model-making.

Adam Twycross said the NCCA remains true to its founding principle of “science in the service of the arts”.

“We’ve got a quite a track record. It’s enabled us to grow and mature as the visual effects and animation industries have grown and matured in the UK, particularly in London, but also overseas as well,” he said.

“Almost any of the blockbuster films that come out, there will be perhaps a dozen of our graduates who have worked on it."

That includes Spectre, recent hits such as Interstellar and Gravity, and forthcoming releases like The Jungle Book – and, of course, the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Mr Twycross let on that there are “a number of our graduates who are working on that show”.

But visual effects graduates are not just learning their craft in Bournemouth; they are also working on major films here.

Visual effects company Framestore – whose credits include Avengers: Age of Ultron, Paddington and Gravity – has a studio on the AUB campus.

“The idea is that as a satellite studio, they will be working on the same projects that the main studio in London will be doing, including major films,” says Mr Twycross.

“Being situated here means they have a pool of talented graduates who are able to come and work with some of the biggest shows on earth but being based in Bournemouth rather than having to travel to London."

Outpost VFX was founded in 2013 on Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, by visual effects supervisor and director Duncan McWilliam.

Its 3,000sqft studio can house 45 artists, with a team built from London effects houses such as Framestore, MPC and DNeg.

Senior producer Danny Duke said the company draws on the talent coming out of the NCCA. “It means we provide graduates a fantastic gateway to the industry, playing our part in keeping creative projects and talent here in the UK and more importantly in Bournemouth,” he said.

It has recently worked on commercials for Audi, Nike, Jaguar and Ford, plus a feature film called My Beautiful Broken Brain, with David Lynch as executive producer.

Mr Duke, originally from Dorchester, studied model-making at what became the AUB and did a masters in 3D computer animation at Bournemouth University. “It was great when I realised that the best possible places for me to pursue my chosen career was so close by in Bournemouth,” he said.

“There's more going on in Bournemouth than most people might think. Companies like LoveLove, Little Blue Hut, White Lantern and the university-backed Rock Paper Film are all involved in a broad range of film, VFX and digital media."

He can easily travel to London for meetings with clients, he said.

“With super fast broadband speeds and online client review tools we've no need to be in London paying huge over heads to provide the same service we can from here," he added.

White Lantern Film can claim to be Bournemouth’s only producer of feature-length movies.

It has released the multi-award-winning environmental documentary Drying For Freedom, the thriller Emulsion and K-Shop –a Sweeney-Todd style thriller about a murderous kebab-shop owner.

It hopes to have Nicholas Hoult star in its next film, a political thriller set in 2035.

White Lantern was recently picked by the British Film Institute to run its Film Academy programme, helping young people develop the knowledge and skills to work in film.

It recently launched The Light Side, which makes corporate films for the likes of Garmin, Mizuno, Farrow & Ball, Sony, Emap and LV=.

Georgina Hurcombe, who graduated in television production from Bournemouth University, set up LoveLove Films in 2010, and was named Businesswoman of the Year at the 2014 Dorset Business Awards.

She said: “We’ve worked with clients from all over the world, from the fabulous Joss Stone, to soft furnishing company Multiyork, and corporates such as CreditPlus.”

She pointed out that Bournemouth has the fastest-growing digital economy in the UK – so there are plenty of companies to build relationships with.

“With its beautiful beaches and dramatic country landscapes, not only does Dorset offer a great working lifestyle but it also has some fantastic locations to shoot in,” she added.

LoveLove Films takes 25-30 placement studios a year from the two universities, and retains some as staff or freelancers. “The film-making scene in Bournemouth is definitely thriving right now,” she added.

A recent start-up in the field is Kube Productions, which was launched by Sam Dawson, now 22, while he was still a student at AUB.

He persuaded his former school friends David Jones and Sam Perkins to move to Bournemouth from South Wales to join him in the business.

The company recently moved into the Picture House, the former Roxy cinema in Holdenhurst Road, Springbourne, where it sits alongside several other creative and digital businesses.

“It’s very much a little community. We all really like working with each other and motivating each other,” he said.

At Bournemouth University, Adam Twycross also senses the area has a film production community springing up.

“We’re well situated, within easy reach of London, have good road and rail links to London and we have an established community of digital talent companies," he said.

"With companies like Framestore and Outpost, there’s a little kind of digital hub down here which will have an excellent chance of growing and expanding.”