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Visual Effects (VFX) for Film and Television

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-B,B,B

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

Scottish Higher

C,C,C,C,C,D

Scottish Highers – five passes at Grade C or above

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-120

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Visual and audio effects

**It’s Britain, not Hollywood, which leads the world in Visual Effects.**
The course has been devised with input from industry professionals, to develop your understanding of primary visual effects and animation technology and their application in a film production process. There is also a specific focus on traditional art and design skills to inform and enhance your abilities as a VFX practitioner. Once completing our degree course, you will be able to apply your creativity and technical knowledge to enrich the storytelling aspects in a range of films and related projects.

**What you will learn**
From dramatic depictions of impossible worlds to subtle enhancements of everyday reality, its blending of art and technology calls for practitioners who are technically skilled and aesthetically aware. We believe it is essential that these skills are developed in an integrated filmmaking environment. This course will give you a detailed knowledge of the production context and an understanding of related disciplines that informs visual effects practice. Alongside technical knowledge of industry standard software and hardware, the course emphasises the importance of complementary art and design skills, which will inform and enhance your abilities as a practitioner. It recognises the international aspects of visual effects practice, and the possibility for artists to work as part of a global marketplace. The resulting portfolio of skills will inform your personal aspirations in preparation for entry into postgraduate study or professional practice. You will experience a team-based production process that replicates industry best practice; including concept development, on-set data acquisition, asset building, animation and compositing.

The course will give you a detailed knowledge of the production context and an understanding of related disciplines that informs visual effects practice. Alongside technical knowledge of industry standard software and hardware, the course emphasises the importance of complementary art and design skills, which will inform and enhance your abilities as a practitioner. It recognises the international aspects of visual effects practice, and the possibility for artists to work as part of a global marketplace.

The course believes in both the development of independent study skills and the experience of team-based production processes that replicate industry best practice, thereby encouraging awareness of collaborative roles and personal responsibilities required for a successful ethical practitioner. By supporting both group and independent modes of study, the course encourages an engagement with visual effects in the broadest possible sense. It promotes the opportunity for collaboration with other disciplines, and encourages the potential for multiple outcomes beyond an immediate application in the film industry.

Approximately 68% of your time will be contact hours, including scheduled teaching sessions, but also supervised time in the workshop or studio, and the remainder will be independent study. 100% of assessment for this course is coursework based.

**By the end of the course you will be able to...**
- Confidently demonstrate strong observational skills through traditional practices in art and design that complement the visual effects process.

- Demonstrate skills relevant to your specialist profile, with detailed knowledge of the production context in which you work and an understanding of related disciplines that inform your practice.

- Demonstrate a depth of knowledge that allows you to address a range of professional visual effects problems.

- Demonstrate skills in research, analysis and communication to interpret briefs to an industry standard.

- Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of historical and cultural contexts that inform visual effects practice.

Assessment methods

Coursework and practical work

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,950
per year
International
£17,950
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Main Site - Arts University Bournemouth

Department:

Bournemouth Film School

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

65%
Visual and audio effects

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Cinematics and photography

Teaching and learning

77%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
84%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
47%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

83%
UK students
17%
International students
55%
Male students
45%
Female students
72%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Cinematics and photography

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
42%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

54%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
17%
Design occupations
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Cinematics and photography

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£16k

£16k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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