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Visual Effects

Entry requirements


Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

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

DMM

BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma Plus five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths or equivalent

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

104

from at least two A-levels Plus five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths or equivalent

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Visual and audio effects

Visual Effects BSc has been developed in consultation with the industry to deliver skills relative to the production of visual effects (VFX) across a range of contemporary media. The use of VFX is commonplace within broadcast productions, film and animation, video games, and in advertising. This is reflected in the scope of this course as it pulls from a number of disciplines including film, special effects, animation and 3D, to complement the interdisciplinarity of the subject.

This course also encourages you to develop your creative flair and understanding of industry-standard software to create your own 3D content for use in film and television projects.

As an integral part of the multibillion-pound film and television industry, studying the creative and technical skills used in VFX can open up extensive career prospects.

Our graduates have gone on to work in roles such as compositors and matte painters, as well as wider media-based roles such as colourists and finishers.

**Key features**

- On this course, you will study a range of topics including VFX and compositing basics, 3D modelling and animation, match-moving and MOCAP (motion capture), and tracking rigging and compositing.

- Benefit from our specialist facilities, featuring audio recording studios, broadcast-standard radio production studios and management systems, standalone film studios equipped with multi-cameras, as well as green screen facilities.

- Our VFX facilities include high-definition mixed media workstations, using industry-standard software such as 3ds Max, Maya, Nuke, After Effects and DaVinci Resolve.

- Through block teaching, you will focus on one subject at a time instead of several at once. This means that you will be able to focus closely on each subject and absorb your learning material in more depth, whilst working more closely with your tutors and course mates.

- Our DMU Global programme offers students the opportunity to have a valuable international experience as part of their studies. During a trip to Berlin, VFX students were able to explore the historical, social and cultural context of animated content, visual effects and film.

- Gain valuable hands-on experience by joining a range of student societies such as the award-winning Demon Media group, with opportunities to contribute to its magazine, radio station, TV station and website.

- Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Modules

Year one
Block 1: Film and Photography Capture

Block 2: Introduction to VFX

Block 3: 3D Modelling and Animation

Block 4: Commercial Content Production

Year two
Block 1: Film and Photography Techniques

Block 2: Compositing and Matte Painting

Block 3: Character Animation and MoCap

Block 4: Creative Enterprise

Year three
Block 1: Short Film Production OR Post-production and Editing OR Virtual Production and Immersive Technology

Block 2: Compositing for Film and Broadcast

Block 3: 3D for Film and Animation

Block 4: Portfolio Project

Assessment methods

Teaching
This is a full-time course. Each module is worth 30 credits. Outside of your normal timetabled hours you will be expected to conduct independent study each week to complete preparation tasks, assessments and research.

Course delivery is in block mode, which means each 30 credit module consists of a seven week teaching block

Students will learn through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, laboratories, workshops, self-directed study, presentations, screenings, demonstrations, and group and individual projects.

Assessment
Assessments fall into two main types; coursework assessments and formal examinations. The coursework assessments include practical reports, computer-based assessments, short tests, case study reports, critiques and oral presentations. Students are also assessed by formal examinations, which test the knowledge and skills they have developed over the course of the module. There are a variety of formats for the written examinations, including some or all of the following; short-answer questions, problem-based questions, case-study questions and essay questions.

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
£16,250
per year
International
£16,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Leicester Campus

Department:

Computing, Engineering and Media

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.

66%
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

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
80%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
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

75%
Library resources
78%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
49%
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
84%
Male students
16%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
E

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.

£16,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
55%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

29%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
12%
Design occupations
11%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals

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

£20k

£20k

£22k

£22k

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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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here