Art of Visual Effects (VFX)

UCAS code: W614

Here's what Futureworks says about its Art of Visual Effects (VFX) course.

Our Art of Visual Effects (VFX) degree is a practical skills-based course tailored directly to the needs of the visual effects, games, and other digital media industries. All our staff are active within the industry and teach you the skills that you’ll need to gain employment after graduating. The course utilises a mix of lectures, hands-on workshops, tutorial classes, studio sessions and practical exercises such as 3D Modelling, Digital Sculpting, 2D & 3D Compositing, Motion Graphics, Motion Performance, Asset integration, Simulation, Dynamics & Technical FX and onset VFX supervision.

The course fuses cutting-edge industry-standard software skills with lessons learned from over a hundred years of filmmaking and visual effects. We teach everything from the ground up; in short, you do not have to have any prior knowledge or tradition artistic skill before joining the course. Our highly skilled team will support you in developing the knowledge and skills you need to thrive in industry.

WHY STUDY VISUAL EFFECTS AT FUTUREWORKS? Whether your ambition is to apply visual effects to blockbuster films, commercials, TV shows, or industries like architecture, medicine, or automobiles, this program has been developed in collaboration with professional VFX artists to ensure its relevance and currency. We combine high quality teaching led by professionals who are active within industry with industry facing software and facilities to ensure that graduates are industry ready upon graduation.

We are an Epic Unreal partner institution and ensure that we provide a professional learning experience. You will develop your skills using professional, industry software such as Maya, Nuke, Unreal and Houdini in combination with industry facing facilities.

By enrolling, you will acquiring the technical and creative skills sought after by the industry. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to develop your soft skills, build valuable industry connections, and graduate with an impressive showreel which will pave the way to a successful career.

YEAR 1 Compositing for VFX (20 credits) Asset Integration & Invisible VFX (20 credits) 3D for VFX (20 credits) Creative Development (20 credits) Creative Practice (40 credits)

YEAR 2 Studio Project (40 credits) Digital Sculpting (20 credits) Motion Graphics (20 credits) Performance Capture (20 credits) Dynamics & Technical FX (20 credits)

YEAR 3 Professional Studio Project (40 credits) Major Project (40 credits) Professional Futures (40 credits)

WHAT ARE CREDITS? As a guide, 20 credits typically represents around 52 hours of tutor contact time (e.g. lectures/workshops/feedback) and 148 hours of self-study time (usually over the course of a semester). These numbers may increase or decrease depending on the nature, length and level of the module, especially towards the end of the course.

We don’t believe in exams. All assessment takes the form of coursework, portfolios, presentations, and a limited number of essays. If you are being taught visual effects, you will submit a portfolio of industry facing work with a focus on quality over quantity. If you are being taught how to present your work or research, you will do a presentation your relevant to your project. In other words, all assessment is directly related to the skills being taught and directly applicable to life within industry. You will be offered feedback along the way, via formative submission points, with official summative submissions falling at the end of first and second semesters.