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Visual Effects

Futureworks

UCAS Code: W614 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

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

DMM

UCAS Tariff

104-120

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Computer animation and visual effects

Cinematics

**Visual Effects is for those interested in creating the stunning visual effects seen each day from the latest Hollywood and televisual epics to the creative innovation of high impact TV adverts. The United Kingdom is renowned for its skilled film makers and now boasts some of the most prominent Visual Effects houses in the world. Using the finest innovations in technology, this course covers the seamless integration of photo-real computer-generated creatures, environments, assets and people.**

The main activities within the programme will take place within a classroom/studio/online setting. This will allow you and the staff to develop a mature and informative relationship concerning your study. Not only is this a supportive and welcoming environment but mimics the professional arena in which you will be expected to organise your working patterns based upon set goals.

Your studies will cover the key areas of visual effects; from Rotoscoping and Keying to Tracking, Match moving and colour correction. Further in-depth studies such as virtual production, digital set creation and destruction, matte painting, digital character creation, fluid, cloth and particle dynamics will refine your skills, will support you in becoming an accomplished visual effects artist.

Modules

**HE Level 4 (Year 1):**
Introduction to Compositing (40 credits)
Introduction to 3D Modelling (20 credits)
Content Creation for VFX (40 credits)
History of Visual Effects (20 credits)

**HE Level 5 (Year 2):**
Visual Effects Studio Project (40 credits)
Character Creation & Motion capture for VFX (40 credits)
Motion Graphics & UI Development (20 credits)
Contemporary Visual Effects (20 credits)

**HE Level 6 (Year 3):**
Professional Studio Practice (40 credits)
Professional Specialism (20 credits)
Honours Project (60 credits)

Assessment methods

We want to do everything we can to prepare you for working within the creative industries, and this is reflected in the way we teach and assess you. The course is mostly coursework based, which means your tutors will be able to give you constant, constructive feedback. Presentation techniques will give you valuable experience of how to present your thoughts and ideas successfully and enthusiastically, so you are better at selling your ideas to prospective employers.
The written work is an important part of assessment and will improve your communication skills. A combination of lectures, tutorials, peer reviews, discussions and observations will ensure that you’re industry ready. External visits will present you with a wider range of topics and the opportunity to expand your portfolio, whilst guest speakers will help you to understand film production and media industries, how it works and how you can make your mark on it.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Futureworks (Manchester)

Department:

School of Film, Television 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.

79%
Computer animation and visual effects
96%
Cinematics

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.

Computer games and animation

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
89%
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

79%
Library resources
52%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
54%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

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

Cinematics and photography

Teaching and learning

99%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
100%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
100%
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

94%
Library resources
69%
IT resources
97%
Course specific equipment and facilities
98%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

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

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

What about your long term prospects?

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

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

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.

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

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?

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