COURSE OVERVIEW
Are you serious about a career in VFX?
This course has a proven track record of providing the next generation of VFX professionals, the majority of which go straight into key roles on major productions. If you are determined to succeed in this thriving industry - this is the course for you.
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Visual Effects (VFX) has been an integral part of the National Film and Television School curriculum for over 15 years, and has evolved into a highly specialised course that delivers industry-standard training.
Our course involves multi-disciplinary ‘real-world’ training for production, and by collaborating with students across the School, on courses such as Cinematography and Production Management, NFTS Visual Effects (VFX) students are provided with a unique and unrivalled experience. You will understand what it’s like to work on a real set and how to effectively communicate VFX requirements throughout the production process. You will work with proprietary software, camera and real time technology, and be taught by current industry artists, experts, technicians, and supervisors.
As well as learning essential CG, Compositing and Real Time VFX techniques you will go on to develop a specialism as either an asset or shot production artist.
You will work on set, in design, previsualisation, world building and virtual production, right up to crafting the final pixels and will develop your expertise in close collaboration with other film, TV and games disciplines including model making, production design, sound design, cinematography, editing and colour grading, in a real studio environment. The volume of production work at the NFTS provides you with an unrivalled opportunity to learn your craft and hone it on industry-standard productions, working as a core member of a fully integrated team.
The course provides a unique blend of technical and artistic skills, equipping you to produce work with the high quality of finish that the industry expects from its future leaders.
COURSE FACILITIES
Our VFX Labs are cutting-edge, with dedicated workstations that replicate those used in the VFX industry. Each machine has current industry standard software, including Maya, Unreal Engine, Nuke, Nuke Studio, Photoshop, Substance, Houdini, Resolve, Reality Capture and PTGui. You will work in a small cohort and receive personal and group tuition, gain experience on set, and an understanding of the entire production pipeline.
The NFTS environment provides a blend of technical, artistic and story based training, housed within a working film studio. You will take part in review sessions, where your work is seen properly at scale in one of our two cinemas. This replicates ‘dailies’ – the meetings in industry where artists discuss and agree the creative direction of their work. Our facilities are open 24/7 for the duration of the course and by the end of it, you will be industry-ready with two years of production experience and a specialist showreel.
The course is highly practical, and you will spend time learning vital techniques on set and on location, as well as receiving tuition, studying and practising in the lab. You’ll learn by ‘doing’, as well as through theory, and develop a variety of practical and creative skills from planning and previsualisation, through to Visual Effects supervision, on set data capture, asset creation, look development, environment (including virtual production) and digital matte painting, CG lighting, VFX conform, CG integration and shot finishing.
The first year of the course focuses on learning the range of advanced craft skills and the underpinning principles of VFX.
The second year allows you to continue this development and demonstrate your creativity through practice, working on a range of productions on the School’s production slate and beyond. You will learn all aspects of VFX and gradually develop a specialism in either creating 3D assets (CG) or assembling the final shot (compositing).
As you move into the second year, you’ll begin working on both taught and production projects as a team within one of these two specialisms. You don’t necessarily need to choose the specialism when you start the course - your tutors will mentor and work with you to establish the best fit of specialism to your skills and aspirations.
CG: You’ll learn and practise the craft of 3D VFX, from on-set acquisition through to delivery, designing, creating, lighting and delivering 3D assets using the latest 3D software, including Maya, Houdini and Unreal Engine.
Compositing: You’ll learn and practise the craft of 2D, matte painting and 3D compositing techniques, from on-set acquisition through to delivery, designing, creating, lighting and delivering VFX shots in the context of an edit as well as stand alone using the latest compositing software including, Nuke, Nuke Studio and Unreal Engine.
The Asset (CG) and shot (Compositing) VFX students are responsible for supervising VFX for all the major NFTS film and TV productions, across the genres of fiction, science and natural history, television entertainment and animation, and also have the opportunity to collaborate with games students.
Although not strictly necessary, you are likely to have some industry experience or training, and you must already understand the basic technical and operational use of Windows based computers. Demonstrable communication, people and management skills are also desirable.
While many applicants will have a degree from a British or overseas university, we will consider applicants who do not have a degree if they have an impressive portfolio, a creative track record or an alternative qualification.
We celebrate the practice of the arts and science as twinned disciplines in VFX. The course provides strong practical training and is a blend of the artistic and technical, but there is no typical candidate for this course. We are primarily looking for people who are strong artistically with an ability to demonstrate skills in judging composition, scale and proportion. Secondarily, we are interested in candidates from a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) background.
We can teach you the tools and workflows necessary to work professionally but as well as a showreel or portfolio that demonstrates the skills outlined above, you will need to show the necessary potential and commitment to learn at postgraduate level in your application. We look also to build a cohort who will complement each other's skills when working as a team.
International students Visa and English language requirements
If you have any questions, please email info@nfts.co.uk
The following item(s) should accompany your online application:
- Please provide a brief outline of your particular interests in Visual Effects including any relevant experience, either academic or practical.
- Please provide either a showreel of existing CG/3D, 2D/compositing, animation work and/or a link to your website or digital portfolio showing us your drawing, painting, design or photography work. If you are applying to the course from a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) background, website links to specific projects or GitHub resources are helpful for us to look at.
Applications will close at 23:59 on the day of the deadline, shown at the top of this page.
Funding Available
The NFTS awards more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK. If you’re successful at gaining a place on the course, you will be contacted by our funding team with details on how to apply for one of these scholarships.
Tutors
Student Showcase
VFX Photorealism Showreel
Watch our VFX MA showreel - highlighting our students' photorealism work on a range of NFTS productions.
VFX Stop Motion Showreel
Watch our VFX MA showreel - highlighting our students' stop motion work on a range of NFTS animations.
VFX Insights: Virtual Cinematography & In-Camera Visual Effects
Hear from our VFX students to get an insight into the kind of incredible projects that they collaborate on with other specialisms at the NFTS, including cinematographers, screenwriters and sound designers. This collaboration throughout the VFX process creates a much stronger result, where all elements work together seamlessly.
VFX Insights: Animation & Visual Effects
Hear from our VFX students to get an insight into the kind of incredible projects that they collaborate on with other specialisms at the NFTS, including cinematographers, screenwriters and sound designers. This collaboration throughout the VFX process creates a much stronger result, where all elements work together seamlessly.
Mission: Possible
VFX students take part in a number of exercises throughout the year, often in collaboration with students in other disciplines.
Model Making for Animation Diploma students crafted a 1:6 scale replica of a set from the original Mission: Impossible film, which was then bought to life in collaboration with VFX MA students.
Watch the behind the scenes of Mission: Possible, the incredible miniature replica set project with NFTS Model Making Diploma students.
Read more about this brilliant project vie befores & afters: beforesandafters.com/2023/03/23/these-students-made-an-insane-replica-miniature-cia-vault-from-mission-impossible/
Reality Heist (Trailer)
Reality Heist is a five-minute original story of a scientist who finds after some experimentation with a mix of technology, she can skip dimensions at the flick of a switch. The film, created by VFX students, blends traditionally post rendered photoreal CG with the new real time, in camera VFX.
VFX Insights: Previz, Animation & Visual Effects
Hear from our VFX students to get an insight into the kind of incredible projects that they collaborate on with other specialisms at the NFTS, including cinematographers, screenwriters and sound designers. This collaboration throughout the VFX process creates a much stronger result, where all elements work together seamlessly.
2001: A Space Odyssey - An Out of This World Replica Set Build!
VFX students take part in a number of exercises throughout the year, often in collaboration with students in other disciplines.
Model Making for Animation Diploma students crafted a 1:6 scale replica of a set from 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick, which was bought to life in collaboration with VFX MA students.
VFX Insights: Sound Design & Visual Effects
Hear from our VFX students to get an insight into the kind of incredible projects that they collaborate on with other specialisms at the NFTS, including cinematographers, screenwriters and sound designers. This collaboration throughout the VFX process creates a much stronger result, where all elements work together seamlessly.
Behind The Scenes with NFTS VFX - Reality Heist
Visual Effects MA students experimented with ground-breaking technology to bring Reality Heist to life, an original five-minute film that uses cutting-edge Virtual Production techniques.