Masters
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Key details

Location Beaconsfield

Duration 2 Years

Commitment full-time

Next intake January 2020

Application deadline 28 Nov 2019

Scholarships available

Begin your application

Overview

Digital effects (DFX) are everywhere – from Marvel blockbusters and immersive content, to commercials, television programmes, games and independent movies. This course gives students extensive, practical training on real sets, in a visual effects (VFX) and animation studio, and in cutting-edge grading and finishing suites.

DFX graduates have worked on major films and television series, including Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Lion King, Captain Marvel, Aladdin, Hobbs and Shaw, Yesterday, Horrible Hostories, Ready Player One, Early Man, Isle of Dogs, The Jungle Book, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises  and many more.

DFX students are taught essential 2D and 3D VFX and SFX techniques and will go on to specialise in either compositing, colour or CG 3D. They work with the latest available software and camera technology and are taught by current industry artists, technicians and supervisors.

DFX students will collaborate with those in other specialisms at the NFTS to make film, TV, Games and practical projects, putting into practice the skills they learn throughout the course – with all production costs met by the School.

All NFTS students can attend the School’s masterclasses programme, with recent guests including Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve), Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna, Diego Maradona),  Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here, We Need to Talk About Kevin), Louis Theroux, and M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Glass).

This course is supported by Creative Skillset.

Recent credits and successes

Graduate Carlo Bagliolid's credits include Ready Player One, Avengers: Infinity War and Spectre

“The collaboration, discipline and professionalism you hone whilst at the NFTS is as close as you can get to the industry.” Adam Arnot graduated from the Digital Effects MA  in 2012 and has since worked as compositor on blockbusters such as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Ready Player One andAvengers: Infinity War. Full story here.

Graduate Nicholas Zissimos' credits include The Martian, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Beauty and the Beast

“Seeing my name in the credits of such a unique and beautiful film was a real thrill.” Gillian Simpson graduated from the Digital Effects MA in 2017 and has since worked on Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs and Dumbo. Full story here.

Dominik Bari, NFTS Digital Effects MA second year student, has been included in an annual list compiled by Forbes magazine, highlighting him as one of 30 most successful people under 30 in his homeland of Slovakia. Full story here.
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What you will study

During this extremely practical modular course, you will spend critical time learning techniques “on set”, as well as learning at a computer. Students work closely with other specialisms within the NFTS on a diverse range of NFTS film and television projects – many of which go on to become international award-winners.

You’ll control many of your own projects from start to finish. You learn by ‘doing’ as well as understanding theory, developing a variety of practical and creative skills from planning, through filming, emulation, CGI creation, VFX creation and finally post production, finishing and delivery.

Much of the first year is dedicated to shared modules teaching across the three major digital effects disciplines – compositing, colour and CG 3D – after which students can elect to specialise in one for the remainder of the course.

Download programme specification

Download course outline

 

 

Current or recent tutors

Ted Chaplin

Ted Chaplin

Visiting tutor

Credits include Early Man, Godzilla and Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Chris Packman

Chris Packman

Visiting tutor

Credits include Eastenders, Love Soup and Jonathan Creek

John Rowe

John Rowe

Head of Digital Effects

John has over 30 years experience in the DFX Industry and education

Aviv Yaron

Aviv Yaron

Visiting tutor

Credits include World War Z, Blade Runner: 2049 and Skyfall

Fees and funding options

Fees for this course are as follows:

Home/EU/EEA £14,800 per year

Overseas £31,000 per year

We also welcome EU/EEA students on the same rate as our UK students – and those enrolling onto a two-year MA in January 2019 will continue to pay home fees for the second year of their MA.

In the last year, 8 in 10 UK MA students received support, with more than £800,000 given out in total.

There is a compulsory, non-refundable £60 application fee for each MA application. A non-refundable deposit of £500 is required against the cost of your fees on confirmation of your place. 

All production costs are included in the course fees, including the use of School facilities and equipment. Students will need to provide their own Wacom tablet and pen. Students will be expected to pay for their travel for occasional off-campus events. The School makes a contribution towards the travel and accommodation for students attending FMX and students are also expected to contribute to the costs.

The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances. We don’t want anybody to be put off applying for a place at the NFTS because of the cost, which is why we award more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.

At the NFTS you will get far more time learning directly from tutors, in real production facilities and on real projects, than in the vast majority of film schools or universities – and we won’t charge you extra for the cost of productions or materials. The specialist nature of our courses mean that our students gain the relevant skills and experience they need to go straight into the industry.

Showcase

Digital Effects students take part in a number of exercises throughout the year, often in collaboration with students in other disciplines. 

Entry requirements

The course covers such a diverse range of subjects that there is no typical candidate. Your background may be in the arts or other media or you may be a recent graduate or Industry professional looking to fast-track or switch your career. A background in Mathematics and Physics is always of interest.

Although not strictly necessary, you are likely to have some industry experience or training in your chosen field and you must already understand the basic technical and operational use of computers. An ideal candidate should have a mixture of creative and technical skills. 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.

For international students, more information about our entry requirements, including Visa and English language requirements, can be found here. 

If you have any questions, please email info@nfts.co.uk.

How to apply

Application deadline: 28 Nov 2019

 

Your application should be supported by a brief outline of your particular interests in the Compositing, Colour Grading or CG 3D fields including any relevant experience, either academic or practical.

You must indicate in your application which specialism you wish to study during the second year: either Compositing or CG 3D or Colour.

You can apply online by clicking on BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION below, or you can download our application form and submit it to registry@nfts.co.uk.

We are happy to receive applications at any time up until the midnight of the application deadline date.

Begin your application

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NFTS DFX Alumni credited on blockbusters from ‘Dumbo’ to ‘Captain Marvel’ and ‘The Lion King’

NFTS Digital Effects MA alumni are constantly credited across a wide range of blockbuster movies from Mary Poppins Returns to Dumbo and from Fantastic Beasts to Avengers: End Game.

NFTS Digital Effects MA Student Named in 2019 Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ Most Successful People List

Dominik Bari, NFTS Digital Effects MA second year student, has been included in an annual list compiled by Forbes magazine, highlighting him as one of 30 most successful people under 30 in his homeland of Slovakia.

#NFTSStories: “Seeing my name in the credits of such a unique and beautiful film was a real thrill.”

Welcome to our latest NFTS story, a series of blogs featuring our alumni talking about where they were before they came to the School and where they are now (follow the series by using the #NFTSStories hashtag across Twitter and Instagram).

Digital Effects students release their inner arsonists and assassins with SFX module!

As an added incentive to return to their studies after a long, hot summer, the DFX Department turned up the heat yet further with a week’s special effects (SFX) module, allowing the students to release their inner arsonists and assassins!