Visual Effects (VFX) BA (Hons)

Course overview

During our visual effects course you will work with industry-standard software to develop content for film, broadcast, games, advertising and virtual media. You have the opportunity to gain experience of:

• developing 3D assets for film, television and games
• working with complex VFX pipelines to produce engaging content
• using high-end facilities⁴ and kit in a future-facing, creative environment.

Why you should study this course

This course has been developed with input from leading practitioners in this rapidly growing field. A key focus of the course is on developing students’ technical, creative and professional skills across a variety of industry recognised roles: including 2D artist, roto artist, junior compositor, colourist and effects technical director.

Across the first two years of the course, you will study a range of subject-specific and transferable skills.

• These will include sculpting, UV texturing and projection mapping, hard surface modelling, rendering and the use of different render passes, mattes, keys, tracking and rotoscoping. You will also gain an appreciation of production logistics such as effective planning and project management, and legislative issues such as copyright, confidentiality agreements, GDPR (data protection) and intellectual property, through to the importance of using appropriate naming conventions and version control.
• Alongside the technical requirements of various media, you will study the history, origins and theoretical contexts of visual effects in film, animation and interactive media, and the nuances of these media across such disciplines. Throughout the course, we aim to give you opportunities to contribute to, for example, industry briefs, competitions, festivals and hackathons to gain a real-time experience of working for companies and clients². In the final year of the course, you will have the opportunity to specialise in either 2D or 3D to facilitate your progression toward your chosen industry.
• You will have access to a range of digital film cameras, lighting, audio recording equipment and industry-standard software, as well as the use of television, film, greenscreen and immersive studios, to enable you to produce high-quality visual effects (subject to availability). Your learning will take place in purpose facilities that embody the immersive potential of emerging media and are supported by industry professionals⁴.
• You will have opportunities to learn and work on projects with students from other courses in the School of Media and Performing Arts. These collaborative opportunities can be a defining feature of your learning experience and place you in an advantageous position in developing your skills and employability².

Careers and opportunities

This course has been written in direct consultation with industry to ensure that our graduates have the necessary skills upon graduation to apply for entry-level jobs in VFX.

• On successful completion of the course, you will have significant knowledge of both 2D and 3D workflows, the software used to develop cutting-edge visual effects, and the ability to work collaboratively or alone to tight production deadlines.
• During the final year of the course, you will specialise further in areas such as coding or app development and in unique disciplines such as hair, cloth and fur art, or on-set VFX supervision.

As a visual effects graduate you can look forward to a rich and engaging career in one of the UK’s most exciting industries.

UK talent has in recent years produced visual effects for films such as Gravity, Wonder Woman and the acclaimed television series Chernobyl.

Typically graduates from the School of Media and Performing Arts have gone on to work on Hollywood blockbusters, as VFX supervisors, for the BBC, for local editing and postproduction companies and for prestigious London-based advertising agencies.