Visual Effects (VFX)

Entry requirements

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.

Months of entry

January

Course content

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.

What You Will Study

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).

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.

Information for international students

This course is open to UK/EU/International students.

Fees and funding

Please visit our website for fees information. All production costs are included in the course fees, including the use of School facilities and equipment.

The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances, 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.

Scholarship and bursary funding includes 3 new scholarships available for British students studying the VFX MA, each worth a minimum of half the course fee. If you’re successful at gaining a place on the course, you will be contacted with details on how to apply for funding.

Assessment