Digital Film Practice - Visual Effects (VFX), BA (Hons)

Course summary

BA Digital Film Practice – Visual Effects* is one of four pathways under BA Digital Film Practice. This course gives you the opportunity to study and gain professional skills in a range of cutting-edge technical craft practices, and then to specialise in one of these in-demand skillsets. This page explores the Visual Effects pathway. As technology-enabled production continues to transform how film, television, and screen content is created, this course equips you to navigate a career in this exciting environment. Why Take the Course?

• Practical: Throughout this course, modules will pull from both practical and contextual elements, with opportunities to work in groups and produce content demonstrating your learning, and a graduation project run collaboratively across pathways.

• Comprehensive: In addition to developing and practising fundamental storytelling, production, technical, and editorial skills, you will develop critical awareness, core knowledge, and technical, managerial, and creative abilities in your chosen pathway: Visual Effects, Post Production, Virtual Production, or Sound.

• Industry-facing: You will build a range of transferable skills that can be applied across the creative industries and beyond, synthesising principles of diversity, equality, sustainability, and inclusivity in your development as a practitioner.

• Marketable Skills: Visual Effects is a fast-growing field in the screen industries, and the latest research has already identified a skills shortage in this craft area. Through this course, you will be primed to join this sector of the industry, equipped with the practical and business skills needed to build a successful and rewarding career.

Please download the Course Specification for a complete overview of BA Digital Film Practice modules. Find below an overview of the key learning themes that this course will cover. Level 4: At Level 4, you will engage in six modules designed to give all students on the programme a basis in the fundamentals of story and the ability to produce film and screen content as we as an introduction to each of the specialist pathways: Visual Effects, Post Production, Virtual Production and Sound. In the first semester you will gain a practical and contextual understanding of storytelling on screen; film and screen production; and editing. In the second semester you will gain an introduction to each of the specialisms – with each module including both practical and contextual elements – and in parallel, work in groups to produce short films which bring their learning across the level to a conclusion. Level 5: Having confirmed your specialist pathway at the end of Level 4, you will spend much of the second year (Level 5) working within your pathway, with skills development, practical exercises and theory in each semester. In the first semester, you will immerse yourself in your chosen discipline and develop your understanding, knowledge and skills in that area. In parallel you will engage in comparative storytelling and narrative across all screen types, across the world and over time, and develop your research skills and contextual understanding. In the second semester, you will continue to develop your craft in your chosen discipline, learning further skills and through project based work. You will also be introduced to the business of film, television and screen and develop your skills in project management, professional practice, legal and financial skills, market and audience engagement, and research in practice Level 6: In the first semester, you will continue to develop move advanced and applied skills in your chosen pathway. In parallel, a common module allows you to think together with students on other pathways and collaborate in developing your graduation projects. You will also build your professional understanding of applications of digital film practice in industry; explore roles and careers open to you; look at changing technology in film; and learn how to operate as a freelancer. In the second semester, you will work on your graduation projects, which will be a collaborative or individual project to showcase your digital film practice. You will also develop your career plans and manage your portfolio. Digital Film Practice Pathways: You will choose a pathway in which to specialize, within which you will learn and build your skills through focused tuition and project based application: Visual Effects: you will develop skills and understanding in VFX including modelling; animating effects; motion graphics; compositing; and workflow and project management. Post Production: including creative editing in fiction, documentary and content; audio post production; colour correction and grading; the business of post production, and advanced workflows. Virtual Production: bringing technical skillsets into the creative realm, creating virtual assets; visualization from pre to post production; shooting for Virtual Production; Unreal Engine training; applied Virtual Production, and performance capture. Sound: you will cover sound engineering; sound design and its role in storytelling; ADR, foley, and sound capture; dialogue editing; recording, editing, and producing soundtracks; mixing, dubbing and project management and completion.