Visual Effects MA

You will develop your compositing knowledge and further develop specialist practical skills in footage acquisition, green screen studio setup, CG integration with live action, effective lighting, deep compositing, camera projections, set extensions, digital matte painting and look development including the colour pipeline. Practical sessions and seminars will enable you to produce and manipulate 2D assets, including live action footage, and you will explore real world complex compositing and VFX scenarios.

You explore the more advanced simulation tools and techniques used in effects animation. You study the underlying physics and computer graphics theory behind these simulation techniques and apply them using industry standard software.

You research state-of-the-art of effects animation and apply this to create convincing simulations of a variety of real-world phenomena.
Your assessment is a portfolio of effects sequences and a breakdown/contact sheet that illustrates how they are generated.

You gain a deep understanding of all aspects of asset creation for visual effects. The module will focus on the artistic pipelines employed by industry in order to streamline the creation of assets for production. You study a wide range of artistic asset creation techniques, including digital sculpting, hard-surface modelling, retopology techniques, photogrammetry, texturing and surfacing, HDRI creation, element shoots and motion capture.

You complete a multidisciplinary group project in your area of interest to create a short film or video game cutscene.

You work in an individual production role within small teams to create an original short film or cutscene, which provide a high-end showpiece for your portfolio.

You undertake a major, in-depth, individual study in an aspect of your games design programme. These projects will be drawn from appropriate commercial, industrial, artistic or research-based problem areas. It will involve research and investigation in relevant aspects of a very specific area of study followed by the production of a major deliverable portfolio of relevant practice based materials from the area of games design.  You will also produce a written report that contextualises and critically evaluates their final outputs.

You gain the knowledge and skills to understand the research process in computing and digital media, and the necessary skills to undertake your masters project. You learn how to use and critically evaluate previous academic research, and to generate good evidence material to justify their professional practice. This involves you learning about different research strategies and data generation methods and how they fit into the development lifecycle and the evaluation of the user experience, the use of the academic research literature, and research ethics.

Assessment involves you preparing a research proposal which can form the basis of your master's project.

You gain a deep understanding of 3D animation and visual effects pipelines that are crucial in any CG production pipeline, and how the work produced needs to integrate with other departments involved with the process. The module focusses on the theory and practice of 3D computer animation and VFX production and introduces you to industry-standard hardware and software. Emphasis will be given to the traditional technical director roles, for example rigging, lighting and shading.

The internship options are:

Vocational: spend one semester working full-time in industry or on placement in the University. We have close links with a range of national and international companies who could offer you the chance to develop your knowledge and professional skills in the workplace through an internship. Although we cannot guarantee internships, we will provide you with practical support and advice on how to find and secure your own internship position. A vocational internship is a great way to gain work experience and give your CV a competitive edge.

Research: develop your research and academic skills by undertaking a research internship within the University. Experience working as part of a research team in an academic setting. Ideal for those who are interested in a career in research or academia.