November 2008

'Most courses out there teach animation and FX without students ever holding a script or a camera, and film courses don't even begin to address the fundamentals of visual effects development and production. This course teaches you to think like a filmmaker and delivers the digital muscle to realise your vision.'

Alan Lewis, Course Developer

Course Overview

This is a highly practical, intensive course that combines film with visual effects and animation.

In term 1, students will learn to write, direct, shoot and edit and will each write, direct, produce, and edit their own short film. In terms 2 and 3, students will learn the art and techniques of visual effects and animation. In the fourth and final term, students will collaborate on the production of a project which involves film, visual effects and animation, integrating their own live-action footage into the visual effects, animation and post production pipeline. Equipped with the broadest possible knowledge of digital filmmaking techniques, students will leave with a showreel that demonstrates their skills in the areas of film, visual effects and character animation production.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students will:

Have gained an understanding of basic visual storytelling
Be technically proficient in using essential filmmaking equipment including HDV cameras and editing software
Be a skilled, Apple®-certified operator of Final Cut Pro HD®
Have developed a set of visual effects production and post production skills and techniques
Have gained an understanding of VFX and animation within film and related media industries, as well as the technical skills required for entry level positions

Production Experience

A narrative-style short film
A short visual effects project involving the pre-production, shooting, and post-production of an effects sequence
An animated short exercise film, developed from initial storyboards to final rendered sequences
A collaborative project

Calendar

Term 1 Filmmaking

Week 1      Introduction to Filmmaking, Screenwriting and Editing
Week 2        Visual Storytelling, Interpreting a Script and additional Screenwriting        Week 3        Final Cut Pro® Certification
Week 4      Camera and Sound training
Week 5        Directing Actors for the Camera
Week 6      First Aid and Production Seminar
Week 7      Pre-production
Week 8      Production
Week 9      Post-production
Week 10    Fine Cut and Grade

Term 2    Visual Effects

Week 1         Introduction to Compositing using Shake
Week 2         Introduction to Maya
Weeks 3-6    Modelling Exercise: Matching a 3D Model into a Background Still
Weeks 7-9    Camera, Tracking and Live Action Integration:Matching a          pre-existing 3D Model into a Moving Background

Term 3 Animation

Week 1      Introduction to Animation Techniques
Weeks 2-6    Animation Exercise: Character modelling, set-up and rigging
Weeks 7-9    Animation Exercise: Creating an animation sequence

Term 4 Collaborative Project

Over the course of 10 weeks students will work together as a group on a collaborative project involving each element studied on the preceding programme: live action filmmaking, visual effects and character animation.

For more information please call one of our Course Advisors on 0845 658 4400 or +44 (0)20 8280 9119.

Why not check out our One-Year Practical Filmmaking course and Two-year intensive BA in filmmaking

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One-Year Film, Visual Effects & Animation

Emma Savage