CGI and Visual Effects BSc (Hons)

The UK visual effects industry is amongst the most highly rated in the world – and this is your chance to become a part of it. Our Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) and Visual Effects degree is optimised for students wishing to learn the creative and technical skills required to produce awe-inspiring special effects for film, television, games and advertising. Combining visual effects, 3D modelling, animation and digital technology, this course teaches you to produce the sort of mind-blowing results that you see in Hollywood blockbusters. Whether you’re keen to create explosions and chaos, or master the technology required to bring a motion capture character to life, we can prepare you for an exciting career in the visual effects industry. Covering areas like 3D modelling, digital animation and match moving, your first year will see you get to grips with the foundations of CGI and Visual Effects. You’ll learn how to use software such as Maya, Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. You’ll take part in a team project, producing a short film to showcase your newly-acquired skills. You'll create effects using professional industry technology, including HD and 4K digital cinema cameras, green screen studios, Unreal games engine and post-production suites. Using innovative software from Foundry, Pixel Logic and Adobe is also a fundamental part of this course. In Year 1 you’ll learn and experiment with the fundamental skills required to succeed in visual effects. In a team you will plan and shoot a short film. This is a chance to use the skills you've learned in 3D modelling, digital compositing, lighting and rendering, digital animation, pre-visualisation and match moving. In Year 2 you’ll take your computer graphic skills to a higher level. You’ll learn advanced 3D nuke compositing, advanced image manipulation, tracking and shot clean up, as well as photorealistic CG lighting and rendering. In more advanced 3D modelling work you'll create characters and computer generated environments. You’ll also take part in team-based assignments, with each person taking on a job as you would in industry. In your final year you’ll study programming concepts for visual effects. Here you can automate processes to speed up your workflow, making you more employable. You’ll also study dynamics and simulations for effects such as fire, water and destruction. You’ll work on another team based VFX project allowing you to further focus on the areas that interest you. Finally, you’ll complete your individual research-based project and portfolio piece. This will showcase your talents and become the cornerstone of your showreel. Our graduates have seen incredible industry success, with former students having worked on major films like Thor and Gravity – the latter winning an Oscar for its visual effects. Staffordshire alumni can be found working for some of the best CGI and VFX houses in the world, including Double Negative, Squint Opera, The Mill, Flipbook Studios, Frame store and many more.