Compositing for Visual Effects (12 weeks)
Compositing for Visual Effects (12 weeks)
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Course details
Location
London campus or live online
Start date
19th February 2024
Duration
12 weeks
Mode of study
Full time
Fees
London campus (UK residents): £11,295
Live online: £9,036
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Course overview
Add the final touch to VFX projects, become a master of illusion
Compositors are in high demand and this 12-week course could be your opportunity to jump into the industry. It will give you a thorough introduction to all things 2D. We’ll teach you how to composite layers together seamlessly, to create a showstopping final shot. You’ll cover all the essentials including rotoscoping, prep work, keying, camera tracking and colour correction.
Over 12 weeks of hands-on learning, you’ll get to grips with professional software such as Nuke, and you’ll learn how real studios and pipelines operate, leaving you ready to kick-start your compositing career. Our tutors have experience working in the industry, on credits including with industry-trained tutors who worked on the likes of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Kingsman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, so you will learn the techniques, software and skills used in the industry today.
See also MA Visual Effects Production (Compositing) or Advanced Compositing for Visual Effects (18 weeks)
Why choose this course
Ranked 2nd in the UK - and 10th in the world for Visual Effects Excellence by The Rookies
Based in London - home to some of the best animation studios in the world
Industry feedback - receive industry-standard critique from an expert in their field. Previous studio partners for our compositing course have included Industrial Light & Magic, The Mill and Outpost VFX
Professional input - our advisory board of experts, from the likes of DNEG (Avengers: Endgame and Oscar-winning Dune) and MPC (The Lion King and 1917), help keep this course relevant
Successful alumni - you'll join our community of thousands of Escapees, many of whom have gone on to work at some of the world’s top studios. 47 Escapees worked on Avengers: Endgame, 36 on No Time to Die and 16 on Stranger Things
Aftercare package - we'll help you polish your showreel and find the right job, with access to our studios and showreel clinics for 12 months
Industry-standard facilities - study in a studio environment that mirrors current industry practice, using professional software such as Nuke and Silhouette
Fast-track learning - studying a short course allows you to learn new skills quickly, in a fast-paced environment, so you can start applying for jobs as soon as you’ve completed the programme
Strong portfolio - along with an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, you'll leave with strong creative and technical skills and great pieces for your portfolio
Small class sizes - a convivial environment allows students to assist and inspire one another and benefit from personalised feedback from tutors.
Course modules
These modules are common with the first 12 weeks of our 18-week Advanced Compositing for Visual Effects course and our MA Visual Effects Production (Compositing).
The interface: premultiplied images
Production pipeline and light
Digital images, formats and resolution
Film properties and behaviour: log vs. linear
Premultiplication maths
Introduction to Nuke
Transformations and rotoscoping
Transformations and introduction to tracking
Multiple-point tracking
Planar tracking and refining track data
Introduction to rotoscoping
Rotoscoping human movement
Rig removal composites
Rotoscoping in Silhouette (SFX)
Tracking in SFX
Painting in Nuke
Generating clean plates
Advanced paint and prep work
SFX prep techniques
Warping and morphing
Advanced prep work
Matching film grain
Marker removal
Keying
Introduction to keying methods
Keylight node and the despill process
Primatte and IBK keyers
Compositing outside the keyer
Pre and post processing: refining the key
Colour correction and grading
Exposure, gamma and curves
Density and colour matching
Colour management
Atmospherics
Filters, motion vectors and time-based effects
Convolutions filters
Foreground and background edge integration
Retiming
Projections
Introduction to the 3D interface
Projection types and 3D
Camera projections
Projection workflows and camera tracking
Lens distortion
Nuke camera tracking
Projection rig removal methods
Utilising camera data
Compositing CG
Multichannel workflow
Introduction to render passes
2D and 3D motion blur
CG production pipelines: Framestore, MPC and The Mill
CG and 2D element integration
Edge pre and post treatment
Integrating CG and live action
Redefining your composites
Advanced keying and edge treatments
Project week
Finalising your shots
Developing your demo reel
End of course presentation
More information
Nuke
Silhouette
Call our Admissions Advisors on +44 (0)203 441 1303
Email us at courses@escapestudios.ac.uk
Reach us on chat Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm
Be over 18
Have a good understanding of written and spoken English
Feel comfortable using a computer.
Gov.uk - Check if you need a visa
Gov.uk - Standard visitor visa
Gov.uk - Caseworker guidance
UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) - Information for visitors
A strong internet connection
An external hard drive (minimum 2TB) to back up your work during the course
A three-button mouse (or optionally graphics tablet)
A computer microphone (and optionally a webcam)
Note-taking materials
Runner
Prep Artist
Roto Artist
Production Assistant
Production Coordinator
To apply for this course, or if you have any questions about your application or our entry requirements, get in touch!
As part of the application process, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions for your place on the course to be secured.
Minimum requirements
We welcome and encourage applications from students with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
To study this short course, you must:
If you’d like to discuss your circumstances before applying, contact us on courses@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0) 203 441 1303.
Non-UK students
We accept international students for our short courses, with no difference in course fees or administration costs.
The Standard Visitor visa allows students to come to the UK to study for a course of up to six months at an accredited institution. Depending on your nationality, you may need to apply for a standard visitor visa prior to departure from your home country. For more information visit:
Contact us on courses@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0)203 441 1303 for any questions.
We can provide remote access to our workstations during teaching time. Due to availability restrictions, we highly advise you to have your own set up at home to study in your own time.
More things you’ll need:
If you have any questions about learning online or if you need help with what to buy, get in touch at courses@escapestudios.ac.uk.
Fees
London campus: £11,295
Live online: £9,036
Payment plans
We offer a range of payment plan options for all courses. Following an initial deposit at registration stage, your chosen payment plan will break down your remaining fees into up to six equal instalments, to be paid over the course length.
Contact our Admissions Team on courses@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0)203 441 1303 or visit our admissions page for any questions about fees, funding and payment plans.
"In compositing we have the unique pleasure of coming at the end of the pipeline. That means everything we do directly appears in the finished product on screen. That combined with the perfect balance of creative contribution to the finished product and technical problem solving, means that the scope of work is broad and no two days are ever quite the same." Chris Fryer, Digital Compositor at Industrial Light & Magic
You’ll leave with an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, along with strong creative and technical skills and some great pieces of work for your portfolio, which you can add to with help from our Aftercare programme. Ready to apply for jobs in the industry!
Some of the opportunities you can consider once you’ve finished your studies include:
Compositors often start out in junior roles or as Rotoscope Artists to then rise to mid-level and senior roles such as Compositors and Compositing Supervisors, opening the path to becoming a VFX Supervisor.
Our students have gone to work as both specialist and generalist artists in creative studios, across TV shows, films and commercials, at companies including Industrial Light & Magic, Cinesite, Pixomondo and Milk VFX. Read some of our VFX Escapee success stories.
Check out our Careers Guide for more information about career opportunities and progression routes.
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Meet our industry-experienced tutors
Sokratis Synitos is the lead tutor on this master’s programme. He’s worked on titles including Bond: Spectre, Avengers: Endgame and Dr. Who. Our tutors work together to develop our courses. They all have industry experience, at studios such as DNEG, Framestore and Industrial Light & Magic, and are experts in their fields.
Student showcase
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The excitement and gratification of producing the end result is an exhilarating position and creative career to grow into.
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