The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has partnered with George Lucas-founded VFX company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to launch a Graduate Diploma in Visual effects.
The course will commence from February 2023, and is designed to upskill emerging practitioners, digital artists and budding technical directors to become “job-ready” visual effects artists.
The course will prototype a model that combines on-the-job training with formal education. It will be delivered full-time over two semesters and structured around practical classes and workshops, led by senior professionals in the industry from ILM and AFTRS’ subject matter experts.
The course will cover various topics including 3D modelling and asset production; professional 3D lighting and CGI rendering; 3D layout and scene setup; photoreal compositing; visual effects and hybrid production practices, and production management and team building.
As film and television production continues to converge with games and immersive media, the visual effects sector – one which is highly mobile globally – continues to grow. With that has come various skill shortages in Australia, particularly within VFX producers and supervisors, animators and technicians.
AFTRS CEO Dr Nell Greenwood said the course would set a benchmark for industry partnered education.
“The need for skilled visual effects artists is increasing rapidly and this unique course will have a real impact on the capacity and growth of the Australian VFX sector.
“This year AFTRS launched a new five-year corporate strategy, Creating the Future, with a redrawn mission to offer its world-leading, industry partnered training and education across Australia. This new partnership with ILM is central to the School delivering on its ambition to offer future-facing, sustainable, world-leading training and its remit to support the growth and skills-level of the Australian industry.”
Luke Hetherington, executive in charge of ILM’s Singapore and Sydney studios, said ILM and AFTRS felt like a natural partnership.
“We’re bringing 45+ years of traditional film craft teaching together with specialised, high-end technical knowledge from ILM and will use real world production examples, techniques and working environment. I believe this will help accelerate the development of highly skilled and diverse talent, which the Australian screen industry has an abundance of opportunities and needs for,” said Hetherington.
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke noted ILM’s work over four decades across projects like Star Wars, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter.
“I know they’ll bring that same magic to this partnership with AFTRS – ensuring we develop the next generation of VFX talent right here in Australia,” he said.
“What a fantastic opportunity this is for the Australian film industry. I know that it will be a success and I can’t wait to see that play out on the big screen.”
To apply for the Graduate Diploma in Visual Effects, prospective students must have a demonstrated knowledge of 3D concepts and design, and a prior qualification in a related field such as fine arts, production, media, games design, graphic design, built environment or computer science.
Applications for the class of 2023 intake open from mid-August. More info here.