NEW two year Higher National Diploma in Visual Effects (VFX) & 3D Technology
BCFE has just announced that from September they’ll be providing the first dedicated VFX & 3D Technology course in Ireland
You mightn’t think Titanic, Forest Gump and Star Wars have much in common. But think about it. Fantastical imaginings are vividly brought to life in each film with spectacular visual effects, otherwise known as VFX. A few years ago Irishman Richie Baneham won an Oscar for VFX for his work on Avatar. His alma mater Ballyfermot College of Further Education has just announced that from September they’ll be providing the first dedicated VFX & 3D Technology course in Ireland.
Live Action meets Digital Images
VFX involves combining live action and digitally created images together to create everything from placing real actors on a surreal set through to adding fire into a fireplace scene in a TV commercial. This innovative course will use industry standard software and hardware to take students through everything from learning how to light and shoot the live action elements to creating and combining digital backgrounds and characters into footage to create a final scene.
Growing Industry
VFX and 3D Animation are growing sectors in Ireland. On successful completion of the course graduates may seek employment and a career in 3D / CGI / VFX either locally or internationally. Currently there is no dedicated VFX course in existence in the FET sector. The closest offerings are courses in Animation or 3D graphics. Neither area fully addresses the specific needs of the VFX sector.
The staff at BCFE put together this programme in consultation with key individuals in the sector in response to the growth of the 3D / CGI / VFX industry locally. The following companies currently work in the 3D / CGI / VFX sectors in Ireland: Brown Bag Films; Giant Animation; Windmill Lane VFX; Egg Post Production; Screen Scene VFX; Piranha bar VFX; Outer Limits Post and GLUE VFX.
There is significant evidence that the sector is growing and will continue to grow locally. In the National Budget (2014) the Irish government announced an improvement to and an extension of the Section 481 tax incentive in order to encourage more audio visual production in Ireland. Commenting on the course, the coordinator of the new programme Gareth Lee, said
“This is an exciting new programme for all those interested in VFX & 3D Technology. The college aims to work closely with industry to ensure that graduates complete the programme with the skills they need for a career within the sector.”