Visual Effects - courses, degrees and events

Why should I get into VFX?

The UK has some of the best visual effects studios in the world, some of which are our industry partners, including DNEG, Industrial Light & Magic and Framestore. There are a variety of departments in the VFX industry, including 3D modelling, simulations, compositing and more. Did you know... More than 90% of the UK VFX work force is based in London?

Our alumni (dubbed 'Escapees') have gone on to work for some of the biggest studios in the world and on projects such as Oscar-winning The Jungle Book, Thor: Ragnarok, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ex Machina, The Revenant, Spectre, Interstellar, Gravity and Harry Potter.

Explore our free Industry Beginner's Guide to find out why there has never been a better time to enter the VFX industry!

VFX courses

2D for VFX

Webinars and events

Taster sessions

Visit us

Prospectus

Contact us

What visual effects courses do we offer?

Our courses aim to get you skilled in various departments within post-production in the visual effects industry, from 3D to compositing and finishing (2D). Our courses cover software such as Autodesk Maya, The Foundry's Nuke, SideFX Houdini and more.

VFX courses and degrees

Do you know your 2D from your 3D?

To understand more about 2D for VFX, through videos, webinars and infographics, check out our Compositing and Finishing for VFX hub.

Infographic explaining the difference between 2D and 3D

Are you not sure whether 2D or 3D is for you? Read our Careers Guide and take a quick Careers Quiz!

VFX webinars and events

Tune into our free webinars and online events to find out more about the world of VFX. Take a look at our Compositing and Finishing for VFX hub for more information about 2D in VFX.

Check out our E_scape Hub for events about other disciplines, recordings of past webinars and plenty of other resources!

Webinar Series

Tune in to our webinar series this October for an insight into Compositing for VFX and 3D VFX by our industry-experienced tutors.

Simple Introduction to Machine Learning for Compositors

Join Compositing Tutor Allar Kaasik as he explains the fundamentals of machine learning and how it's used in compositing and finishing for VFX.

Monday 4th October at 6pm

Introduction to 3D for Visual Effects

Our Head of 3D Mark Spevick takes you through an introduction to 3D for visual effects in this hour-long webinar.

Thursday 7th October at 6pm

Distorting Reality with the Matrix Node in Nuke

Join Compositing Tutor Allar Kaasik as he demonstrates how to use Nuke's Matrix node; a mystery to some, but one of the most powerful and versatile nodes available within Nuke. This webinar will give you an introduction to how it thinks and some practical uses in the real world.

Monday 11th October at 6pm

VFX Simulations with Houdini

Join our Head of 3D and Certified Houdini Instructor, Mark Spevick, for a deep dive into VFX simulations in 3D leading software Houdini.

Thursday 14th October at 6pm

Taster Sessions

At Escape Studios, we offer a number of classroom-based and online Taster courses throughout the year, so you can 'try before you buy' and get a hands-on feel for what it's like to study with us.

Two astronauts in their space suits are holding hands as they float next to a spaceship

3D Visual Effects

Next dates:

Thursday 30th September at 6pm

A dinosaur-like Pokémon creature is wearing a skull mask and walking through grass

Compositing

Next dates:

Monday 27th September at 6.30pm

A man in a Star Wars stormtrooper suit is running by a ship on fire in the middle of a sandy desert

Houdini

Next dates:

Tuesday 28th September at 6pm

Who will teach me?

Get taught by global expert tutors. They have worked at studios including DNEG, Walt Disney Animation, EA and Framestore and their credits include Captain America, Black Mirror and Thor: Ragnarok.

They speak at international conferences, like B’Ars (Spain) and VIEW Conference (Italy), write for an industry-recognised blog, Befores&Afters, and are authorised trainers for software like Unreal Engine, Autodesk or Houdini.

Meet your VFX tutors

Mark Spevick

Head of 3D VFX

Klaudija Cermak

Compositing Tutor

Allar Kaasik

Compositing Tutor

Jonathan McFall

Programme Leader of VFX

Clement Gharini

Cinematography Tutor

Cenay Oekmen

3D Tutor

Sokratis Synitos

Compositing Tutor

Daniel Shutt

3D Tutor

Carlos Poon

3D Tutor

Check out our tutor profiles

What makes our VFX courses and degrees unique?

Our VFX courses cover training with industry-professional software such as Maya, Nuke, Houdini and more.
Our classrooms and lessons mirror a standard industry VFX studio, to give you a true taste of life in the workplace.
You'll benefit from industry feedback sessions with our industry partners, individual professionals working in the industry and our alumni, who have gone to work on some of the biggest projects in the world, including Star Wars, Avengers and Harry Potter.
Our tutors are all experts in their field and have been hand-picked from some of the most successful studios; in their lessons they share tips and tricks that they've learnt during their time in industry, so you'll be taught by some of the best in the business!
All our courses are developed with our industry partners, some of the biggest studio’s in the world - Framestore, Cinesite and Axis Studios are just a few studios that not only input into our courses, but regularly visit us and partake in events such as our annual VFX Festival.
Learn more about our Industry partners.

Head and shoulders of a humanoid navy blue robot with a smile on

VFX Escapee success stories

Kajsa Christiansson

Prep and Roto Artist at One of Us

Studied Advanced Compositing for VFX

Andrea Lacedelli

Crowd Artist at MPC Episodic

Studied 3D for VFX

Rafael Martins

Lead Layout Artist at Axis Studios

Studied Advanced 3D for VFX

Laraib Atta

Digital Compositor at Industrial Light & Magic

Studied 2D and 3D for VFX

Career resources

Delve into our helpful guides, read our exciting blogs and check out our E_Hub to stay up to date with everything Escape!

Download your Careers Guide

Download your Industry Beginner's Guide

Download your Showreel Guide

Download your Software Handbook

Image from Star Wars of a person and machinery

VFX blog

Visit our Visual Effects blog to get your regular dose of Visual Effects industry news and tips. Plus, view our students' showreels to see what we get up to at Escape Studios.

E_scape Hub

Packed with essential online learning resources and opportunities for professional development, you can continue to learn from the comfort of your own home!