Advanced Compositing for Visual Effects (18 weeks)

We pride ourselves on our industry powered training, that's why we partner with some of the world's leading studios on all our Escape Studios daytime courses (full-time). Our last September 2019 intake were mentored by Framestore. Other previous partners for our Compositing courses have included Industrial Light & Magic, The Mill and MPC Advertising to name a few. 

• This course is hands-on. You’ll be in the studio every day, working on high-spec hardware to master 2D skills. We have no more than 13 students in a class so you’ll get plenty of 1-2-1 time with your tutor.
• Experienced tutors. You can’t teach what you don’t know, so that’s why we employ the best. All of our tutors have worked in the industry and you’ll have feedback from industry professionals. we have partnered with top studios including The Mill, Double Negative, ILM and Rushes for previous compositing courses.
• Killer showreel - if you want to get hired you need the technical skills and a killer showreel. We’ve packed a lot into the course to give you the best chance of breaking into VFX, plus you’ll have access to our Aftercare package for 12 months after the course. 
• There's high demand for skilled compositors and we can help you connect with studios and find roles. Escape Studios is well regarded in the industry and you’ll become part of our creative, vibrant, well-connected and global community of Escapees.

Week 1 - 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

Week 2 - Transformations and Rotoscoping

• Transformations and introduction to tracking
• Multiple point tracking
• Planar tracking and refining track data
• Introduction to rotoscoping
• Rotoscoping human movement

Week 3 - Rig Removal Composites

• Rotoscoping in Silhouette (SFX)
• Tracking in SFX
• Painting in Nuke
• Generating clean plates

Week 4 - Advanced Paint/Prep Work

• SFX prep techniques
• Warping and morphing
• Advanced prep work
• Matching film grain
• Marker removal

Week 5 - 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

Week 6 - Colour Correction and Grading

• Exposure, gamma and curves
• Density and colour matching
• Colour management
• Atmospherics

Week 7 - Filters, Motion Vectors and Time Based Effects

• Convolutions filters
• FG and BG edge integration
• Retiming

Week 8 - Projections

• Introduction to the 3D interface
• Projection types and 3D
• Camera projections

Week 9 - Projection Workflows and Camera Tracking

• Lens distortion
• Nuke camera tracking
• Projection rig removal methods
• Utilising camera data

Week 10 - Compositing CG

• Multi channel workflow
• Introduction to render passes
• 2D and 3D motion blur
• CG production pipelines – Framestore, MPC, The Mill

Week 11 - CG and 2D Element Integration

• Edge pre and post treatment
• Integrating CG and live action
• Redefining you composites
• Advanced keying and edge treatments
  

Week 12 - Project Week

• Finalising your shots
• Developing your demo reel
• End of course presentation

Week 13 - Advanced Compositing craft 1

• Advanced CG compositing with AOVs
• ModelBuilder
• UV Unwrap Techniques for 2D
• Advanced Projection Techniques
  

Week 14 - Compositing TD (Technical Director)

• ExpressionNode & Filtering (Matrix, Laplacian Pyramid)
• Position/normals, Relighting, Distortion
• Expressions, Gizmo’s, OpenGroups, menu.py/init.py
• Scripting (Python/TCL/Bash)
  

Week 15 - Advanced Compositing Craft 2

• Seamless Cuts with Projections
• Projections for DMP (Digital Matte Painting)
• Beauty Retouching / Basic Face Tracking
• Nuke Rayrender + 3D Lighting and Rendering Techniques
  

Week 16 - Senior/Lead Compositor skills

• NukeStudio project management and pipeline
• Shotgun project management and pipeline
• Receiving and giving feedback in dailies
• Estimating project requirements
• Consistency and continuity
  

Week 17 - Emerging Compositing Techniques 

• Volumetric Rendering with Eddy for Nuke
• VR / 360 images with Cara VR
• Particles
• Deep Compositing
• GeoTracking and FaceTracking with KeenTools
  

Week 18 - Project Week

• Showreel Advice
• Job Hunting Tips
  

The course also includes:

• A free online primer course before you start studying, so your foundation skills are up to speed.
• Escapee Alumni after-care and career support including help and advice with your CV, showreel and job applications.
• Free Autodesk Software when you register with the Autodesk Education Community (full details will be available in your welcome pack if you choose to study on this course).
• Access to software including Maya, Photoshop, Mudbox, 3D Equalizer, Nuke and Silhouette.

• Nuke
• Silhouette
• Eddy for Nuke
• CaraVR
• KeenTools
  

Compositors are the masters of make-believe, responsible for creating the illusion of reality. They compose the final image in a VFX or motion picture sequence, creating VFX that make the impossible, possible! Without them, we’d all be looking at the wires that support actors during action sequences, or shots lacking in atmosphere or composition. As a Compositing Artist it is the their responsibility to make the shot look totally believable. You’ll need an artist’s keen trained eye for photo-realistic details so that you always create exceptional imagery. 

After the classroom course is over we offer three months of online mentoring, so that our students can continue to refine and polish their skills. We take aftercare very seriously - since it can take time to put together a job-ready demo reel, we make sure our students get the time and practice that they need to refine their work to make them job-ready. Learn more about our Aftercare support.

Compositors often start out as rotoscope artists or in junior roles, but can rise to become mid-level, then senior compositors and compositing supervisors. From here the path is open to becoming a VFX supervisor.

Escapees from our compositing courses have gone on to work at companies including: ILM, Framestore, Cinesite, DNeg, MPC, Milk VFX, Sky, Electric Theatre Collective, JellyFish Pictures and Pixomondo. For more careers advice, download our Careers Guide.

Fees

£15,950 

Funding for UK students

You may be able to get funding to help cover the cost of the course. For independent advice, and to find out more about your options, visit gov.uk or call the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900.

Funding for international students

We recommend you visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs website. The Council doesn’t provide funding directly, but it will give you all the information you need about studying and living in the UK, including visas and funding.

We do our best to find funding solutions for overseas students. For example:

• If you’re from Sweden, you may be able to get help from the Swedish loan and grant course. Find out more at csn.se
• Spanish students should visit the spanish government website for useful information on studying, employment and emigration, plus details of grants available to Spanish students.
• If you’re from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Burma, you may be able to get funding from the Charles Wallace Trust, to help towards your living costs and educational development in the UK. Find out more at wallace-trusts.org.uk.

Get in touch

We can help with any problems or questions you have with course fees and funding. Speak to one of our Applicant Advisors via phone or email today! Call us on 0207 348 1920 or email admissions@escapestudios.com.