Visual Effects or 3D Animation

DIPLOMA IN 5 YEARS (Master’s degree equivalent)

VFX or 3D Animation

The first two years are designed to provide a solid foundation for students before embarking on filmmaking. The first year is a preparation artistic class. The courses are divided into short interventions around basic themes and concrete projects to help the students become familiar with the different concepts.

1st Year> Acquisition of Solid Bases in Cinema

Artistic & Cultural Development - Maturity of Work

Goals

• Acquire solid artistic and cultural bases
• Gain work maturity to give yourself every chance to succeed
• Develop your creativity, your curiosity, and your ingenuity
• Acquire an artistic and cinematographic culture
• Master the basics of drawing, photography, sculpture, film analysis and animation
• Learn about teamwork and organization
• Acquire the basics of Business English communication

Collective Courses

• Drawing, anatomy
• Artistic & visual development
• Sculpture, volume
• The history of art
• Photography
• Perspective
• Culture & cinematic analysis
• Stop motion
• Project management
• Traditional animation
• Character design
• Writing and concept development
• Directing
• Psychology of information
• Business English

Admission Process

• BAC (or equivalent)
• Present an artistic portfolio
• Participate in an individual interview
• Complete a written exam

2nd Year > Basic Knowledge of Cinema

Teamwork: Organizing & Becoming Rigorous

Goals

• Acquire basics in computer graphics, image editing, and animation
• Perfect your artistic skills
• Discover the professions of the cinema and develop a solid culture of the image
• Make a first short film

Collective Courses

• 3D modeling
• Digital image retouch
• Concept art
• Character design
• Lighting, texturing, rendering
• 2D and 3D animation
• Visual effects
• Semiotics
• Image grammar
• Scenario, storyboard
• Montage and sound
• Cinematographic analysis
• Professional English

Admission Process

• BAC (or equivalent) +1 year of higher education studies
• Present an artistic portfolio
• Participate in an individual interview
• Complete a written exam

3rd Year > Specialization

• Visual Effects (VFX)
• 3D Animation
• Computer Graphics (CG)

Goals of the VIsual Effects Specialization

• Acquire cutting-edge artistic and technical skills in CGI and VFX
• Master professional work habits (methodologies and VFX pipeline): supervising and directing a film, knowledge of the cinema and 3D professions, post-production methodologies, directing and monitoring a production, audiovisual law, management, business creation, etc.
• Mastering the software needed for this field: Nuke, Maya, Zbrush, nCloth, Houdini, RealFlow, Hair & Fur, etc.

Career Paths

The Visual Effects (VFX) sector has a wide range of highly sought-after careers that need more qualified artists:

• Compositing artist
• VFX supervisor,
• Tracking specialist
• Matte painter
• Color grader, etc.

VFX Courses

• Image composition
• Matte painting
• Camera mapping
• Environment Development
• Tracking
• Color Grading
• FX: Houdini, ncloth, Hair & Fur, fluids, particles…
• Digital Filmmaking, Lighting
• Green Screen Filming
• Concept Art
• Stereography, photogrammetry

Goals of the 3D Animation Specialization

• Acquire sharp skills in 3D animation
• Master professional 3D animation work habits: supervising animation teams, post-production methodologies, production management, audiovisual law, business creation, cinematography knowledge, CGI professions, etc.
• Master all the software aligned with CG Animation: Maya, ZBrush, nCloth, Toon Boom, Storyboard Pro, Krita, Photoshop, Affinity Photo, etc.

Career Paths

The 3D Animation sector has a wide range of highly sought-after careers that need more qualified artists:

• CG animator
• Layout artist
• Setup artist
• Character designer
• Concept artist
• Artistic director, etc.

3D Animation Courses

• Traditional 2D/3D Animation
• Facial, Body mechanics, and Lipsync Animation
• Character design
• Anatomy, Movement and Life Drawing
• Drawing & Concept Art
• Miming and Acting
• Layout
• Modeling for Animation
• Rigging (characters, creatures, and objects)
• FX : nCloth, hair & fur

Goals of the CG Specialization

• Acquire advanced technical skills in computer graphics
• Master all stages of the digital production chain: control of the organization and distribution of animation and compositing work, direction and supervision of CGI, artistic direction of projects, knowledge of cinema and CG trades, post-production methodology, production management, and monitoring, audiovisual law, management, business creation, etc.
• Master CG software: Houdini, Maya, Zbrush, ncloth, Arnold, Vray, Mental Ray, etc.

Career Paths

The Computer Graphics sector provides full employment in all types of fields:

• CG artist
• FX artist
• 3D lead
• Environment artist
• Lighting / Shading artist
• Texturing artist, etc.

CG Courses

• Hard surface modeling
• Organic modeling
• Advanced texturing
• 3D environments
• Concept art
• FX: Houdini, ncloth, Hair & Fur, fluid, particles
• Tracking, camera mapping
• HDRI
• Lighting, shading, and color grading
• Photogrammetry
• CG rotoscoping
• Spatial reconstruction
• Skinning setup

4th Year > Professionalization

Perfecting Skills, Internships, Preparation of Graduation Projects

Goals

• Mastery of technical and artistic know-how
• Internship in a professional setting
• Creation of a professional demo reel
• Management of a team project

5th Year > Graduation Project

Creation of graduation project, graduation jury, and transition into a professional working environment

During this year, students test their ability to supervise a team and projects in conditions identical to those within production studios.

Professionals intervene throughout the year to bring their expertise and share their experience. The 5th year ends with a graduation jury, which includes rapid job interviews. As a final graduation requirement, each student must complete a detailed report regarding his/her first postgraduate job or internship.

GOALS

• Making a short animation or VFX film
• Confronting the realities of a production and developing additional professional experiences
• Making a formal presentation in front of a jury of professional artists (representatives of the largest French and international production studios)
• Participating in rapid job interviews and managing first job offers

Annual Tuition & Fees (2019/2020)

Year 1: 7 000 €

Years 2 to 5: 8 000 € / year

• Registration fees (EU students) : 1st time (350 €) / renewal (250 €) / Additional costs to anticipate (Social Security, equipment and school supplies) Beginning in their second year of studies, all students are required to have a personal computer. Beginning in their second year of studies, all students are required to have a personal computer.
• Registration fees (Non EU students) : 1st time (850 €) / renewal (350 €) / Additional costs to anticipate (Social Security, equipment and school supplies) Beginning in their second year of studies, all students are required to have a personal computer. Beginning in their second year of studies, all students are required to have a personal computer.

Application Period

Online application period: November 2019 - May 2020

ARTFX: TRAINING CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS OF TOMORROW

FUTURE-ORIENTED TRAINING TO MAXIMIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR SKILLS!

Gateway to an international career

• Courses prepare students for a successful transition to a professional working environment immediately following graduation: alumni receive their first job offer within an average of 20 days
• State-of-the-art education fully aligned with the job market thanks to ArtFx’s ties to professionals within the field.
• The graduation jury has become a must-attend event for recruiters from French and international studios of 3D animation, VFX and video games.
• A network of over 450 alumni working on the biggest productions in some of the largest studios around the world: Illumination Mac Guff, Double Negative, Framestore, Warner Bros, Industrial Light & Magic, Ubisoft, Mikros, MPC, Weta, The Mill, Mathematics, etc.
• Preparation for an international career thanks to courses in English: Many subjects are taught in English beginning in the first year; From the 2nd to the 5th year of studies, it is possible to enroll in the International Class where 100% of the subjects are taught in English.

Preparing students for the most in-demand jobs

Video Games are leading the world’s cultural industry ($115 billion in 2016) and are ranked 3rd in the world’s 3D animation industry. ArtFX opens the doors to the most sought-after and dynamic sectors: 3D animation, visual effects, computer graphics, video games, VFX/Game programming, advertising, etc. Through ArtFX, you have access to highly sought-after positions where qualified competition is rare!

Here are just a few of the positions you can obtain after ArtFX:

• 3D Animator
• VFX Supervisor
• CG Artist
• Artistic Director
• Director of Production
• 3D Lead
• Game Designer
• Game Artist
• Character Designer
• Level Designer
• Rigging Artist
• Matte Painter
• Environment Artist
• FX Artist
• VFX/Game Programmer
• Motion Designer
• Compositing Artist
• Gameplay Designer, etc.

STRONG VALUES

Know-how and professional demeanor are at the heart of the school’s pedagogic program

HIGH-QUALITY TRAINING APPROVED BY PROFESSIONALS

4TH BEST VFX SCHOOL / 8TH BEST 3D ANIMATION SCHOOL IN THE WORLD

ArtFX is a benchmark for schools in France and abroad

• In France: ArtFX is one of the only schools training VFX/Game Programming and 3D animation at the heart of a VFX cinema environment
• Worldwide: Ranked 4th best VFX school & 8th best 3D Animation school

Master’s Degree programs recognized by the RNCP

• Digital Director Diploma: 5-year curriculum (Master’s Degree equivalent) (specializations: 3D Animation, VFX, CGI)
• Video Games: 5-year curriculum (specializations: Game Art & Game Design)
• VFX/Game Programming: 2-year curriculum

Innovative pedagogy combining state-of-the-art techniques and traditional know-how

ArtFX offers an innovative pedagogical program. The courses are in the form of workshops, using the principle of the inverted classes to promote active learning and initiative throughout a project.

• Learning the most up-to-date techniques on advanced software.
• Developing fine art skills and building an artistic culture (sculpting -3D modeling, drawing, photography, concept art, video game creation, etc.).
• Students are actively involved in the learning process. The objectives of the ArtFX program are based as much on know-how as on the personal development of each student: autonomy, maturity, professionalism, culture, artistic and technical abilities, creation, production, innovation, curiosity, and solidarity.

Mastering the latest software

Exclusive partnerships with software companies give us access the most advanced software and plugins: Houdini, Affinity Photo, Maya, Nuke, Unity, Unreal Engine 4, Zbrush, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Arnold, etc.

CERTIFIED TRAINING

In July 2017, ArtFX was certified by SideFX software as an official Houdini trainer.

THE SCHOOL CAMPUS: A PROGRESSIVE SPACE

Optimal learning conditions

• An infrastructure of 3000 square meters
• The building is located on a tree-lined campus and is easily accessible from major access roads and public transportation (tram and bus lines)
• The setting is ideal for productive and convivial teamwork.
• The numerous classrooms are available for student use (animation room with light tables and line test machines, computer labs, sculpting and drawing studios, digital editing and color grading rooms, a photo studio, a video game room, and more.
• Relaxation areas
• A media library
• A cafeteria with an on-site chef and a large terrace

High tech equipment available

Regardless of their specialization, students have access to all the professional materials and equipment they need to learn about the complete digital directing process.

• A filming studio with a cyclorama green screen,
• A camera crane, Steadicam, dolly tracks, etc.,
• Top of the line equipment (HD video cameras, a drone, projectors, flashes, and lighting accessories, professional sound recording equipment, digital cameras, and more) thanks to partnerships with Nikon, Canon, Leica, Broncolor…