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