Program Overview

M.A. in Digital Compositing for VFX

Description

This master’s degree has been designed for you to specialize in the integration of state-of-the-art visual effects. It is the first Spanish master’s degree for those specializing digital compositing, a profession that brings together the disciplines of digital art, photography and film, mathematics, color science, programming and technology.

You will learn to integrate different visual elements into a single image, creating something magical that cannot be discerned by the human eye.

You will master the technical and artistic skills needed in studios. You will learn about pipelines, photography, color and film science, storytelling and cinematography, the cutting-edge tools used in VFX integration, supervision, cost control and human and material equipment management.

You will work in international companies such as MPC, DNeg, Scanline, El Ranchito, Sony Imageworks, Weta Digital, and other major companies built up by teams of our former students.

Career Opportunities

• Digital compositor
• Paint / Prep artist
• Roto / Matchmove artist
• Digital matte painting artist
• Comp production coordinator
• Compositing Lead
• 2D Supervisor
• VFX Supervisor

Paths to Entry

Student Entry Profile:

• People with general 3D training who want to specialize and focus their career on VFX
• Graduates in Audiovisual Communication, Animation, and related post-secondary vocational training
• People with no previous knowledge interested in learning the profession of digital compositing, as well as directly related disciplines

Where Our Alumni Work

Our master’s students are prepped to contribute to first-class productions and are working in Sony Imageworks, Skydance Animation, MPC, Illusorium Animation, Framestore and Giant Animation.

Partner Companies

Study Plan

• Location: U-tad
• Hours: Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Fridays from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CET.
• ECTS: October-June (600 hours)
• Language: Spanish
• Modality: In campus / on-line
• Centre Attached to: Camilo José Cela University

Course 1

• COURSE NAME
  • VFX INDUSTRY AND MANAGEMENT
    • Introduction to VFX, past, present and future
    • Pipelines and the VFX industry
    • Demo reel, CV, personal image
    • VFX Production
  • CINEMATOGRAPHY
    • Photograph
    • Color and film science
    • Narrative and preview
    • Artistic composition and effects supervision
    • Cinematography for composers
    • Virtual Production
  • DIGITAL COMPOSITING
    • Introduction to digital compositing
    • Nuke I: The pillars of a composer
    • Nuke II: Keying and integration of elements and sets
    • Nuke III: Advanced production techniques
    • Technical Composition
  • TECHNOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
    • 3D environment. General Maya management
    • Shading and lookdev
    • Lighting and render
    • Matchmove and rotomation
    • Matte painting
    • Other Tecnologies
  • REVIEW
    • Weeklies
  • MASTER’S THESIS

Faculty

• Adrián Pueyo
  • Director of the Master in VFX Composition
  • Compositing and VFX/VPX Supervisor at Orca Studios
• Alejandro More Martínez
  • Lighting and Rendering teacher
  • Lead Lighting Compositing Artist at Axis Studios
• Nacho Hoyos García
  • Motion Tracking, Roto, Clean Up & Prep Work teacher
  • Digital Compositor at Orca Studios

Students' Projects and Awards

Your Project: Your Best Letter of Recommendation

The objective of your final master’s project will be the delivery of a short film or sequence made in teams, which will involve collaborative work on a VFX project. From start to finish, each group will be in charge of their own production, from pre-production and shooting to time and resource management, editing, color and shaping, and VFX.

This project has two main goals: firstly, for students to practice working as a team on a VFX project and all that it entails. Secondly, to provide each student with the necessary skills to develop their personal competitive digital compositing reel to be able to enter the industry.

Talent Awards

The projects developed by our students during their studies have won the most prestigious industry awards in different disciplines. Check them out.

Students' Feedback

• Ignacio Hoyos García
  • Alumni of the Master of Digital Compositing for VFX
  • "The Master’s in Digital Compositing for VFX is the ultimate step one can take to jump into the VFX industry. The professors and courses are reflective of daily work in millions of companies. I would like to highlight the faculty of industry professionals from Entropy Estudios, Illion and, without a doubt, Adrián Pueyo. He brings true value to this master's degree, as his experience, knowledge, passion and the way he shares it all really motivates me."
• Alejandra Ortiz
  • Student in the Master’s in Digital Compositing for VFX
  • "Most importantly, and what I believe will undoubtedly advance my professional career, is having professors who reconcile their work in the industry with teaching in the master's program. Additionally as important is having Adrián Pueyo as the program director, giving first-hand explanation of all the ins and outs of NUKE and its tools. He also shows you what each node does technically and how to apply it to get the best visual and artistic result in a composition. I also like learning from Miguel Pablos, who teaches us the concepts of photography and how to apply them to a shot. All of this combined with the intimate teaching style, the practical exercises, the recorded classes for later review, the support… All this makes this master's degree, in my opinion, a springboard to the industry."
• Aitor Echeveste
  • Digital Compositing for VFX Master’s Student
  • "What I’ve gained most this year is the immense progress I have made in my future prospects. Now I see it as very feasible to work in a big Hollywood production company or to be work in the industry anywhere in the world."