Art Direction and Visual Effects

BA Art Direction and Visual Effects at Wimbledon College of Arts offers a unique combination of design and digital production skills for film, television, animation and computer games.

This course will teach you the skills required to be an Art Director or visual effects (VFX) artist for screen-based entertainment. You’ll learn how to use design and technology to shape innovative ideas that drive the visual identity of film, television, animation and computer games.

What to expect

• Industry skills: You’ll learn the skills needed for storyboarding, pre-visualisation, editing and sound

• Art direction: Master the art of creating concepts and designs that define the look of a film, TV, interactive or animated project

• Design skills: Develop concept art skills including digital painting with Photoshop and creating 3D models for environment and character creation

• Analysis: You’ll be shown how to carry out character and script analysis

• Research: Develop your research skills and personal reference material taking into account climate, racial and social justice issues

• An introduction to new and existing technologies: Delve into virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), computer generated imagery (CGI), green screen and digital visual effects

• Access to Wimbledon's shared workshops

Art Direction

Art directors are responsible for developing the look and visual fingerprint of a production on everything from film and TV through to VFX, games and animation. As an art director, you’re expected to create artwork that drives the style and look of the production and in many cases help define a franchise or brand.

Visual effects (VFX)

VFX artists are concerned with the creation of digital models. This can be either:

• as a production resource for environments and performance, or

• for integrating post-production elements into live action scenes

Many of these skillsets also translate extensively to the computer games and animation industry.

Industry experience and opportunities

Work placements are a key feature during the second year of this course. They enable you to make essential industry links which will help you with your future career.

We also arrange visits to:

• London-based television and film studios

• VFX houses

• computer games companies

• animation production companies.

You’ll also have the option to study abroad for a term in your second year as part of the College’s international exchange scheme.

About Wimbledon College of Arts

Wimbledon College of Arts is dedicated to the study of stage and screen performance. The College has a long tradition of providing world class teaching in technical arts for theatre, film and television. Wimbledon College of Arts has well established industry links. These include 2 of the United Kingdom's leading theatres: the National and the Lyric.

We believe in a non-hierarchical and inclusive approach to performance. That means we see all elements as equal partners. Whether it be acting, directing, writing or designing.

Collaborative performance is a key part of the experience at Wimbledon. We design many of our course projects with that in mind. Students often work in teams to produce theatre, performance and other live events. This reflects working practices within the industry.

Our facilities include specialist workshops, studios and an on-site professional theatre. In 2023 we completed a multimillion-pound investment programme to transform Wimbledon College of Arts into a world-leading centre for performance. These improvements will enable us to nurture performance talent of the future.

We want to develop your creativity, technical ability and professionalism. It is these qualities that enable many of our graduates to go on to have successful careers.