By Nick Sheridan

The Core Skills of VFX is a comprehensive, modular guide to best practice in VFX education and training that draws on the knowledge and advice of more than 60 of the UK’s top VFX professionals from many of the UKs leading companies.

The handbook, which will be provided free to all universities and colleges across the UK, has been designed to give course tutors in-depth guidance on the skills that the next generation of VFX talent will need to keep our industry at the leading edge.

The modular nature of the handbook will allow institutions to embed specific elements into their current courses, or use it in entirety to create brand new, industry-focused degree courses. It also contains a section for students, The VFX Core Skills Student Primer, with a guide to the core skills the industry needs – from technical elements to softer, often overlooked skills such as teamwork and meeting the client brief.

Managing Director of Double Negative, Alex Hope, said: “This handbook introduces a new way for us all to work together – it is an important development that will mean many new and productive relationships between universities and our industry.”

Film producer and Chair of Skillset’s Film Skills Council, Iain Smith, said: “By clearly setting out the skills that industry needs, we look to guide, influence and inspire tutors in their approach to the future design and content of degree courses. We also hope to inspire our future generation of creative and technical talent, all of which will ultimately have a positive impact on the industry.”

The release of this handbook will complement and drive Skillset’s industry-endorsed accreditation programme, which will soon signpost the courses that provide the most up-to-date, industry-facing education and training.

Skillset’s lead on VFX projects, Saint John Walker, said: “By presenting the advice of industry in a form that universities either embed directly into their current courses, or use to create new courses, we will significantly reduce the time it takes to get quality courses off the ground. The industry has asked us to change the landscape of VFX tuition in the UK, and there’s no time to waste. This industry-authored Handbook will set the scene and pace for a new generation of home grown talent.”

The Core Skills of VFX is the latest in a series of major initiatives and awards designed by Skillset to improve the quality of VFX talent emerging from UK universities. Skillset has recently awarded licences for Nuke software to a selection of Film and Media Academies and accredited courses and is funding a programme to train tutors in the most up-to-date VFX skills, and enable on-line professional coaching for VFX students. These initiatives, and more that will be launched in the coming months, come in the wake of the Livingstone-Hope “Next-Gen” review and will transform the landscape of VFX teaching in the UK.

For more information about the The Core Skills of VFX, and to download your own copy, please visit: www.skillset.org/vfxhandbook.

About the author

Nick Sheridan is Skillset press and PR officer. Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media, with responsibility for 60 per cent of the UK Creative Industries. This comprises TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging, publishing, advertising and fashion and textiles. SSCs are licensed by the UK Government and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenges by sector. They are independent, UK-wide organisations, are employer-led, and actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the industry.

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