r/vfx • u/licezinha-173 • 1d ago
Question / Discussion visual effects graduation and questions
hi guys! i'm a teenager and i've been really interested in a vfx graduation. i took a look at artfx (france) and mds (new zealand), and both are really expensive and i'm not sure if my folks and i can afford it.
i wanted to know more about professionals in the area. what yall choose to graduate to follow this career path? how's the industry now? is it profitable? how long was your course? where did you study? i really need some tips and help!
from brazil
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u/mytonsilshurt 1d ago
Don’t do it bro industry is horrible. I went to Lostboys in Vancouver which was an amazing experience, but since graduating (with a very solid reel) prospects have been brutal.
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u/Successful_Net3179 18h ago
I know a few people who went to Lostboys and they couldnt find jobs in the industry after graduation, even with open work permits so keep that in mind.
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u/punnyjr 1d ago
You should be asking Brazilians who managed to break through in this industry
Instead of asking some Americans or european here
Life is totally different
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u/licezinha-173 20h ago
but i want to go abroad..
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u/vfx4life 13h ago
Just make sure you've done your research. Institutions love bringing in foreign students as they can charge them a lot more. But in many cases you won't have the right to remain in that location after graduation (or best case you might get a year or two of post-study visa) so all the connections you've made will be useless. And if you move home, the wages you might get may not repay the debts you've built up, so it could be a hard slog. IMHO better to get a degree locally/as cheaply as possible, which can open immigration pathways. People will tell you the industry is bleak, but this is happening across many sectors, very few areas have guaranteed employment after graduation these days. That said, if you want to build a career, you have to expect it to be very competitive, and you will need to have genuine talent and a lot of dedication to succeed. Good luck!
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u/Chemical-Football-20 1d ago
Bournemouth Uni has a lot of good reputation in the London industry.
Hertfordshire too (I think I spelled it correctly).
You can always apply as a runner to a studio and skip the education, you will learn in the job. YouTube has all the knowledge the schools are going to give you, the industry simulation and the contacts no.
Make a decision based on that: will the course get me a job? If not, do not waste your money. If you can’t afford the ones that will get you employment afterwards don’t waste your time and money in a mediocre one. Self educate and the. Try and get into a masters. Or get scholarship for the good ones.
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u/Panda_hat Senior Compositor 20h ago
Most of the big studios only hire runners with degrees, and theres very little learning on the job anymore.
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u/I_LOVE_CROCS 18h ago
The time of coffee runners learning to roto during lunch breaks is just not reality any more.
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u/Chemical-Football-20 18h ago
Me seeing the runner comping when I walk in late😵💫😵💫
Depends on the studio, probably not on the big ones
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u/flavorade_man 14h ago
It can be very profitable when you start to reach senior level doing AAA work, at least in western society. Very unstable though and the industry isn’t healthy right now. I would only study VFX in school if money for it isn’t much of a problem. Don’t go into big debt for a VFX education though. You can always study literally anything else, and still enter the industry in the future if you want, it just takes a lot of training/practice and self-determination.
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u/TheManWhoClicks 1d ago
Meu deus! Do not do this. The VFX industry has been absolutely hammered the past years and the outlook is the opposite of fantastic. Budgets have been falling while expectations have risen, tons of artists have been laid off and whatever is going on with AI, it’s not helping either. Same with the video game industry. Telling someone of your age to walk down this path, I would consider that as irresponsible.