MFA 3D Animation & Visual Effects

Overview of our MFA in 3D Animation & VFX Program

The New York Film Academy's Master of Fine Arts in 3D Animation & VFX is a four semester full time graduate program. The curriculum is designed to give prospective animators and storytellers the tools they need to become creative leaders in their chosen sector of the industry. The New York Film Academy MFA in 3D Animation & VFX challenges, inspires, and perfects the talents of its student body in a unique creative setting.




MFA IN 3D ANIMATION & VFX PROGRAM

The NYFA Master of Fine Arts in 3D Animation & VFX is a four-semester graduate degree program intended to prepare animation & visual effects artists for technical and creative leadership in the various fields of the cinematic and emerging arts while nurturing a deep sense of service toward storytelling.

Students will:

• Develop a thorough technical understanding of the animation & VFX workflow & pipeline.
• Analyze and identify the industry trends that affect Pre-Production/Preparation of Animation & VFX.
• Hone their craft in intermediate and advanced Digital Element Creation, Motion Capture, Animation, Interactive Games, Stereoscopic 3D, Post-Production/Image Manipulation, Organization of Data Acquisition & Capture for use in the VFX pipeline.

In these MFA courses, students will learn from faculty that bring knowledge from the industry, many with experience from major brands including Disney, Dreamworks, Universal, Netflix and more. Students will master tools and techniques to create compelling 3D Animation & VFX shots that culminate in their final Thesis courses.

The integration of Animation & VFX curricula has been fine-tuned at the Los Angeles campus at the bachelor's level, to provide students with a specific technical and artistic education. The curriculum has been tailored to fit industry standard technical and artistic roles as laid out in the Visual Effects Societies Handbook.

At the master's level, NYFA does not just create artists or technicians; they effectively execute on a hybrid learning curriculum for students seeking to become leaders and innovators in 3D Animation, VFX, Computer Imaging, Feature Film, Television, New & Emerging Media, Research & Development, and the Interactive & Game Industries.

MFA 3D ANIMATION & VFX EXPERIENCE

One of the best animation schools, New York Film Academy has an award-winning faculty of professional animators and visual artists who can share a wealth of industry secrets and practical knowledge for the aspiring practitioner. Their goal is to equip the next generation of animators and visual effects artists with the professional skills that will help them excel as they pursue a career in the competitive VFX industry. Our alumni credits include an array of commercial and blockbuster productions including Game of Thrones - Season 8, Aquaman, Justice League, Star Wars: The Force Awakens & Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Alien: Covenant, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

At NYFA animation school, we set ourselves apart with an emphasis on the practical, technical and artistic skills that are required to bring CG-enhanced stories to life, and actively prepare students for the rigors of a professional studio. As a one of the top animation schools, the New York Film Academy provides professional facilities and state-of-the-art equipment so that our students gain hands-on experience with industry standard software which may include Autodesk's 3D Maya, MotionBuilder, Pixologic's ZBrush digital sculptor, SideFX's Houdini FX, Chaos Group's V-Ray, and Foundry's Nuke compositing and editing program.

MFA 3D ANIMATION & VFX CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Overall, the first two semesters in the MFA Animation Program concentrate on developing the tools, techniques, and skills required to be a productive member of an animation or VFX pipeline. Students will be asked to identify and develop a mastery of a specialization within that pipeline, and command a competency in the rest of the pipeline. The final two semesters focus on making an artist into a supervisor, asking them to lead teams of artists using production management skills.

The course of study culminates in a production reel that demonstrates the students' mastery of their specialization while underscoring their ability to lead and innovate within this specialization.

SEMESTER ONE

During the first semester, students will develop animation and VFX skills and knowledge of the production pipeline. Students will bolster their command of asset creation supplemented by courses in traditional art as well as foundations of project management and production.

SEMESTER TWO

Students will focus on shot creation lessening the emphasis on the digital production specialization in semester one. Here they will learn from the principles of animation and rules of composition. Students begin to “learn how to learn” new and more varied software. Courses continue to develop some asset creation skills through continued emphasis on character set-up and texturing courses. By the end of the semester students will have had an intensive look at each of the specializations within the entirety of the 3D Animation & VFX pipeline and will be challenged to start to narrow down a specialization emphasis. Complementing their traditional 3D art course in the first semester, students will also take a traditional movement course teaching organic timing and spacing.

SEMESTER THREE

Students will begin to treat digital production of 3D Animation & VFX through a holistic lens rather than a series of sequential specializations. In addition, they will train in project management and coding, skills necessary to becoming innovators and leaders in their fields of study. They will round out the semester by achieving significant milestones of their thesis projects, where students complete a technical demo reel of their area of specialization.

SEMESTER FOUR

Students will be expected to exhibit mastery within a chosen area of specialization, such as character animation, modeling, sculpting, simulation, or the like. The semester will culminate in the completion of their thesis project, carried over from semester three. The project will be subject to the approval of the Thesis Committee where the student will be asked to defend a completed technical demo reel. The successful completion of this thesis is mandatory for graduation.

Outside of thesis completion, students will tackle open-ended problems and challenges facing the industry as a whole with technical direction-heavy courses such as problems in simulation and motion-data.

The semester will end with a screening of thesis projects for members of the industry, which may include professionals from the production, executive, and talent representation spheres.

New York Film Academy believes that to be successful in the MFA 3D Animation & VFX degree program an applicant must have an intermediate skill level in 3D Animation and VFX. The creative portfolio submitted during the application process will be used to assess this skill level and determine if the applicant has the prerequisite knowledge to meet the demand of the courses. If the applicant is assessed as not meeting the necessary skill level, detailed feedback will be made available to the applicant, recommending areas of improvement if the student wishes to improve and apply again.

1-Year Certificate-to-MFA Path:
For those applicants who do not have the requisite experience to enter directly into the MFA program and want help improving their proficiency in 3D Animation & VFX, NYFA may recommend enrolling in the 1-Year certificate program and re-applying to the MFA program after successful completion. Students who successfully complete the 1-Year certificate and are accepted into the MFA will enter semester 2 of the MFA program.


Many of our programs are approved for GI bill benefits including the Post-9/11 GI bill but please contact our Veterans Services office for specific program approvals.