MA Film FX Creative Practice

This innovative and dynamic MA Film FX Creative Practice offers you the opportunity to develop your creative practice in a range of Film FX disciplines via a range of negotiated projects. As a leader in Film FX education, the University of Bolton offers you the chance to define your own master’s-level studies. You can specialise in a single discipline or combine multiple areas of interest, as well as develop the commercial and enterprise skills needed to take control of your career.

Course Details

If you’re seeking a career in Film FX, then the University of Bolton's MA Film FX Creative Practice is ideal. Focused on developing skills for future employment, we offer you the opportunity to tailor your postgraduate studies to your Film FX interests, building your academic, creative and professional expertise. Our experienced team will work with you to devise a series of individual, industry-based projects that enable you to develop your creative practice. You may choose to focus on a single discipline, such as VFX, SFX, Modelmaking, or Special Effects Make-up, or combine several areas of practice to follow an interdisciplinary route. When you successfully complete the master's, your degree title will be chosen to reflect the focus of your studies.

We'll support you to develop a unique body of creative work through a series of negotiated projects that will be underpinned and informed by contemporary and emerging industry practice. You’ll work with a specialist supervisor who will provide support and guidance throughout the developmental process. We’ll support you to produce work spanning multiple areas of Film FX practice, if this is of interest to you. The Film FX industry is starting to more fully explore fusions between traditionally separate disciplines so opportunities are increasingly available to those whose expertise bridges two areas and who can act as a link between teams.

In addition, we’ll guide you as you investigate current contexts for creative practice in Film FX and build the skills needed to undertake research at an advanced level. You’ll explore the cultural and creative economy and consider the impact of production scale on the nature of industry roles. We’ll also invite you to place your practice within the Film FX professional landscape. Your studies will support you to develop essential skills in networking and collaboration, project management and evaluating progress to help you gain the skills to develop your industry profile and ensure your work reaches your desired audience.

Career opportunities

The MA Film FX Creative Practice offers named postgraduate routes for practice‐based areas including Visual Effects, Modelmaking, Special Effects and Make-up for Film FX as well as other associated disciplines. It's also an excellent option if you've graduated with a degree in a subject such as Graphic Design, Film and Media Production, Animation and Illustration, or Web Design. It will support you to develop a considerable body of work along with a plan for its future development beyond the course. This may take the form of a showreel, a physical portfolio or an alternative creative output. In many ways, you can consider this MA as providing a professional practice year, bridging the gap between undergraduate study and life as a professional Film FX practitioner.