MA Visual Effects Production (Compositing)

Minimum requirements

An undergraduate honours degree in a related subject or equivalent industry experience, plus a portfolio of creative work. 

If you're not sure about your qualifications, get in touch.

International students 

We welcome applications from qualified candidates all over the world. 

Postgraduate applicants will need a good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (or significant professional experience) and a postgraduate portfolio.

Head to our international hub for more information. For any questions, reach out to our Admissions Team: admissions@escapestudios.ac.uk

English language requirements

All our courses are taught in English. If your first language is not English, you may need to complete an English language test, such as a Pearson English language test (PTE Academic) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, to demonstrate you have the language skills needed to complete your degree.

International students will be required to hold a Secure English Language Test (SELT) at B2 in order to be able to apply for a visa to study at Escape Studios on a student visa. Visit the government website for guidance

You may be exempt from proving your English level if you are from an English-speaking country listed as recognised for visa purposes or have a degree level qualification obtained in one of these countries. The latest list is available on the UK Government website.

For students who have a SELT at B2 but who do not meet our requirements, we can also consider alternative qualifications. Please contact admissions@escapestudios.ac.uk for more information.

If you’d like to discuss your circumstances before applying, contact us at admissions@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0) 20 4570 5091.

We can provide remote access to our workstations during teaching time. Due to availability restrictions, we highly advise you to have your own set up at home to study in your own time. 

More things you’ll need: 

• A strong internet connection 

• An external hard drive (minimum 2TB) to back up your work during the course 

• A three-button mouse (or optionally a Wacom tablet or similar) 

• A computer microphone (and optionally a webcam) 

• Note-taking materials 

If you have any questions about learning online or if you need help with what to buy, get in touch at courses@escapestudios.ac.uk.

To apply, complete an online application form. Our Admissions Team will get in touch to take you through the next steps.

• Apply for 24th February 2025

• Apply for 22nd September 2025

To apply for one of our postgraduate masters programmes, you can complete an online application form, found on the relevant course page on our website. If your application is accepted, we'll ask you to submit a creative portfolio of work. Check out our creative portfolio guide for guidance on what we expect to see.

There isn't a formal application deadline for most of our postgraduate courses, but you may need to apply by a certain date to be eligible for our postgraduate scholarships or discounts.

If we make you an offer for a place on one of our programmes, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions for your place on the course to be secured.

Fees

London campus

• UK students: £12,450

• International students: £19,995

Live online: £12,450

Our postgraduate fees are payable within the first 18 weeks of the course, with a deposit to be paid one month before the start of the course. Please note, we review our fees every year.

Funding for UK students

For UK students living in England, you have the option to apply for a Government Masters Loan and borrow up to £12,471 in 2024/25, to help fund your course.

To be eligible for funding from Student Finance England, you must be studying on an eligible course at a provider registered with the Office for Students (OfS). Escape Studios is registered with the Office for Students and our masters programmes are eligible for funding.

Visit www.officeforstudents.org.uk for more information.

Payment plans

We offer payment plan options for all courses. Following an initial deposit at registration stage, your chosen payment plan will break down your remaining fees into up to three instalments.

Contact our Admissions Team on admissions@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0)204 570 5091 or visit our admissions page for any questions about fees, funding and payment plans.

The assessment methods employed in this programme have been developed to mirror industry practice as far as possible. We balance feedback from tutors and industry experts. It is crucial that, as a student, you learn how to accept and work with feedback from your superiors and peers, as this will be the norm when you work in industry. You also need to develop a keen self-critical eye, to be able to step back from your work and see what you could improve, and to have the ability to look at yourself and your working practices and make changes where necessary.  

Formative assessment

This is one of the most important aspects of your work. You will receive regular feedback from your tutor, studio assistants and peers during your modules. This will often be oral feedback on your work, sometimes on a one-to-one basis, sometimes in a group feedback session or daily. All of this should help you build on your strengths and develop your skills as you progress through the course. 

Summative assessment

This will be specifically designed to measure how well you meet the learning outcomes of the module. They will usually involve a task to meet a brief set by your tutor and will allow you to demonstrate the knowledge and skills that you have learned during the module. You’ll need to decide exactly how to complete the task, choosing particular techniques and approaches, and making decisions on the aesthetics and style to meet the given requirements. 

Each module will have a practical element (usually a practical project, where you make something) and a written element (usually a journal or blog, where you reflect on what you’ve made). Sometimes you will also have to give a presentation to demonstrate your work. All these elements are essential to your development, by showing that you can deliver to a required level and that you understand why you can and how you could improve.

Summative assessment breakdown

For your pathway modules (compositing 1, compositing 2, advanced compositing for visual effects), you will be assessed as follows: 

• Practical project – 60% 

• Production logbook – 30% 

• Individual presentation – 10% 

For the collaborative module, you will be assessed as follows: 

• Group project – 80% 

• Retrospective group presentation – 20% 

For the production project, you will be marked as follows: 

• Production project – 60% 

• Written retrospective – 40% 

For more information, see full programme specifications.

Your overall workload will be divided between teaching sessions (2.5 days per week) and independent learning. 

During your course, you’ll be able to develop your knowledge and skills in a number of ways. Some learning time will be closely directed and supervised by your tutors, at other times you’ll be free to organise your own study with guidance. All your scheduled studio time, except for some information sessions and presentations, will be in smaller groups based on specialism. 

For your team project, you’ll be working with a smaller team, collaborating to meet a shared brief. This will give you ample opportunity to get the support and assistance that you need. 

The first three modules have a high contact time (120 hours for each module), as this is where you will learn the knowledge and skills associated with your chosen subject, directed and informed by your tutors’ expertise and experience. These will normally involve a large part of each day with your tutor and studio assistant, following demonstrations and working on set exercises to help you develop your craft. 

The Industry Specialism and Production Project modules will have a lower contact time (30 hours and 60 hours respectively), with your tutors taking on the roles of supervisors or studio leads. You’ll meet with them regularly to get feedback and help you stay on the right path, but these modules are much more about you managing the learning experience to meet your objectives. You’ll be free to organise your work either as a team or an individual to best suit your project requirements. 

Each module has its own area on our Online Learning Environment (OLE) where you will find information about the module and the resources that are provided to support your learning. Some of this information will be dedicated to the module, other elements may be shared across different modules and some may be external assets that can help with your further study. There may be links to videos, online journals and e-books, and you should take advantage of these to enhance your development and take it beyond the studio experience. Tutors may highlight some of these during their sessions. 

Students with additional needs or disabilities are supported by our Student Services team. 

Overall workload 

This programme has two entry points each year. It is divided into two stages. Stage 1 comprises modules to a total of 120 credits and stage 2 comprises a 60-credit Production Project module. You must successfully complete each module in order to be awarded the specified number of credits for that module. One credit corresponds to approximately ten hours of 'learning time' (including all classes and all private study and research). Obtaining 180 credits in an academic year requires 1,800 hours of overall learning time. 

The first three modules are taught in intensive blocks of seven weeks each, giving a total of 21 weeks. During each of these modules, you will spend around 30 hours per week studying in tutor-led sessions or practice supported by studio assistants. The final two modules are more self-directed. The Studio Project will take around 8 weeks, during which you will have around 15 hours of feedback sessions with your tutor. Finally, you will spend around 16 weeks on the Production Project, including around 30 hours of feedback sessions with your tutor. 

Each 30-credit module on the course requires you to commit 300 hours of study, with one 60-credit module which requires 600 hours of study. Some of these hours will be formally supervised in the learning environment and others will involve private study.  

For more details about modules, credits and workload, see full programme specifications.

• Nuke 

• Silhouette

• Unreal Engine

"In compositing we have the unique pleasure of coming at the end of the pipeline. That means everything we do directly appears in the finished product on screen. That combined with the perfect balance of creative contribution to the finished product and technical problem solving, means that the scope of work is broad and no two days are ever quite the same." Chris Fryer, Digital Compositor at Industrial Light & Magic

You’ll graduate with a postgraduate qualification and a killer portfolio put together with advice from tutors and industry professionals. Ready to apply to start your career in the industry! 

Some of the opportunities you can consider once you’ve finished your studies include: 

• Runner 

• Texture/Modelling/CFX Artist 

• Previs Artist 

• Rotoscope/Prep Artist 

• Layout Artist  

• Production Assistant  

• Production Coordinator 

Compositors often start out in junior roles or as Rotoscope Artists to then rise to mid-level and senior roles such as Compositors and Compositing Supervisors, opening the path to becoming a VFX Supervisor. 

Our students have gone to work as both specialist and generalist artists in creative studios, across TV shows, films and commercials, at companies including Industrial Light & Magic, Cinesite, Pixomondo and Milk VFX. Read some of our VFX Escapee success stories.

Check out our Careers Guide for more information about career opportunities and progression routes.