The Process of Making Movie Magic – Learning About Special Visual Effects (VFX)

In this On-Going class, learners will be taught the basic concepts that Visual Effects are based on.
Most people don’t realize Visual Effects are over a century old, which is why we’ll
hi-light its evolution by taking a peek into its past and seeing that history which started over 120 years ago. 

In this lecture style environment, I’ll provide some before/after shots that I worked on highlighting key compositing tasks that were done for the shot in the movie or tv show.
Learners can start thinking about how they can apply this information to their own concepts and come up with ideas for their future productions.
As these classes progress, learners will get a fundamental understanding of how VFX works, and how the team works together to get the job done in time for the big premiere.   We’ll discuss the VFX tools and software packages that are out there for students to pickup and learn from.  Some are free; others are paid subscriptions, but they usually come with a heavy student discount.  We’ll discuss the basics, and showcase Visual Effects in its most elemental form, called invisible VFX.  Most people don’t realize many shots have this type of work done.  Things like,  rig and wire removals, sky replacements, adding rain, snow, building set extensions, pyrotechnic augmentation on explosions, smoke and fire, etc. 

All these topics and more are covered in this On-Going class and it will be an absolute joy to teach this subject to your learner.


Week of 02/04/23: An Introduction To VFX

Week of 02/11/23: Exploring VFX Tools

Week of 02/18/23: Exploring VFX Positions

Week of 02/25/23: Introduction to 2D Compositing

Week of 03/03/23: Introduction to 3D C.G.I.

Week of 03/10/23: Introduction to 3D C.G.I.

Week of 03/17/23: Invisible VFX

Week of 03/25/23: On Set Supervision

No background knowledge is needed to succeed in this class.
The only supplies that will be needed are 3D anaglyph glasses (Red & Blue) when we cover 3D stereoscopy

55 minutes per class,  Ideal for ages 13-18.