VX4001 - 2D VFX - 1st Year Compositing Module

Student work - before (top) and after (bottom)

VX4001 - 2D VFX is a 1st Year Compositing Module, part of the First Year of Undergraduate Study at Escape Studios.

VX4001 one of the modules which must be completed by all our first year undergraduate students, whether they are studying The Art of Animation, Games or Visual Effects.

 
Compositing is the art of combining different images to create a single, cohesive and believable image. This can be done to create realistic or fantastical scenes, or to simply improve the look of an image.  VX4001 is taught by Lorenzo Mannicia.

VX4001 

VX4001 is a four week module which introduces students to the fundamentals of compositing - ie layering multiple photorealistic elements in an efficient workflow in order to achieve a seamless result. VX4001 provides students with a sound foundation on which to build their compositing skills, even if they have no prior experience.

Nuke

Nuke by The Foundry

VX4001 begins with an introduction to Nuke, the leading software used in digital compositing. including compositing theory and concepts, premultiplied images, 2D tracking, and projections. 

Photoshop - and Back to Nuke

Students use Photoshop to create the set extension or matte painting, before returning to Nuke to match move and then project the set extension over the backplate. VX4001 concludes with an introduction to CG compositing, colour grading, and keying.

Grand total: 120 Credits
The first year is worth 120 credits. However, though students must pass all the modules to progress to the second year, the first year grades do not count towards students' final degree classification.

VX4001 Tutor

Lorenzo Mannicia

VX4001 is taught by Lorenzo Mannicia. Lorenzo is an experienced 2D VFX artist with skills in compositing and also in matte painting. 

As well as his experience in VFX, Lorenzo has also contributed to the creation of open source educational software (So.Di.Linux) for students. 

In Semester One, Lorenzo teaches the mini-module Art Foundation, part of Module CR4002 – Creative Foundations, which forms part of the first year of undergraduate study at Escape Studios

VX4001 Project 
Students are provided with an original backplate to which they add:

• One new photorealistic element of their choice
• One backplate removal or cleanup
• One photorealistic matte painting or set extension
• One piece of their choice from the available CG elements

VX4001 - Examples of Student Work

To see some examples of student work in VX4001, watch the short videos below:

VX4001 Project Work - Example 1

VX4001 Project Work - Example 2 

VX4001 Project Work - Example 3

VX4001 Project Work - Example 4

VX4001 Project Work - Example 5

Vimeo Channel

We have many tutorials at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel to support our students' classroom learning. Our students can find the tutorials on 2D Compositing in Nuke here.

Golden Acorn - directed by Maciej Osuch

Summary
The first year at Escape Studios is very varied and diverse, and offers our students many opportunities to practice their creativity and pick up new skills. By the end of the year, students will be ready to move into their specialist area, and dig deeper into their specialist skillset.

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year at Escape Studios
To see what's in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year at Escape Studios, follow these links:

• First Year at Escape Studios
• Second year at Escape Studios
• Third year at Escape Studios. 
• Fourth and final year, (integrated MArt)

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To find out more about our new BA/MArt, now recruiting for September 2023, follow this link.   To apply, visit the official page here.