Media Contact
Amanda Head
Manager, Marketing and Public Relations
College of Arts & Sciences
[email protected]
ATLANTA — Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) will offer a master of fine arts (M.F.A.) in digital filmmaking with a concentration in virtual production and visual effects, addressing the workforce needs of the growing film industry in Georgia.
The three-year graduate program aims to shape candidates into skilled, well-rounded visual effects (VFX) artists who possess a thorough understanding of production and post-production.
The concentration will prepare candidates to produce various cinematic and media products through rigorous practice, collaboration and study, and offer opportunities to work on a variety of industry projects. Candidates will develop distinctive styles of visual storytelling, create live-action production, 2D, 3D and motion capture, and learn unique content development pipelines.
Brennen Dicker, executive director of CMII, said the state of Georgia has built an impressive physical infrastructure, including more than 100 sound stages, for film and other creative work. The virtual production and visual effects program, being offered in coordination with Georgia State’s College of the Arts and the Georgia Film Academy (GFA), will help the state produce the highly trained workforce needed to support continued growth.
“We are honored to have a role in developing and training an inclusive, diverse workforce in the emerging technology and visual effects industry,” Dicker said. “Our new MFA concentration in VFX represents our commitment to creating degree programs that enable our students to become strong, creative leaders in a future-facing industry.”
CMII houses state-of-the-art facilities, including full post-production capacity. The program is also supported by highly specialized faculty with decades of industry experience in virtual production, motion capture, volumetric capture, audio and design, said David Cheshier, director for academic programs at CMII.
“This partnership connects students interested in the newest content creation technologies with extraordinary resources: the terrific film production faculty in the university’s film school, the industry and studio resources of the Georgia Film Academy, and the most advanced technology tools taught at CMII,” Cheshier said.
The program is accepting applications for fall 2022 admission. CMII also offers bachelor’s degree programs in game design, game development and media entrepreneurship which have more than 800 students enrolled.
CMII has built strong ties with the entertainment industry in Georgia, which saw 399 film and television productions in 2019, putting the state at the forefront of the industry in the U.S. and outpacing the production of most nations.
The industry in Georgia is responsible for more than 92,100 jobs, including indirect employment, and nearly 2,790 motion picture and television industry businesses, including 1,962 production-related companies, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
Jeffrey Stepakoff, executive director of the Georgia Film Academy, said he is excited about the partnership.
“Georgia State’s focus on bleeding edge technology, digital media and the jobs needed today and tomorrow position it to be one of the state’s leaders in the content creation ecosystem that the GFA is committed to supporting,” Stepakoff said. “This kind of partnership is what makes our film and digital entertainment industry so robust and successful in the great state of Georgia.”
With VFX skills in growing demand, Dicker said the program will aim to educate students in best practices in filmmaking, allowing them to become leaders in “challenging and changing the norms” of production.
“Through this effort, we will train the next generation of visual storytellers, attracting new voices into filmmaking and keeping creatives in Georgia for years to come,” he said.
To learn more about the program, go to: https://cas.gsu.edu/program/digital-filmmaking-virtual-production-visual-effects-concentration-mfa/.