Top tips for SFX students from industry experts

The University of Bolton has collaborated with Millennium FX to provide Special Effects (SFX) for Film and TV students with industry-specific talks and training for the sector.

Millennium FX is Europe’s leading supplier of prosthetics, animatronics and special make-up effects for film, television, commercials and much more. Made up of multi-award winning artists, with numerous BAFTAs and Royal Television Society accolades between them, having these leading industry figures work with the University of Bolton is a real coup.

Special Effects Programme Leader, Richard Mcevoy-Crompton, said: “We’re really proud of our relationship with industry, it’s a core tenet of what we do on SFX at Bolton. Talks like these are essential for getting our students ready for going out into the world. The wealth of experience and skill that these industry talks offer is incredible.”

How to break into the industry

Millennium FX Co-Director, Kate Walshe and Chris Goodman, in-house designer, delivered the sessions via Zoom, sharing insights with students on how to get into the industry, as well as live practical demonstrations on techniques such as digital sculpting.

The SFX degree at the University of Bolton mirrors industry pipelines, so when students graduate they can easily and successfully integrate into paid work in the sector. An example of this was Kate’s first session, where she spoke about each stage of a project, the planning involved and budget; something students practice in core modules.

Following this, the cohort went on to learn about life as a Special Effects Technician, with Kate covering everything from being on set, how to break into the industry and what to do on their first job, along with a bit on how Covid is impacting the way the work happens.

Next up for the SFX students was a live demonstration by Chris on the process of creating a digital sculpture; from the initial blocking out phase, all the way through to finishing textures and photo editing to bring the piece to life.

This type of learning reinforces the University of Bolton’s policy of being a Teaching Intensive, Research Informed (TIRI) institution, and highlights its commitment to providing students with the opportunity to engage and learn directly from industry professionals.
Speaking about the collaboration with the institution, Kate said: “The University of Bolton’s SFX for Film and TV department is literally world class. I always get so excited to see projects made by the students there.

“It’s the perfect environment for creating the next generation of artists; incredible facilities and a team of skilled and passionate staff really do make it one of the best institutes to study SFX. As a result, it’s a course I recommend to a lot of artists curious about their next steps towards a career.”

Find out more about a Special Effects for Film and TV degree at the University of Bolton, which is ranked in the Top 50 best UK universities in The Guardian 2021 league table. We’re proud to be known for our teaching quality, supportive learning environment and award-winning student services; welcome to #UniAsItShouldBe in Greater Manchester.

Not only have we been No.1 for Student Satisfaction for the past three years*, but we’re also in the Top 5 in the UK for Teaching Quality**.

For questions related to accommodation, finance, funding, health and wellbeing, disability support or anything else you’d like to chat about, our Student Services team is here to help. Contact +44(0)1204 900 600 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk.

*Complete University Guide in 2021, 2020 and 2019, North West
**The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide in 2021 and 2020