The Academy offers free access to virtual learning for the next generation of visual effects artists around the world. Our courses prepare you for a career in visual effects by working with industry experts on their creative, technical, procedural, and soft skills. They also provide a great opportunity to gain experience and expertise to build upon as you progress in your career.
What is The Technicolor Academy and when did it launch?
The Academy is a range of courses designed to develop entry level students wanting to work in VFX, Games and Animation to become production ready. It launched in 2015, went virtual in 2020 and has trained more than 5,000 students to date.
What is the structure of the courses like?
Courses are 8-12 weeks long depending on the discipline being trained for (e.g. Animation, Lighting, Environments, etc.) and follow a structure of live briefings, video tutorials, dailies, rounds with one to one coaching, and a final review at the end of the week. There is interaction with the trainer every day and students are provided cloud-based workstations, software, storage and rendering to work on their weekly assignments with constant feedback.
How many students are on each course?
Course sizes are limited to 20 students to ensure a high level of feedback and support.
How connected is The Academy with Technicolor Group (e.g. trainers / job opportunities etc).
The courses run with studio support to deliver additional feedback and advice as well as to assess talent. Heads of Department and leads often participate in dailies and weekly reviews. Student progress is shared with hiring managers and many students are hired to join the crew.
What kind of projects do students on The Academy work on? Are they ever allowed to work with client material?
Students work on generic assets as opposed to client assets during The Academy training. This is for security purposes and to ensure they have a range of experiences to ready them for working at studios. They are then onboarded when hired to begin working on client projects. Good things come to those who wait!
What sorts of jobs and companies have Academy students gone on to join?
Academy graduates are hired as Artists mostly at MPC and also Mikros Animation, The Mill and Technicolor Games. Students that are not hired by our studios go on to work at a wide range of small and large VFX studios.
Where can I apply to The Academy?
Discover more about The Academy and apply for free courses here.
