Are you looking to take your next steps in the games and VFX industries? If you want to refine your craft, then it’s worth checking out the National Film and Television School (NFTS)’s range of courses.
NFTS is a postgraduate institution that runs more behind-the-camera courses than any other film school in the world. This includes dedicated training courses (Master’s of Fine Arts, Master’s, Diploma, Certificate and short courses) in specialisms including animation, games design and development, virtual production, cinematography, marketing and distribution and business of the creative industries.
The NFTS provides practical, specialist training designed to mimic industry practices as closely as possible, ultimately fast-tracking graduates straight into the industry. Students benefit from world-class tuition and state-of-the-art facilities, as well as the School’s wide range of industry connections.
You don’t need prior experience to apply, just a passion for the subject and a willingness to learn.
Here are five more reasons why you should consider applying to the NFTS today:
1. New VFX courses
The NFTS has two new Visual Effects (VFX) MA pathways in Lighting and Compositing and Environments and Assets. These are both new one-year full-time MAs. The course previously ran as a two-year MA course which allowed specialism only in the second year. This exciting new pathway means that students will be job-ready within one year.
One pathway is all about creating stories’ digital worlds and environments, and the other dedicated to designing, lighting and compositing the shots through which these worlds are experienced. With these two elements, the collaborative nature of the contemporary VFX pipeline is covered, providing students with essential real-world experience.
As part of its one-of-a-kind offering, at NFTS students collaborate on live productions, working closely with NFTS students from filmmakers and animators to model makers, composers and sound designers to get invaluable experience.
2. Hot gaming pathways
If it’s gaming you want to get into, the NFTS has a number of games pathways that you should take a look at. There’s a Games Design and Development MFA (2 years), Indie Games Development online part-time certificate (6 months) and an Animation for Film and Games MA (one year).
These courses not only teach you how to create complete games, but also how to release them and promote them across indie games and Triple-A. Students can benefit from collaborations with others across the school, working with sound designers and composers as well as marketing and distribution students to hone their craft across the whole games pipeline.
The Animation for Film and Games MA dives deep into the theory and craft of creating animations digitally for film and games, using the latest industry standard software and technology. Students work with real-time games engines and content-creation software to create the kinds of worlds you’d expect to see at the cinema from Pixar, Dreamworks and Illumination Entertainment, or games created by the likes of Epic Games, Supermassive Games and Rocksteady Studios.
3. Key industry partnerships
NFTS has fantastic connections across the film, TV and gaming industries and students can benefit from an incredible programme of exclusive Masterclasses. Recent guests have included Louis Theroux (Inside The Manosphere, Weird Weekends), Pete Docter (Chief Creative Officer at Pixar), Jack Thorne (Adolescence), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme, Uncut Gems) and Netflix CEO, Ted Sarandos.
4. No hidden costs
There are absolutely no hidden costs at NFTS. All production costs are included in tuition fees. If you’re worried about paying fees, NFTS also offers almost £2million of scholarship and bursary funding each year to British students, more than almost any other educational institution in the UK (relative to its size).
5. Graduates come out on top
NFTS alumni are absolutely vital to creating high-profile film, TV and games content, with 89% of NFTS graduates working in high-level roles within 12 months of graduating.
And that’s not all. 90% of spend on film by the largest US studios involves NFTS graduates, while 74% of revenues of the UK's Top 20 box office hits and 78% of the Top 20 independent films feature an NFTS graduate in a key role.
How to apply
Applications are currently open for NFTS courses starting in January 2027.
To apply, go to the NFTS website. Entry requirements vary from course to course, but many students come from backgrounds such as illustration, computer science, art and design and media production. The main thing the School looks for in applications is a passion for the subject and creativity.
Get hands-on, industry-focused training in film, television and games, guided by industry professionals every step of the way, at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).
Find your course at nfts.co.uk.
