It was fantastic news for artists when Adobe and MAXON announced that the next version of After Effects will include tight integration with MAXON’s flagship 3D software as well as a standalone special Cinema 4D Lite version. While C4D is arguably the 3D app of choice for AE artists, there are many who haven’t had a reason or need learn the app until now. And now  is the best time to get up to speed on Cinema 4D, so that when the next version of After Effects ships, you can hit the ground running.

To help you in your quest for learning, we’re offering a special limited time fxphd membership package that includes our two introductory courses in Cinema 4D for only $199USD. That’s $100 off the price of our normal two course membership. Taught by Tim Clapham, they are some of our most popular and highest rated courses at fxphd.

When you join at this special rate, you’ll be a full member of the April 13 term and automatically signed up for C4D103 and C4D104: Parts 1 & 2 of our Introduction to Cinema 4D R14 series. That’s over 15 hours of training material between the two courses.

Click through for more details about the course, as well as a free preview of the entire first two classes from C4D103….

But you get much more than training on Cinema 4D when you join. In addition you get the following bonus extras for being part of the April 13 term at fxphd:

• VPN Software. You have access to a full version of Cinema 4D Studio through our VPN, which may be used for non-commercial purposes to learn the software
• Background Fundamentals. Our weekly Background Fundamentals magazine style ‘course’ that covers a range of topics, from fun new looks to some serious episodes this term on the business of being in business. This is an exclusive free and weekly extra.
• Private Forums. Online discussion forums where you can ask Tim questions as well as talk about the course with other fxphd members

Plus, before the new software ships, you’ll get a special bonus class covering the new Cinema 4D Cineware plugin integration in the next version of After Effects.

Get the full course outlines here:

• C4D103: Introduction to Cinema 4D R14, Part 1
• C4D104: Introduction to Cinema 4D R14, Part 2 

So what’s next if you’re interested and want to join?

1. Find out how fxphd works by visiting our faq page and be sure to watch the tour video.
   
2. Sign up and join! 

C4D103: Introduction to Cinema 4D, Part 1 – Class #1

C4D103: Introduction to Cinema 4D, Part 1 – Class #2

Taking a look at our new courses, and touching on our repeats, the orientation week video is now available for your viewing pleasure. Check it out and hear first-hand from the profs what they have planned for their courses.

You can also download the video for offline viewing.

We have an outstanding lineup of new courses, with a great slate of profs teaching them. Some of the new courses this term are:

• HRO201: HIERO in Commercials
• GRD202: The Craft of Color Grading II
• KAT201: Intermediate KATANA
• EDT203: The Freelance Editors Toolkit
• HOU207: Houdini 12.5 Bootcamp
• MYA215: Production Quality Rendering in Maya with MentalRay
• DOP217: Pimp My Lenses
• RMS201: Physically Plausible Shading in RenderMan Studio
• SYN204: SynthEyes Tracking Challenges
• MTH201: Real Mathematics for Visual Effects and 3D
  

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Plus we are proud to have a late announcement of a brilliant new Nuke course !

NUK222: Guerrilla Guide from the NUKE Trenches

In this brand new 200 Nuke course, we’re going back to our roots with a course covering techniques that solve problems compositors run into every day on the job. This course is in that spirt of sharing production-proven tips from the trenches that can help make your life as an artist easier.

(not included in the Oweek video due to schedules but very much at the centre of this term’s courses!)

Welcome to the new term at fxphd.

We have an outstanding lineup of new courses, with a great slate of profs teaching them. Returning to spread the knowledge this term at fxphd are Victor Wolansky, Christos Obretenov, Jonathan Gilbert, Tahl Niran and Matt Leonard. We also welcome new professors Mike Matusek, Hugo Guerra, Matt Duclos, Art Guglielmo, and Jon Tojek to the fxphd crew.

• GRD202: Craft of Grading II  with Mike Matusek. This is a creative focus on impactful looks and styles. Grading is as much art as it is science and this course focuses on that artistic look side.
• SYN204: SynthEyes with Victor Wolansky. Camera & object tracking is vital to any visual effects and yet going beyond simple tracks requires a strategy. This 200 Sytheyes course gives you that approach.
• HRO201: Heiro with Hugo Guerra. This 200 level course covers one of the Foundry’s most significant  recent products and focuses for conforming, editing and versioning.
• EDT203: The Freelance Editors Toolkit  with Art Guglielmo. As a freelance editor, you should be as software agnostic as possible, Art touches on all the major NLEs – their strengths & weaknesses.
• DOP 217: Pimp My Lenses with Mike Seymour and Matt Duclos. This course aims to explain lenses, relate them to 3D and Post and show you more than a few very cool lens tricks.
• KAT201: Intermediate Katana with Matt Leonard. Building on last terms 101 course this expands on this key professional high end lighting tool that is being adopted by studios around the world.
• RMS201: Physically Plausible Shading in RenderMan Studio with Christos Obretenov. This up to date Renderman course shows how to achieve realism and high end rendering in RMS.
• MYA215: Production Quality Rendering in Maya with MentalRay with Jon Tojek. Mental Ray is one of the key renderers & Jon will help you to focus on professional level rendering.
• HOU207: Intermediate Houdini 12.5 with Jonathan Gilbert. Houdini is the backbone of so many effects pipelines. In this 200 level course we show you how to use it for major production value.
• NUK222: Guerrilla Guide from the NUKE Trenches with Eric Deinzer. This term, we’re going back to our roots with a course covering techniques that solve problems compositors run into every day on the job. This course is in that spirt of sharing production-proven tips from the trenches that can help make your life as an artist easier..

Plus as part of your membership at fxphd you get a free weekly Background Fundamentals magazine style ‘course’ that covers a range of topics, from fun new looks to some serious episodes this term on the business of being in business. This is an exclusive free and weekly extra. Another extra is access to nearly $45,000 of free VPN software to help you do the course, build your reel and develop new techniques – all to allow you to take your career to the next level.

Plus some of our most popular courses are back…

• NUK104    Introduction to Nuke with Tahl Niran
• DOP215    Practical and Digital Effects – Blowing Cr*p Up with Mike and Scott Squires
• PFT303     Advanced PFTrack: Tracking Masochism With Victor Wolansky
• KAT101    Introduction to Katana (for those looking at the new KAT201) again with Matt Leonard

and with our most popular Cinema 4D courses

• C4D103    Introduction to Cinema 4D R14, Part 1
• C4D104    Introduction to Cinema 4D R14, Part 2
• MOG211  Cinema4D and After Effects Production Techniques

Houdini, in addition to the new HOU 207 above

• HOU102    Introduction to Houdini 12, Part 1
• HOU103    Introduction to Houdini 12, Part 2
• HOU205    Destruction in Houdini 12

And a complete introduction to Modo with Pat Crandley 

• MDO101    Introduction to Modo, Part 1
• MDO102    Introduction to Modo, Part 2

Nuendo 6 Fundamentals will quickly get you up to speed on how to use the new version of Nuendo from Steinberg. Taught by Ryan Pribyl, this all-new course contains over five hours of training covering the fundamentals you need to know to get most out of this new release. It also contains a sample project used in the classes so you can follow along with the instruction.

This course is intended for users who are new to Nuendo, perhaps switching from another digital audio workstation (DAW) or even someone new to working with a DAW altogether. We start from the basics and work up to some of the more advanced features in Nuendo, taking the time to explore them and show how they can be useful in your workflow.

Some of the key features we look into are:

• The Editor interface
• Media management with the Pool and Media Bay
• The new MixConsole including AnyMix Pro and the new metering system
• The new ADR Taker System
• Advanced workflows including child busses, direct routing, Edit mode, bus recording and the new Remote Control Editor
• Automation System

Once you purchase the Nuendo 6 Fundamentals course, you can immediately download all class instruction videos. Samples and clips used during the course are available to download.

The fast forward program is standalone instruction with immediate download and does not include access to our discussion forums or VPN software.

For a full listing of the individual classes, click the “Read More” link…

 Nuendo 6 Course Outline

Class 1: Getting Started

We start with a brief look at the installation and licensing process. Then we work through setting up your hardware devices and vst connections. We create a basic project and go through the project settings and finish off the class with recording some audio, processing that audio and exporting out the of the system.

Class 2: Editor Part 1

This class if the first of two parts looking at the editor interface and making sense of all the symbols and settings. In this class, we take an in-depth look at the Project View, the Timeline, Tools and Toolbar. We discuss the role of the Inspector, the Status Line, Info Line and Overview Line as well.

Class 3: Editor Part 2

In this class we start out by saving a template and then take an closer look at the preferences, key-commands, History with branches, and discuss Offline Process History, Workspaces and the Transport

Class 4: Importing and Pool

We finish up the editor series by importing audio from an OMF and video from Quicktime into Nuendo, looking at the Pool and how you can process media within the Pool, and then we look at some of the features inside the sample editor.

Class 5: Media Bay

Using the included sound effects from the installation DVD, we build a sound effects search database and go through the features of the media bay, Nuendo’s powerful media management system. We also look at Batch Processing within Nuendo.

Class 6: New MixConsole

The new MixConsole has a lot going on and this class is all about exploring it, including the new Rack channel effects, AnyMix Pro surround panning plugin, and a detailed look at setting up the Control Room mixer and it’s new metering options.

Class 7: ADR Taker System

One of Nuendo 6′s new features is the ADR Taker System. We go through the steps to set this up within your project and conduct a mock ADR session. We also look at working with Lanes and how to Edit the perfect take from within a track Lane.

Class 8: Advanced Workflows – Part 1

There are a lot of high end post features buried in Nuendo and we start digging in to them in these two classes on Advanced Workflows. In Part 1 we work with Multichannel audio files, The new MixConvertV6 plugin, the new Loudness Lane, Group and FX Channels, Child Busses, Direct Routing and Batch Exporting

Class 9: Advanced Workflows – Part 2

Part 2 of Advanced Workflows discusses Edit Mode, Crossfade Editor, bus recording and the new Remote Control Editor for assigning parameters to your interface.

Class 10: Automation

This class takes an indepth look at Nuendo’s Automation system. We open up the Automation Panel and discuss the various modes of Automation and how to use the Fill and Preview commands when mixing with automation.

Digital asset management is a concern for many facilities working on major projects involving millions of dollars. How can files remain organized, searchable, view and trackable and distributed securely? 5th Kind is addressing these exact questions. 5Th kind provides a way to centralize and tag all digital files across the entire production – anything and everything including scripts, casting, dailies, access to remote vendors, VFX and marketing materials – into one system. This reduces costs, eliminates duplicate tasks, makes for fewer emails, simplifies appropriate access and provides easy locating and re-use of assets across the entire company, production or studio.

This course, taught by John Attard, will introduce the 5th Kind digital asset management system. Giving you you the fundamental understanding on how it functions and how it can be integrated into studio environments. This course is ideal if you are at a major facility or joining one and want to step up to large scale production asset management.

For a full listing of the individual classes, click the “Read More” link…

Many of our courses at fxphd are great for anyone working in any environment, but some such as this course from 5th Kind, are for those of you who aspire or work on large scale productions. Marvel Comics, and all it suppliers and subsidiaries for example use 5th Kind Asset management. It is used on all Aardman features, films like Men in Black 3 and many more. 5th Kind is not designed for individuals, it is designed for large Hollywood tentpole productions, but it’s influence is huge, as is the scope of its functions.

The fast forward program is standalone instruction with immediate download and does not include access to our discussion forums or VPN software.

Introduction to 5th Kind Course Outline

Class 1: What is digital asset management ?

What is workflow management? Who uses 5thkind and why ? Who and what is 5thkind & What are our course goals ?

Class 2: Interface

Tag metadata/associations, Numerous associations break linear, Asset ingestion, What is meta data & How you use it to structure assets for long term usage

Class 3: System setup

Defining the workspace, Looking at an example structure of permissions, How to configure production, Step thru admin, Interface, Administration & Asset access control

Class 4: Intro to production workflow

Department structures and communication, Interface, Package share & Using the mobile app

Class 5: Pre Production

Art Department / Production documents, Bidding Process, Interface, Package transfer, Queue management & Crew list management

Class 6: Pre Production & Interface

On set workflows, On set Metadata, Impact to VFX workflow & Film vs. Digital vs Virtual Production, Data Wrangler, Camera Reports, Dailies & Script notes

Class 7

Mike sits down with John for a chance to use him as a case study for 5th Kind.

Class 8: Post Production & Interface

Footage Pulls & VFX Turnover, Shoot Plate/Element tracking, workflow tracking & VFX Reports

Class 9: Marketing

Distribution and deliverables & Benefits of archive.

Class 10

Building a library from assets within 5th Kind.

Previously available only to fxphd members, we are releasing VFX Foundations, Part I as part of our fast forward program. It is a course designed for EVERYONE, from an absolute beginner to a career visual effects professional. No matter what you know or think you know about working with images using a computer this course will give you a better grasp of what those buttons sliders and nodes are truly doing. If you’re in visual effects, regardless of your level, this course should be a requirement.

Tahl Niran, is a compositor and trainer who has been working in visual effects since 1999. In that time he has worked in games, broadcast design, tv commercials and feature films and trained artists in Australia, London, New York, Mumbai and Shanghai. Tahl was one of the foundation professors at FXPHD and also one of the creators of the original Foundry Nuke Masterclasses. He returns to FXPHD after three years in London working with the team at Double Negative Visual Effects.

For a full listing of the individual classes, click the “Read More” link…

In response to a huge government and private initiative, a large cross section of people from many of the top of the VFX facilities in the UK got together in 2011 to define what was the most crucial things for educators and students in VFX to know. What did the industry really want their staff to know ? What do people in VFX really need to know to do their jobs well. They created a bible for anyone studying VFX in any capacity and it was called the Core Skills of VFX. You can read their guidelines here :

http://www.creativeskillset.org/animation/overview/article_8377_1.asp

In the wake of this document, many things about training artists for vfx changed. For professor Tahl Niran, it was a major turning point in how he approached training. Visual effects training is often designed to get people ‘up and running’ with software, make pretty images or just get people feeling comfortable with a complicated application. But underneath every system which creates, manipulates or even displays images is a very simple set of core ideas. Identifying and understanding these is the key to a truly deep understanding of visual effects compositing.

The fast forward program is standalone instruction with immediate download and does not include access to our discussion forums or VPN software.

VFX Foundations, Part 1 Course Outline

Class 1: Understanding how we see

The problem – why we need colour theory and the limits of human vision, display systems and how your application lies to you and luminance, chrominance and why you suck at seeing both!

Class 2: Modern models of colour

The solution – defining, encoding and recording color, display systems and how they can lie to you plus file formats and the ins and outs of managed colour pipelines.

Class 3: Jargon busting

Who is marcie? and why do we care – density, log and linear colour in practice and coverting colour from storage to a usable medium for manipulation.

Class 4: Out of the dark ages

It’s all about light. The notion of a photometric linear image, beyond black and white and Dmin and why Josh Pines was right!

Class 5: Now you get it, its time to move it.

Logical colour manipulations, dangerous manipulations and defining the mathematics of colour correction

Class 6: The history of image composition.

Those that don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it. The history of image composition, understanding why addition and multiplication rule your daily life and remove the word layering from your vocabulary

Class 7: How to put “A” over “B”

The one basic presupposition for all modern compositing applications and why most people working in VFX today don’t understand it. What the word presupposition means!

Class 8: What if I told you there is no blur?

The matrix explained! Kernels, convolution and why you will never pay for a plug-in filter again.

Class 9: Popular tools and techniques

Popular tools and techniques broken down to an atomic level. Keyer, filter or colour correct its all much simpler than you thought! Everything is just a colour operation and why I spent so long earlier on teaching you about colour.

Class 10: The Matrix reloaded!

All this time you thought you were moving images… you aren’t. Affine, perspective and displacement. Understanding vectors and per pixel manipulation.

SpeedGrade CS6 Fundamentals will quickly get you up to speed on how to more effectively use the new grading software from Adobe. Taught by Joost van der Hoeven, this all-new course contains over three and a half hours of training covering the fundamentals you need to know to get most out of this new release. It also contains almost 1GB of source material used in the classes so you can follow along with the instruction.

This course is intended for users who are new to SpeedGrade or even a dedicated color grading program in general. While it is targeted towards editors and effects artists using the Production Premium bundle, the course will help get anyone quickly up to speed. Once you purchase the course, all materials are available for immediate download.

For a video preview and full listing of the individual classes, click the “Read More” link…

It begins by covering of setting up the software correctly, including key preferences. It then goes through the workflow of a practical project, sending a Canon DSLR edit from Premiere Pro, working the color grade in SpeedGrade and then getting the project back into the editing app.

In addition to that, the course touches on the following and more:

• alternative workflow techniques and working with EDLs
• grading using both the primary and secondary grading tools
• masks and how they open up a lot of possibilities in color grading
• how SpeedGrade handles looks and LUTs
• basic Stereoscopic 3D workflow

Download Video

Get a sample of this course from Joost.

The fast forward program is standalone instruction with immediate download and does not include access to our discussion forums or VPN software. Samples and clips used during the course are available to download. Once you purchase the SpeedGrade CS6 Fundamentals course, you can immediately download all class instruction videos.

SpeedGrade Course Outline
Class 1: Getting started with SpeedGrade

An introduction to the course with a bit of Joost’s background and experience. Staring the software, setting basic preferences, an overview of the application’s User Interface, and setting up a project so you can start to play.

Class 2: Workflow Overview

An overview of the process of a typical project. We start in Premiere Pro CS6, send a sequence to SpeedGrade, do our Primary Grade, touch the Secondary add some vignetting to taste and then export the result back to Premiere Pro.

Class 3: Alternative Workflows

Getting images in and out. SpeedGrade supports importing footage manually, using edit detection and via an EDL. We discuss best practices for round-tripping between SpeedGrade and Premiere Pro, FCP and Avid. Additionally we discuss the pro’s and con’s of working native or using an intermediate codec like DPX or ProRes, as well as the do’s and don’t’s when working with anamorphic or interlaced footage.

Class 4: Primary color Basics

The Primary adjustment is the SpeedGrade control you will use the most. Getting a basic balance is the base for successful (creative) grading. We’ll discuss the basics of color theory and look at the Primary controls and the analysis tools like the waveforms, vector-scope, and the histogram, and the difference between 8, 10, 12, 16 and 32 bit color.

Class 5: Secondary color Basics

The Secondary adjustment differs from the Primary only because of the keyer. SpeedGrade’s extreme precision keyer is used to isolate colors, allowing discreet selections to apply your grade to.

Class 6: Masking, and Pan & Scan Crop

The main reason to use grading in your production is to make the subject, be it an actor or an object, stand out because it is what your viewers will look at. Using a mask is the tool for this job. The mask can be animated over your object or even tracked automatically. Masks can be used on Primary or Secondary layers, even on both. SpeedGrade can also crop your project different aspect ratios, such as CinemaScope.

Class 7: Working with Looks and LUTs

SpeedGrade’s adjustments are non destructive. You can even export a look you created as a LUT or .look file and apply it as an effect/setting in other applications like After Effects for example. This allows for very creative workflows; using each application’s strongest toolset. In this class we’ll Create a look in SpeedGrade and see how to use it in Photoshop and After Effects.

Class 8: Advanced Import and Export

Digital filming is often done in a format that requires a LUT (Look-up Table) to translate the wide color rage to a ‘normal’ monitor. The tools in SpeedGrade can be used to use and create LUTs. Formats such as ProRes, R3D, Arri etc. benefit form using LUTs in your workflow, but all these formats have their own specifics. After this we discuss SpeedGrade’s advanced export and render options, getting your work out of SpeedGrade.

Class 9: Stereo 3D Basics

SpeedGrade was one of the first applications to support S3D footage. And it is no secret that SpeedGrade is used in many Hollywood Blockbusters because of the easy auto matching tools for fixing both the color and geometry differences between eyes. There is also the the difference view to manually judge and change convergence, determining what comes out of the screen plane or sits behind it, and dealing with questions as to how stereo grading makes you feel physically.

Class 10: Control Surfaces

The surfaces supported by SpeedGrade range from a single trackball to a three-piece console. Different situations have for different needs. Try before you buy to find the one that suits you. Without a doubt grading with a control surface doesn’t only make your kit look very professional, it is far more fun and efficient than grading with a mouse. A brief introduction on what the control surface options are. This course uses the popular Tangent Wave to show the concept of what the buttons and controls do.

Resolve 2012 Fundamentals will teach you how to use the new DaVinci Resolve 9 color correction and grading software from Blackmagic Design. Taught by Warren Eagles, this all-new course contains over five hours of training covering the fundamentals you need to know to get most out of this new release. This course is tailored both for current Resolve users and for beginners to DaVinci. Once you purchase the course, all materials are available for immediate download.

The new release of Resolve is, in Warren’s view, more graphical and easier to use. Warren says that the new release helps you maintain an extremely consistent grade when working with multiple sources, codecs, camera types and footage – as is the norm these days in production.

For a video preview and full listing of the individual classes, click the “Read More” link…

Download Video

Get a glimpse of the course from Warren Eagles.

Warren has been grading for 25 years now. He started in photography before moving into film cutting rooms, then settled into the role of colorist. Warren has vast experience in all forms of grading from Super 8 music videos to feature films. A Resolve user since 2005, he has vast experience of both the software and what can be achieved creatively with it. Warren has his own DaVinci Resolve system in Australia and mixes his time between grading and running training classes for the International Colorist Academy. You can see more at www.warreneagles.com.au.

Once you purchase the Resolve 2012 Fundamentals course, you can immediately download all class instruction videos. For a listing of the individual classes, click the “Read More” link…

Resolve 2012 Course Outline

Class 1: Getting started with Resolve

An overview of DaVinci Resolve Version 9. This class provides a quick start guide designed to get you up and running.

You’ll learn how to set the Resolve preferences for media and control panels, and how to get your images into Resolve, including working from a portable HDD.

Class 2: Primary correction 

“The most important control you will use”. Class two explains Waveform and Vectorscope. You’ll learn how to add contrast and balance a shot correctly and how to work with LOG images.

You’ll also see how to use the 3 way Color corrector and Primary controls. In addition this class covers curve grading and auto color.

Class 3: Secondary corrections

In this class, Warren demonstrates how to spin the hue of a color to another value. He also explains fixed 6 vector secondary’s. You’ll learn the ins and outs of keying with the qualifier pallet and about secondary hue curves.

Class 4: From camera to final grade
using RAW files

Here you’ll see how to prep your NLE timeline for a Resolve session and how to roundtrip from a real FCP project. This class shows how to use a reference movie to check your conform. You’ll burn in text and sound syncing. Warren also answers the question, what formats can we render to?

Class 5: Power windows and tracking  

Class 5 is about ‘making the star stand out from the crowd’. Warren explains Circle, Linear, Poly and Power Curve Windows. He demonstrates tracking both Auto and Manual, how to fix broken tracks with manual  interpolation and how to animate a shape that has been tracked. You’ll learn about keyframing colors so they change mid shot, as well as zooming and
repositioning in the timeline.

Class 6: Node operation 

This class delves into serial nodes and mixing them on and off. It also deals with Layer v Parallel – what is the difference, and when to use each one. Warren shows how to use the Key Mixer Node to relight a scene, and how to create some looks using these advanced nodes.

Class 7: Exporting your onset project 

Class 7 shows you how to export your Resolve project and media from location to your studio system. It looks at powergrades and the gallery, and grouping shots so they get the same grade. Warren also explains letterbox blanking.

Class 8: EDL conform v The Scene
cut detector

Here you’ll learn how to conform x2 commercials with an EDL and unlink the grades using batch copy. Other aspects to Class 8 include splitting a baked file using the scene cut detector and editing your timeline.

Class 9: Grading digital material, what
can we do with it?

This class has an overview of the new metadata controls for RAW files. Warren goes over Red/Epic Alexa F65, FS700 Canon 5D and C500 camera footage. He shows how to grade RED HDRx. There’s also a look at zooming and keyframing in the timeline, mixing grain and scratches using the Composite mode, chroma light and dark, image stabilization, noise reduction and dust buster.

Class 10: Control surfaces 

In Class 10, Warren discusses various control surfaces and gives his thoughts on all of them – Wave, Avid Artist, Element, JL Cooper. He talks about looks, price, how long to install, and most important, how easy each is to use.

Class 11: Bonus Part 1 

Warren sets up his Resolve to work with the BlackMagic camera footage. He shows how to work with the media and then goes through some of the settings within Resolve, including the Camera Raw page. He ends this lesson with the Deliver tab and exporting the footage out of Resolve.

Class 12: Bonus Part 2 

Starting out in Final Cut Pro X with a simple edit. Warren exports an XML to bring his project into Resolve to conform. He also shows track mode in Resolve 9 and how to apply a matte across the entire timeline.

Testimonials

“fxphd fastforward with Warren Eagles is time well spent. Plus, you can take the videos with you. I have them in my iTunes. It’s like having Warren with me ready with advice where ever I go.”
- James Wicks
Colorist, Florida

“I was worried that I would have a long learning curve like most new programs, but with Warren’s fxphd course when I would get stuck trying to figure out a function, I could easily look up a feature from Warren’s course (QuickTime file) and refresh my memory. I find it easier to learn by watching a movie rather than sifting through a 1000 page manual.”
- Adam Eden
Eden Creative, Sydney

“I just wanted to thank you for the online davinci course via fxphd.  Well worth the 200 dollars.  You made the course very easy to understand the program.  I’m a 16 year nonlinear editor that has worked on commercials, tv shows for espn and vs network and countless promotional videos.  I find myself at a crossroads where I want to retire from editing and become a colorist.  I’ve always enjoyed color correction but there is still a lot more I need to know.  I hope my 40s will be the years where I transition from editor to colorist.  By the time I’m 50 that’s all I want to do.”
- Caine Parker
Editor, Florida

Have you ever wanted to learn the secrets of blowing stuff up, shooting high speed and creating practical effects? fxphd and 32TEN Studios are offering a unique opportunity to learn all this from multiple Oscar-nominees in a 3-day hands-on workshop.

The workshop – to be held from September 29th to October 1st – will be taught at 32TEN Studios in San Rafael, where ILM was born. It will feature tuition from visual effects supervisor Scott Squires, effects DOP Marty Rosenberg, practical FX supe Geoff Heron, VFX supe Vince De Quattro, prop master Sean House and other special guests.

This offer is open now to everyone, (but over half the places sold in the first 72 hours, so book now to avoid being disappointed).

Registration is now closed, but if you if you wish to be placed on the wait list, please email us at fx2012@fxphd.com.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be shooting explosions, pyro elements, in-camera effects, smoke, greenscreen, cloud tanks and more on 32TEN’s stages – all high speed – with these leading practitioners from the special and visual effects industry. You’ll learn how to rig effects and light them practically for the best results, and you’ll see how to combine live action with digital.

We are focusing on Earth, Wind and Fire, and controlling, scaling and filming practical elements.

Who should go?

This course is ideal if you are an effects TD or compositor who wants practical on set experience and a chance to learn from one of the best effects teams in the world. Anyone in visual effects will benefit – you’ll gain un-paralleled knowledge about real world effects and phenomena, and how to combine live action with digital effects.
Places are extremely limited, but this means you will get quality instruction and a real hands-on approach to solving effects problems.

Special guests

Scott Squires

VFX supervisor: Scott’s incredible career in visual effects spans the practical and digital worlds. He began by helping to implement the cloud tank effects in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Scott co-founded Dream Quest Images and worked at ILM as a visual effects supervisor for many years on films such as The Mask, Dragonheart and Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. He also wrote Commotion, a breakthrough software package for doing rotoscoping, animation and compositing. Recently he oversaw the stereo conversion pipeline of the last Transformers film.

Marty Rosenberg

DOP: Marty’s 20 years of credits includes work from ILM to Kerner Optical in both films and commercials. His effects photography is seen in The Hunt For Red October, Mission: Impossible, Star Wars: Episodes I, II and III, War of the Worlds, Jarhead, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Terminator Salvation, The Last Airbender, Big Miracle and Red Tails.

Geoff Heron

Practical FX Supervisor: Geoff has worked both at ILM and Kerner Optical in effects supervision roles, and his film credits include Hook, Star Trek: Generations, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men In Black, The Mummy, Pearl Harbor, Star Wars: Episodes I and II, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Vince De Quattro

VFX Supervisor/Director of Artist Development: Vince has worked in visual effects for many years, including at r/GA, Warner Bros Digital Studios, ILM, The Orphanage and Tweak Films. He was also a Director at the Academy of Art University before moving to 32TEN.

Sean House

Professional Workshop Director: Sean’s history is in props and model making, recently completing prop mastering work on George Lucas’ Red Tails, with other credits at Kerner Optical including Terminator Salvation, The Last Airbender, Priest and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
fxphd co-founders Mike Seymour and John Montgomery will be hosting the workshop, with help from fxphd professors and friends such as VFX sup. Mark Christiansen and DOP James Geduldick.

Details

Price: $1850, (US)
Dates: 29th & 30th Sept, 1st Oct (SAT-SUN-MON).
Location: 32TEN studios, San Rafael
Attendance includes a special ‘rights free’ package of shot elements – yours to use commerically (but not resell).

Registration is now closed, but if you if you wish to be placed on the wait list, please email us at fx2012@fxphd.com.

Taking a look at our new courses, and touching on our repeats, the orientation week video is now available for your viewing pleasure. Check it out and hear first-hand from the profs what they have planned for their courses.

You can also download the video for offline viewing.