Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation BA (Hons) / HE Certificate

Master the tools of the trade and be at the forefront of the rapidly evolving visual effects industry.

Gain a powerful insight into the world of visual effects production, digital arts and animation with all the tools, techniques and practical experience required to succeed as one of tomorrow's industry professionals. Subject areas include 2D and 3D animation, filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, audiovisual installations and interactive art.

Through practical workshops, collaborative projects and critical feedback, you’ll build a foundation in the fundamentals while keeping an eye set on the future of visual effects and technological arts. Our holistic and cross-disciplinary approach covers all the bases. You’ll master the latest time-based and 3D technologies, the project management skills that will bring your ideas to life and the principles of image composition and storytelling that remain timeless.

Our project-based curriculum puts you at the centre of your learning experience, and you’ll be surrounded by an international community of multidisciplinary creatives to collaborate with. Whether you're interested in gaming, animation, immersive installations or on-set visual effects, this programme provides you with the knowledge, gear, facilities and guidance to realise your creative, professional and personal goals. 

You can study this programme either as a full three-year BA degree or the first year only as a one-year HE Certificate.

VFX, Digital Arts & Animation at Catalyst in Berlin

We are focused on your growth as a whole person. Not just as a savvy VFX artist with a wide-ranging skill set, but also as a great collaborator, team member and someone with goals, aspirations and clear purpose. On our programme, you will build technical skills quickly but we will also help you to push your abilities further. The result is a huge stride towards authentic self-expression, as well as a portfolio and know-how ready for a career in a blossoming industry.

Our expert tutors will encourage you to investigate your personal interests during your studies. Whatever your creative background or approach, our programme provides you with the framework and the skills to realise your unique vision and forge your own path. You’ll learn how to problem-solve, tell stories visually and discover the work that feeds your curiosity and keeps you riding the wave of technological progress.

“Our tutors have really pushed us to advance our skills and techniques, as well as encouraged us to forge the pathway we think best suits our desires as artists.”

– Marlee Weinberg, Visual Effects alumna

Get hands-on access to industry-standard facilities and tons of bookable gear

“As a VFX student, I was expecting to spend most of my time behind computers but the diversity of the VFX programme is beyond what I expected.”
– Savina Janssen, special effects prop maker and Visual Effects alumna

You should be interested in some or all of the following:

The potential of storytelling within digital media.

Collaborative practice that reaches across disciplines.

Refining your creative skills and artistic voice.

Working within the visual effects or film industries.

Developing initiative and a problem-solving mentality.

Making work that contains your creative fingerprint.

Our tutors are industry-acclaimed experts in their field, with a passion for passing on their knowledge to others. 

“I not only learned so much about efficiency, patience, software and of course working with people and their feedback... I also was able to professionally dive into a field that I, as an artist as well as a consumer, genuinely love and enjoy since I was a child.”

– Leander Blaschke, animator, game designer and Visual Effects alum

In the end, it's our students’ work that counts. Take a look at a selection of recent examples below.

Discover our Visual Effects programme at Catalyst. 

Develop practical expertise in industry-standard tools and techniques and gain access to professional facilities, equipment and software from day one. Develop a comprehensive toolset, innovate your practice and walk away with a stunning showreel of original work.

Find out more: 
https://catalyst-berlin.com/film/topic/visual-effects-courses

VFX, Digital Arts & Animation

Film Production BA (Hons) / HE Certificate

Screenwriting BA (Hons) / HE Certificate

Music and Sound Design for Visual Media BA (Hons) / HE Certificate

Create visual effects solutions and animations for film, live visuals and digital arts projects with our 3-year BA degree or 1-year HE Certificate in Berlin.

James (Fader) Cui is a talented multi-media artist and VJ specializing in Stage Design, software development and Video Mapping.Over the past decade, Fader has contributed to many big festivals such as Coachella, Burning Man, Insomniac, Fuji Rock, Mapping Festival, Backwoods and Intro Music Festival. At Catalyst he teaches Creative Code workshops on the Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation course.

After a degree in Illustration from the Art Center College of Design (USA), he continued to explore programming code for his audio-video performances. In 2015, he received the App Art Award from ZKM for EDMT, an app that allows you to generate graphics and EDM inspired sounds with your phone or tablet.

In 2004, he founded Neuromixer to release AVmixer, a line of VJ software for live performances. In 2017 he established AVloops, a video content marketplace platform for VJ related animations and loops.

At the moment, while busy with the role of CEO, he continues to freelance as a VJ and stage designer to share with people his passion for audiovisual. Additionally, he’s been teaching video mapping, Processing and Unity 3D to like-minded artists.

James (Fader) Cui teaches Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation at Catalyst. Read James' bio.

James (Fader) Cui

Courses that James tutors on:

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