IADT
10
HCI Subsidy Funding Available
Level 9
Online with two in-person Saturday classes
€1,100 or €550 (with HCI funding)
Unity for Film and Games Design – This course supports learners employed in the film, games, and media industries to upskill and reskill in digital compositing methods. Digital compositing for post-production is a process that integrates various distinct visual elements to produce a cohesive and visually compelling narrative. It is also a specialised skill set within post-production, involving the addition of special effects, alteration of locations, and the creation of effective immersive and imaginative visual environments to contribute to effective visual storytelling.
The course will enable you to:
This course is about learning how to use Unity, a powerful real-time engine, to create visual content that can be used both in video games and in film production. It explores the similarities and differences in content creation for these two industries and provides hands-on experience in adapting game development tools for film and animation projects. The primary focus is on the technical skills and creative techniques needed to efficiently transition game assets and scenes into visual narratives.
Unity’s Interface and Core Tools: Deep dive into Unity’s editor, focusing on navigation, basic and advanced toolsets, and customization options for efficiency.
Workflow Analysis: Comparison of game and film production pipelines in Unity, examining stage-by-stage adaptations necessary to shift from game design to film production, including storyboard integration and scene setup.
Engine Capabilities Exploration: Detailed exploration of Unity’s graphic rendering capabilities, including real-time global illumination, shader options, and physics simulations to enhance realism in film projects.
Advanced Camera Techniques: Use of Unity’s Cinemachine for dynamic camera control and advanced techniques to simulate traditional film equipment (e.g., cranes, dollies).
Professional Lighting Setups: Mastery of Unity’s lighting system with a focus on achieving cinematic quality through light types, shadow casting, and reflection techniques to enhance visual storytelling.
Post-Processing for Film: In-depth use of Unity’s post-processing stack to create film-grade visual effects, discussing color correction, film grain, vignettes, and more to enhance the final output.
High-Performance Asset Optimization: Techniques for optimizing high-polygon models and complex textures for seamless performance in Unity.
Efficient Asset Workflow: Developing a streamlined asset management system including tagging, layering, and using Unity’s Asset Bundles to handle large-scale film projects.
Scene Building and Management: Best practices in organizing scenes, hierarchies, and prefabs to manage complex setups typical in film productions.
Rendering Pipelines: Detailed exploration of Unity’s rendering pipelines (Standard, Universal Render Pipeline, and High Definition Render Pipeline) and their use cases in film production.
Visual Effects and Simulation: Creating sophisticated visual effects and environmental simulations using Unity’s VFX Graph and Shader Graph for realistic visual scenes.
Scripting for Storytelling: Techniques for using Unity’s scripting to enhance narrative elements, including dialogue systems, narrative flow control, and dynamic scene changes.
Interactive Scene Elements: Creating scenes that respond to viewer input or change over time, adding an interactive layer to film-like experiences without full game mechanics.
Project-Based Learning
Capstone Project: Development of a detailed project from concept to final presentation that demonstrates the application of Unity in a film-oriented production.
Peer Collaboration and Review: Structured peer review sessions to provide feedback and simulate real-world revision processes, enhancing project outcomes.
Professional Portfolio Development: Guidance on compiling a professional portfolio that showcases a range of skills from technical proficiency to creative implementation in Unity-based film projects.
(All sessions online from 7-9 pm)
[Mid-term 28 Oct- 2 Nov tbc)
The course will be delivered weekly online with two in person Saturday classes with a maximum of 15 places available
A system capable of running Unity find minimum specs here:
https://docs.unity3d.com/2023.2/Documentation/Manual/system-requirements.html
€1,100. This course is supported by HCI so you may be eligible for a fee reduction of up to 50%
Course Lecturer: Naoise Collins
Please email any queries to Elena Somoza, IADT Creative Futures Academy Co-ordinator, at iadt@creativefutures.ie
Creative Futures Academy has been awarded a total of €315,640 from the Human Capital Initiative HCI Pillar 3 Micro-Credentials Subsidy funding. Subsidies will range from 50 – 80% of the total course costs for eligible learners. Applications are now open for a number of courses with more coming on-stream in late 2024 and 2025. Terms & Conditions apply.
A CFA scholarship encourages the participation of learners from sections of society that are significantly under-represented in higher education by offering one free place on all of our CFA short courses.
Through our CFA programmes, we offer a range of bursaries to help you gain the in-demand skills you need to develop your career.
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