We've got a great new term here at fxphd with some great new advanced classes, new courses in audio productions, and updated introductory courses with new certification exams. Before we dive into what's happening in our new term, we wanted to point out our information center links (box just to right) where there is a wealth of information about how the site works.

We have 15 new courses this term -- a record for us. One reason we have so many new courses is that we felt a need to update and create entirely new Nuke, Flame, and Shake 100-level courses. But we didn't want to disappoint our continuing members, so we decided to do these in addition to 12 entirely new courses we have on offer. This includes new vfx-focused Background Fundamentals and After Effects Masters courses. For those who haven't been longtime fxphd members, we even have a new "Best of Background Fundamentals" offering this term -- bringing back fan favorites from previous terms.

Some of the highlights:

DOP301: On Set Day and Night with RED One
A combination of the very popular RED and DOP courses, this 300 level course answers the question 'what does it take to film a low to mid budget feature film with the RED?'. We will cover everything from camera testing, a test shoot, lighting, and output through post production. One immensely significant option in this course is to buy, at an additional cost (fee to be determined), a drive with the source .r3d files, a print of the film output, and a copy of the Negative or an SR tape with the graded test.

AFX302: After Effects Masters I
Our new advanced After Effects course this term is going to focus on a hot aspect of design and compositing in feature films and television shows: computer UI and interactive design. While much of the compositing will be done using After Effects, like our other advanced AE course, this one should be of interest to any compositor or designer. fxphd professor Mark Christiansen will be serving as overall creative director and lead compositor on the job. Working with him and leading the design aspects of things is Mark Coleran. You've seen Coleran's work on screens and UI in such films as The Bourne Ultimatium, The Island, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, and The World is Not Enough.

MIN201: Miniatures and Stop Motion
In one of the most exciting courses ever in our production stream, we work with Adelaide based Anifex. Formed in 1985 by Richard Chataway and Michael Cusack, Anifex is one of Australia's leading animation companies. The company has long maintained a reputation for producing some of the world's finest commercial animation. In addition to its work in advertising, which has earned the company many national and international awards, Anifex has also produced several acclaimed short films. With an experienced production team and world class facilities, Anifex has an amazing collection of talent and equipment including motion control.

DRK301: VFX and Indie Films
In this course, veteran no-budget filmmakers Michael Scott and Ryan Wieber (of Ryan vs. Dorkman fame) discuss how to make a high-quality film with little to no money, but with few to no compromises. This course will run the gamut from theory to tech, prep to post, exploring the crucial, yet oft-neglected interrelationship between production and post. The two will also cover some fundamental principles of digital filmmaking that everybody ought to know, utilizing examples from Scott and Wieber's prior work as well as new material created specifically for the course.

AUD101: Digital Audio Post
Our first audio course will cover some of the concepts and processes for working with digital audio -- which is often overlooked (or at the very least, misunderstood). While listed as an introductory course due to its broad scope, it will include high end topics. This will include a quick review of the basics, and then we’ll jump right into typical challenges, problems, techniques and solutions faced when dealing with audio. During the term, the profs will avoid focusing on a specific software application, but special coverage will be given to Pro Tools, Soundtrack Pro and Logic Studio and related plugins.

C4D202: Cinema4D and After Effects
We're excited that Tim Clapham returns this term for a combination Cinema 4D and After Effects course. The classes will be project based, with each project covering several weeks of classes. Clapham will start out by building elements and rendering imagery in Cinema 4D and then taking the results into After Effects for final finessing. Even if you're a motion graphics designer who doesn't use Cinema 4D, you'll still get a ton of great tips and tricks out of the course.

These are just a few of the highlights from our selection of new courses. We also have new system administration, SynthEyes, and matte painting courses. We are also re-running two of our most popular advanced compositing courses -- SHK302 - Shake (and More) in Production and NUK301 - Advanced Nuke I. See the course information page for more details.

Our popular Background Fundamentals course should be of particular interest to visual effects artists. No pun intended, but cars are used as a vehicle this term to explore complex issues of light and matching textures in 3D. Through the use of car shoots for both film and TV we will explore a range of topics. They are issues that are applicable to a much wider range of situations than simply cars, including high speed photography, producing photoreal CGI, Renderman, Mental Ray, and integrating CGI into live action.


New Introductory Courses and Exams

In addition to our new 200 and 300 level courses, we're revising some of our introductory courses. We'll be doing brand new 100-level Shake, Flame, and Nuke courses covering updated software as well as simply improving the courses in general.

The July08 Term also premieres the rollout of fxphd's new online certification exams. At the end of the term, our 100-level courses will have final exams that members may take to test their knowledge. If a member passes a test, they will receive an exam certificate as well a unique exam code. This code may then be given to potential employers, who can verify that the member passed the exam. This is in addition to the course enrollment certificate which all members receive at the end of the term, which is also verifiable by a third party.

Check out the following links for more information:

View the fxphd tour
This is a short QuickTime movie which explains how fxphd works. It goes over how you register for courses, how they are distributed, and what the curriculum is all about. It's a must watch!

Check out the fxphd overview
Next, check out the fxphd overview -- our FAQ about the site. Members have helped us develop this page in order to better answer your questions.

When you're ready to join -- create an account and pay for the term.

about fxphd

fxphd is an online vfx training program led by visual effects professionals. We offer both application and craft-based courses, online forums for feedback, and vpn software. For an introdction to the site, check out our QuickTime tour of fxphd..

Members of fxphd -- called postgrads -- will have access to the high quality footage from this and other shoots as well as other effects material, such as traditional 2D animation and advanced multi-pass 3D render. This allows them to create their own composites and build shots for their reels under the instruction of fxphd Professors. Footage ranges from NTSC and PAL all the way up to 4:4:4 1920x1080 imagery.

Our postgrads range in jobs from managing directors and CEOs of VFX companies to 3D artists and flame artists. But it doesn't stop there -- we were pleased to count as members freelance editors, PXC producers, web designers, traditional animators, and telecine assistants. fxphd even made inroads on-set with photographers, DOPs, and the odd live action Director who just wanted to be more informed and technically savvy.

Over the history of fxphd, we've grown to become the leading online subscription site for high-end post-production training. Over 90% of our members rate fxphd a "brilliant" or "great" value for their money -- with the same percentage rating their course professors "great" or "exceptional". Our goal is to provide structured training which builds term upon term and our postgrad members have loved the approach.

Feel free to drop by the forums and post questions in our Help Desk. We'll answer your questions as soon as we are able and if we don't get to it, it's likely one of our members will. You'll find our forums to be incredibly high level - with very little noise. And don't forget to listen to our weekly fxphDOD podcast -- you can listen to this week's episode and all past ones by visiting our fxphd podcast page.