Adelaide University
Graduate Certificate in Dynamic Effects and Lighting
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 6 months
- Course Type: Graduate Certificate
Sets you apart from the crowd and provides you with the skills and techniques needed to produce industry-standard, photorealistic and dynamic effects.
Course overview
Designed in partnership with award-winning VFX company Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) and delivered on-site in their Adelaide studio, you’ll develop advanced skills in industry-standard software like Houdini and be taught by experienced visual effects artists and supervisors.
In this immersive qualification, you’ll learn the specialised techniques and knowledge essential to crafting dynamic effects sequences and photorealistic shots, alongside the career management skills and professional practice standards needed to work in a VFX studio. While learning the process of generating realistic effects and CG environments, you’ll get the opportunity to plan, iterate and deliver a project to meet a production brief and deadline to industry standards.
You’ll graduate career-ready with expertise in current trends, technologies and professional practices, along with local, national and international industry contacts, with firsthand experience of how a world-class VFX studio operates.
Key features
- Gain invaluable industry experience and learn in a simulated studio environment.
- Develop industry-standard expertise in dynamic effects and photorealistic lighting.
- Be mentored by experienced visual effects artists and supervisors.
- Work with the Rising Sun Pictures recruitment team to professionalise your resume and showreel.
- Establish valuable networks with local and national industry professionals.
- Graduated with an industry-standard dynamic effects and lighting showreel.
Key facts
August, 2026
What you will study
Students must complete 24 units comprising four core courses. Each course is worth six units.
Core courses
Complete 24 units for all of the following:
- Visual Effects Professional Practice
- Effects Skills Development
- Effects Element Development
- Look Development and Lighting
Entry requirements
Admission criteria
To be eligible, an applicant must have achieved at least one of the following minimum entry requirements and demonstrate they fulfil any prerequisite and essential criteria for admission. In cases where there are more eligible applicants than available places, admission will be competitive with ranks based on the entry criteria.
- A completed bachelor's degree (AQF level 7) or higher from a recognised higher education institution; OR
- A completed Advanced Diploma (AQF level 6) from a registered training organisation (RTO); OR
- Three years of experience in the visual effects industry or the creative industries with a relevant showreel of visual effects work.
Essential requirements
All applicants must submit a CV and a 60-second visual effects showreel.
Outcomes
Career outcomes
The specialist skills you’ll develop in this program will provide a direct pathway into a variety of roles in the visual effects industry, while the knowledge and understanding you gain of the broader VFX industry could lead to a career in related screen industries such as film and television or game design. Maybe you’ll work for Weta Digital, bringing James Cameron’s Pandora to life in the Avatar film series, or perhaps you’ll work at Rising Sun Pictures on the latest Star Wars series.
You may work in roles such as:
- FX Artist
- Lighting Artist or Technical Director
- Production Coordinator
- VFX Producer
- VFX Supervisor
- Technical Services Operator
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $13,900 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Fee-paying programs require the full tuition fees for your study, which can be deferred partly or in full to a FEE-HELP loan. Where the duration of the program is less than one year, the total cost of the program is displayed.
A student’s fee may vary depending on:
- The number of courses studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of courses.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
You may also need to pay the student services and amenities fee.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students.