New Bachelor Degree in Animation and Visual Effects at La Salle-URL, first with official recognition

La Salle Campus Barcelona - URL will start a new Bachelor Degree in Animation and Visual Effects (VFX) in the academic year 2015-2016. It is the first official university degree in this area in Catalonia. This 4-year degree trains students in all the creation process, providing access to employment in any field of animation and visual effects (VFX). La Salle - URL has always been known to keep a very close and direct relationship with the business world, adapting studies to real market needs. The animation and VFX sector is growing, with over 300 companies and 5,150 workers currently in Spain, a turnover of 305 million in 2011 and an annual growth forecast of 40% until 2017.This current situation in the animation market has favoured the creation of this degree. The degree program will particularly work on the fundamentals of art, design and movement, which are the basis of all visual effects, and the principles of anatomy, movement and action will be learned. In addition, there will be a strong creative and artistic component, opening the door of these studies to students from art baccalaureate and fine arts. La Salle - URL has specific animation laboratories: motion capture, high performance computing laboratory, animation workshop room, drawing and sculpture room, enabling students to use the same techniques and tools as the industry. The workflow in the Degree will be through projects, emulating real production. Students will be given a personal digital portfolio with all the artwork done by the end of their studies, having produced real material with commercial potential. The studies include work experience in leading companies, as well as exchanges and internships in leading universities in the multimedia sector. The degree enables students to work in the application of visual effects in audiovisual post-production (movies, series, music videos and spots), the application of models and 3D animation in video games and other areas of the digital contents, TV series and movie production, and in the animation and VFX industry (direction, production and distribution). Active faculty with international experience The degree will have a direct connection with the sector and the participation of national and international teachers, who are recognized professionals in the animation and visual effects industry, as well as the participation of leading companies in different classes during the course. The Degree's director is Felix Balbas , Visual Effects expert with over 20 years experience in the sector worldwide. Born in Milan, Balbas began his career in this city, after a year in Munich he moved to Los Angeles where he worked for four years as technical director. In 2000 he moved to New Zealand to work with the director Peter Jackson in "The Lord of the Rings", and from there he alternated his stays in this country in other films of the series with his work in London (different Harry Potter movies and "Avatar", among others). In May 2012 Felix Balbas settled in Barcelona, where he created his animation and visual effects production company Minimo VFX. Balbas is also founder and director of Barcelona's b'Ars, International Festival of Arts & VFX that will hold its second edition in June. This new Degree is added to other artistic specialties currently offered by La Salle - URL such as Multimedia, Video Games and Architecture. For students interested in the Bachelor Degree,  via social networks a contest was launched, offering a scholarship to pursue these studies. Participants need to submit a work, that can be designing a character, a synopsis of a script or creating a short animation. The jury, chaired also by Felix Balbas will decide the winner, who will be announced during the animation festival b'Ars between the 11th and 14th of June.