Beyond-FX is Changing the Industry With its New Apprenticeship

In a time when the need for visual effects artists for the video game industry is at an all-time high CEO of Beyond-FX Keith Guerrette has developed a paid training program that will help provide its participants with skills, mentorship, and real-time game development experience. The part-time paid apprenticeship program will span over six weeks and will help its participants through related technical instruction, lectures, and in-engine lab time.

“Trade schools are doing their best within their restrictions to introduce real-time VFX, but it’s often just an introductory level class, leaving students to learn further on their own. We as an industry have attempted to create passive resources for those brave enough to go down this path – www.realtimevfx.com and its supporting communities on Facebook, Discord, and Twitter are incredibly inspiring and mentoring resources, but it’s difficult to even know where to start.”

Keith Guerrette, CEO and Studio Head at Beyond-FX

The apprenticeship program begins with an introduction to visual effects while the following weeks will cover ambient visual effects integration, gameplay effects and collision events, design effects, cinematic effects, and advanced techniques. Beyond-FX’s hope is to create a curriculum template for trade schools to use as a guide as well as create an example for studios interested in creating their own apprenticeships to better their processes of adding workers to their teams.

Of 50 current qualified applicants, only 5 will be chosen for the apprenticeship as Beyond-FX will also continue to focus on working to correct the disparity of artists attempting to break into the video game industry. The company wants to be able to transition apprentices within six weeks from that ‘talented but risky’ category into qualified junior production artists. Upon completion of their program apprentices will receive a certificate of completion that celebrates their achievements as well as meeting AAA industry standards and having a significant portfolio of in-game effects.