Where to begin!? I'm in the UK, i have a first degree in Mathematics and want to move into CGI by doing a postgrad qualification in some form of it.

I've currently got an offer on the new MA - Digital Set Design at Kingston University. Which is great. It's new for September, they're only taking on about 10 people and apparently they have had a lot of interest from compaines like Framestore CFC, Double Negative, Cinesite, Glassworks, BBC etc - agreeing to keep in touch with students and offer field trip visits and things (these are HUGE companies in the British film/post production world, right! - though to be honest i'm not sure how active they will be, i might have been told those names at the interview as a way of impressing me?).

The course is the only one of it's type in the country and it's been designed around the industry demand for graduates skilled in digital set design which, for me, is a really exciting field of Computer Graphics and Film production.

I've also got an offer for the MSc in Special Visual Effects at Kent Uni (Canterbury) - They have a major partner in Framestore CFC (who won the visual effects Oscar this year) and i think arrange visits and things with them; weekend runner jobs perhaps.

Kent has great facilities, great postgrad accomodation on campus, i've got friends already at Kent and it has a good academic reputation - they're mentioned on the Framestore website as a particularly suitable university to go to for this sort of work.

Kingston i don't know so much about. I don't know what their reputation is like in the post production world. I'd have to find my own accommodation as it's not a campus and they don't have postgrad living space. However the course looks amazing.

If the digital set design course was at Kent my decision would be easy!

I think digital set design is more where i want to be, as opposed to "regular" VFX and being a new course in an emerging field of CGI puts me in a strong position and they'll hopefully be plenty of interest from the industry giants listed above - and although the Kent course looks like it is centered around VFX i'm sure i could go down a path of digital set design as there are units in Pre visualisation etc.

I just know what uni depts are like and the course at kingston not having run before worries me a bit - the words piss up and brewery could come back to haunt me.

Visual Effects courses, whilst certainly not 10 a penny are more common and are producing hundreds of graduates each year across the country all with the same sort of skills - compositing, rotoscoping, solid maya/shake/flame skills.

My head is saying Kingston as the course is amazingly perfect i think, but my heart is saying Kent as i'd feel more comfortable on a campus with people i already know and on a course co designed with a major employer in my field - or maybe it's the other way round lol.

My question is to any postgrads at Kingston on an Art/Design/Archtecture course (particularly the production design for film and TV course) - what is it like? What is Kingston like as a place to study?

Are there any Kent Postgrads here on the Special Effects/Animation course who can give me some advice and tell me what it's like?

More generally can anyone give me any advice on which course puts me in a better position career wise? Is Digital Set Design a new(ish) and sort after skillset as opposed to regular VFX skills.

Anyone with any other advice or comments most appreciated!

Thanks in advance.


PS - Sorry about the long post i've had to split it up