Dates:

• Sunday May 15th for 8 weeks from 8:30am -12:30ish Pacific

   Office hours Weds nights for eight weeks with occasional guest speakers 7:30-9:30/10:30pm PST

• Sunday July 10th for 8 weeks from 8:30am -12:30ish Pacific

   Office hours Weds nights for eight weeks with occasional guest speakers 7:30-9:30/10:30pm PST

Edward Dawson-Taylor - Lead Instructor

Gabriel Paiva Harwat - Mentor/Co-Instructor

Jacqueline Cooper - Community Leader 

Testimonial Video

More testimonials from former students  

Peter Bowles

"Taking this now and I highly recommend! If you want some teachers that are willing to put the time in to help you and genuinely want you to succeed, this is the right place." 

Joshua Sikora

"Currently in this class and it has truly been a game-changing experience—Edd and Jackie are wonderful instructors, doing a remarkable job of introducing new users to Unreal, while simultaneously stretching and supporting more experienced artists. The project-based approach means that each person is getting to grow and be challenged in the course, and come out the other side with something to be proud of. I'm amazed by the work of everyone in the cohort and it's encouraged me to push harder and grow more while working on my own short film. All of that, plus some tremendous guest speakers and a great collaborative environment, have made this a very worthwhile and highly-recommended experience. Thanks, Edd and Jackie!"

Alec Birdman

"Great class! Tons of information for any level of experience with virtual production. Edd and Jackie both come with tons of knowledge and experience as CG filmmakers." 

Sonia Seow

“In the two years of learning under Edd, I've not only garnered precious knowledge but also the skills and courage it takes to thrive, realize my potential and identify my strengths and weaknesses. He always made sure that strong fundamentals and basics came first and foremost which I couldn't agree more with as I am now able to breakdown, study and build complex scenes.  He'd always offer in-depth critique and feedback that challenged me to push further and out of my comfort zone allowing me to grow faster as an artist with a clearer, unbiased mindset. I'd also like to thank him for imparting his wisdom and encouragement with real life experiences to prepare me for the industry and its challenges.”    

Megha Lokuhapuaracchi

"Learning the fundamentals of Lighting from Ed was definitely an eye opening time for me. His in depth technical knowledge, and guidance changed my perspective on how to break down shots. It was a milestone in my journey of becoming a greater artist. I am extremely lucky to have had him as a teacher, and I wish I had met him earlier in my life”     

Course Description

• Please note there is recommended homework before class begins. You need a machine capable of running Unreal, the software installed and ideally do the "My first hour in Unreal" training from Epic.
• Utilize the power of accelerated learning by having one of the top VFX and technical artists in the industry guide you through a structured and compounding learning path, to give you solid fundamentals, while you work to create a stunning final project that will get you one step closer to your next Unreal goals. 
• This will require an intensive amount of self-study through our syllabus and ideally further study, in order to achieve your 1-2 minute project piece. 
• Sharing a Facebook group with others going through the same experience offers that feeling of comradery, and seeing your project progress every week during the live Zoom coaching.
• Accountability is key to making real progress. Most people need community and accountability to keep motivation or they slow down and get frustrated. This will get you unstuck fast and take you a surprisingly long way in 8 weeks whether you are a beginner or have some experience..
• This coaching is for people who are self-motivated to go through our lessons, live coaching, and other even further self study.
• Minimize your self study frustration by having a mentor that is of one of the best VFX artists in the industry, both technically and artistically.

What you get

• 3-5 hour weekly teaching session. A structured live teaching zoom session that follows our proven curriculum. Followed by Q&A to solve any challenges you might have with your projects.
• 2-3 hour weekly office hours to get your questions answered, critique project work, and solve any technical challenges.
• 3-4 guest speakers per 8 week period.  Previous speakers have included "Haz" Dulull, Tupac Martir, John Brennan, and Samuel Maniscalco
• An exclusive private Facebook community, for ongoing support throughout the week
• Our library of additional teaching material, including all of our previous masterclasses.
  A total of 45+ hours of live coaching

Who we are

Lead Teacher : Edward Dawson-Taylor

• CG Supervisor 15+ years
• Commercials, Movies, Realtime
• ILM, MPC, Digital Domain, Method, Zoic
• The Lion King Virtual Production Environment Lead, Jungle Book, Harry Potter V, Jurassic World and more
• Active artist, supervisor and teacher
• Innovator, Software Engineer, TD
• Teacher, Mentor, Coach
• John Hughes Institute, One Academy
• Lighting, Houdini, Unreal
• Successfully transitioned from a previous career into the VFX industry at age 26
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-dawson-taylor/

Community Leader : Jacqueline Cooper

• Epic Fellow from the first public batch (Second round)
• Nuke compositing lead 18 years
  • Commercials, Movies, Realtime
  • ILM, MPC, Digital Domain, Method, Zoic
  • Tron2, Ironman 3,Harry Potter VII: Part II and many more
• Teacher, Mentor, Coach
• Continues to actively work in the VFX industry as well as producing
• Actively teaching with The One Academy and John Hughes Institute
• Here to support you with any questions or concerns that come up!
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackieworld/

Mentor/Co-instructor : Gabriel Paiva Harwat

Gabriel is a guest speaker, mentor, and instructor at CG Pro. More than twenty years in the VFX industry, Gabriel spent the last 6 years developing workflows with open source software like Blender and Unreal Engine, integrating affordable pipelines to work and collaborate in a free yet powerful environment.

He become a Certified Unreal Engine Instructor and since then has been working with Epic in the Virtual Production Fellowship. As a Technical Artist, Teaching Assistant, Mentor and Instructor he is now fully committed to gathering and sharing everything he knows about Unreal Engine.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielpaivaharwat/