Media Cymru Commissions Final Pixel Academy

Media Cymru has commissioned specialist training provider Final Pixel Academy to deliver a 9-month Virtual Production (VP) Fellowship™ programme in 2025/2026.

The programme is the first of its kind in Wales and will be hosted at a new state-of-the-art training facility for Virtual Production at fivefold studios. Funded by Media Cymru, the programme is being delivered by specialist training providers Final Pixel Academy and supported by virtual production studio fivefold Studios and post-production company Gorilla Academy.

Virtual production combines real-time game engine technology with LED screen backdrops and motion capture and is increasingly transforming how content is made.

The use of virtual production in high-profile titles such as The Mandalorian, The Witcher, and The Lion King has signalled a shift in global production models, and Wales is now positioning itself to train the workforce needed to further enable that transition.

The custom-built programme aligns with a shift in industry practice around the globe. It combines innovative technologies and virtual production techniques for professional crew and emerging industry talent across the fields of TV and film, broadcast, games, VFX, live events and post-production.

The first Wales based Final Pixel Virtual Production Fellowship ™ will see sixteen participants engage in nine months of specialist training including both the foundational and intermediate virtual production skills required, such as production, creating virtual art as well as running and filming in a volume.

The new VP training facility at fivefold and the Final Pixel Virtual Production Fellowship ™ programme are part of the acceleration of investment and confidence in the creative industries in Wales.

Speaking about the fellowship, Media Cymru Director Justin Lewis said: "We're very pleased to have worked with consortium partners to host Wales' first Final Pixel Academy Virtual Production Fellowship ™. Not only will the final candidates access a high-quality blend of on-set training, masterclasses with leading industry talent and project-based live briefs, but the Fellowship represents the 'bleeding edge technology' that is fuelling a new future for the creative industries in the UK."

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