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Academic and Industry Heavy Hitters Join Forces for Master of Design
Concept art by Weta Workshop Design Studio
Internships. Industry experience.
Inside knowledge. Concept artists eager to advance their skills in the
entertainment industry can now learn from the award-winning Weta
Workshop in a new venture with Massey University and its Master of
Design programme. Focusing on Entertainment Design for film, television,
and gaming, the collaboration presents a unique educational experience
aimed at attracting both domestic and international postgraduate
students alongside those already in the industry. The partnership
matches world-leading concept design artistry with internationally
recognized academic design expertise. Find out more on the website.
Where Academic Meets Industry
Bringing the cutting-edge expertise of a full-service design studio, creative heavyweight Weta Workshop counts films like Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner 2049, District 9, Avatar, and The Hobbit among
its recent work. Providing the academic pedigree of a world-leading
design institution is Massey University, whose School of Design was
recently ranked number one in the Asia-Pacific by global design award
agency Red Dot. It is also ranked in the top 100 for art and design in
the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
Concept art from Ghost in the Shell by Weta Workshop concept artist Adam Middleton
At the helm of the programme are supervisors Tanya Marriott
– a multidisciplinary designer and former Weta Workshop artist who is
now a senior lecturer with expertise in animation, illustration, and
play and experience design – and Weta Workshop art director and senior
concept designer, Paul Tobin
who has over 15 years experience in the entertainment industry
specializing in world building, creative development and concept design.
Course co-supervisors Paul Tobin and Tanya Marriott
What to Expect
The Masters begins with an intensive
learning week. There, students will be introduced to the fundamental
concepts and processes of concept design for the entertainment industry.
Dubbed ‘Grad Camp,’ the week-long primer is the opportunity to
collaborate on a world-building project and features an introduction to
Weta Workshop’s design philosophy centred around story, character, and
world development. The week will also include presentations by key
studio and university creatives.
Paul Tobin and Logan Preshaw in the design studio at Weta Workshop
In keeping with the ethos of a
traditional Masters, self-driven learning is fundamental. As they
progress, students will explore and develop their chosen project under
the supervision of Paul and Tanya. “There is a huge self-driven learning
component to this course,” explains Tanya, “but on top of that, there’s
the studio-based learning environment where students will have access
to the full range of facilities on the Massey campus. They’ll be
spending a lot of time developing their project themselves, but also
developing with their peers – critiquing and supporting each other
through the learning process.”
Massey University College of Creative Arts, Wellington, New Zealand
Peppered throughout the course,
structured contact time will ‘supercharge’ each project as it takes
shape. It’s a valuable opportunity for students to get their project
under the microscope of industry, with access to a wider pool of experts
who can lend specific assistance. “On these engagement days,” says
Paul, “our students will come to Weta Workshop to work with us. We’ll
pull in specific crew to help problem-solve their project. It’s a chance
for the student to ask questions like, ‘Is what I’m pitching relevant?’
‘Is this part of the project making sense from an industry
standpoint?’”
Adds Tanya: “One side of this process
is the student presenting their work to their peers; and the other side
is that two-way discourse with industry experts around how they can
push their work even further. It’s not until you have that critique that
you really have to think about what you’ve created and why, and then
actually develop the language to be able to argue it.”
Concept art from GKR by Weta Workshop senior concept designer Christian Pearce
Weta Workshop Internship
Nothing beats hands-on experience in a
real-world environment, which is why students will undertake a two-week
internship at Weta Workshop as part of their course requirements.
Embedded within the Weta Workshop Design Studio alongside the facility’s
own team of full-time concept designers, students will be faced with
complex design challenges for real clients. It’s a unique opportunity to
gain industry experience in the context of an advanced academic
enquiry. According to Paul, students will encounter “direct exposure to
the realities of working in an industry design studio, and what it’s
like to experience a live job situation.” The Masters programme
culminates with a written research submission presented alongside a
significant body of concept design work.
The cohort will be small; the
expectations high. Each successful student will emerge with a Masters in
Design from Massey University, ready to make their mark on
entertainment industries the world over.
