News
New academy a game changer for Victoria's screen industry

01 October 2024

As Victoria’s screen industry continues to attract high profile films and create smash hit games, the Victorian Government is investing in our next generation of screen professionals – cementing the state’s reputation as a global screen powerhouse.

The GameChanger Academy will be an Australian-first, animation, visual effects (VFX) and games tertiary provider that will be run by specialist provider CG Spectrum.

Backed by a $3.6 million investment by the Victorian Government and delivered in partnership with VicScreen, the GameChanger Academy will help local creatives pursue careers in the film and digital games industry, supporting the growing demand for highly skilled screen and games professionals to work in the growing industry.

The Academy will deliver world-leading training at a new studio space, offer mentoring from local and international experts and offer real-world studio experience. Bachelor’s degrees and post-graduate courses will both be available.

Students of the GameChanger Academy will use cutting-edge technologies and learn the latest industry practices through partnerships with a range of Melbourne VFX, digital games and animation studios including Framestore.

Victoria has the largest digital games workforce in the country and is home to world leading VFX, post-production and animation companies that have worked on globally celebrated film and television projects including Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Ted, Deadpool & Wolverine and leading games such as Call of Duty and The Sims.

The local digital screen and VFX industries with the $5 million Victorian Screen Rebate.

The funding, currently open for applications, has brought digital games, animation, post-production, VFX and physical production projects to Victoria, boosting local jobs and screen businesses and keeping our industry working year-round on a mix of major international and local projects.

VICSCREEN: Victoria’s Screen Industry Strategy 2021-2025 is the Labor Government’s first screen strategy, helping secure the state’s reputation as a global destination for screen and games production, creating 29,000 jobs and generating $1.25 billion in direct economic expenditure in Victoria so far.

GameChanger Academy will open for student enrolments on Monday 14 October 2024, with the first courses to commence in February 2025 with further courses to roll out next year. To find out more visit www.cgspectrum.com.