Gorton Studio: Learn Prosthetics and SFX Makeup from Europe’s Leading Expert
If you want to learn prosthetics and special effects makeup from the person who built Doctor Who‘s monsters, created effects for Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator, and founded one of Europe’s biggest SFX companies – Gorton Studio is where you start.
What Is Gorton Studio?
Gorton Studio is Europe’s original prosthetics and SFX makeup school, founded in 2003 by Neill Gorton – a multiple BAFTA and Royal Television Society award winner with over 35 years in the film industry. Students come from around the world, and their careers speak for themselves.
The studio offers three main ways to learn: on-demand online courses, a master’s degree in partnership with Falmouth University, and academic support for colleges and universities developing their own SFX curricula.
Who Is Neill Gorton?
Neill Gorton’s career began in Hollywood in 1987. He is CEO of Millennium FX, one of Europe’s largest and most successful screen prosthetics companies, and has accumulated 13 industry awards over his career – including multiple BAFTAs and RTS awards. His credits range from blockbusters like Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator to heading up prosthetics and makeup effects on Doctor Who since its revival in 2005.
Neill is also a respected academic: a visiting professor of SFX at the University of Bolton (where he also holds an honorary doctorate) and an honorary fellow of Arts University Bournemouth (AUB). He is a business partner and lecturer on the MA Prosthetic Effects course at Falmouth University – the first course in Europe to teach prosthetics as a hybrid of traditional and digital skills.
Online Courses: Learn Prosthetics at Your Own Pace
Gorton Studio’s online courses give you access to 100+ individual video lessons taught by Neill Gorton himself, covering everything from beginner techniques to advanced character and creature effects. Courses are available on demand, so you learn when it suits you.
Subscription options:
- Monthly subscription: £18.99/month – access all courses
- The full digital Prosthetics Magazine library can also be added for £4.50/month
- Gift subscriptions and academic group subscriptions are available
Popular courses include:
- Character Makeup with Overlapping Silicone Appliances (Witch) – Advanced; 21 video lessons, 3 hrs 29 min
- Prosthetic Appliances for Beginners (Joker/Stitched Mouth) – Newcomer level; 3 lessons, 25 min
- Fibreglass Mould Making (Mountain Gorilla/Bigfoot) – Advanced; 6 lessons, 1 hr 42 min
- Making Eyes with UV Cure Resin – Intermediate; quick 9-minute lesson
Courses are tagged by skill level (Newcomer, Intermediate, Advanced), so you can start where you are and build from there.
Students consistently praise the quality. One wrote: “All my prosthetics skills and knowledge are due to the Gorton Studio Online Courses… my skills have improved a lot, which has strengthened my work portfolio, and I am getting hired on great projects.”
MA Prosthetic Effects: A Master’s Degree with Industry at Its Core
For those ready to commit to a full postgraduate qualification, Gorton Studio partners with Falmouth University’s School of Film & Television to deliver the MA Prosthetic Effects – a one-year, full-time master’s degree that’s the first of its kind in Europe.
The course combines traditional prosthetics techniques – mould making, sculpture, life casting – with the digital skills now essential in professional workshops: 3D scanning, CNC machining, 3D printing, ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, and more. Graduates leave with a hybrid skill set that employers are actively looking for.
Course Modules
- Contextual Studies – theoretical foundations and industry context
- Building Blocks – fundamental skills and processes in prosthetics effects production
- Industrial Context – professional portfolio development and exposure to working studios
- Breaking the Mould – advanced design and fabrication experimentation
- PFX Production – an industry-quality body of work as your final major project
Assessment is 100% coursework: practical portfolios, presentations, verbal reports, and a major practice project. Written work accounts for approximately 15% of marks and totals around 11,000–12,000 words across the full year.
Who Teaches the Course?
The teaching team includes:
Dr Anna Misiak, Course Leader – former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Southern California, with a PhD from the Polish Academy of Sciences. Senior lecturer in film and coordinator of MA Film & TV at Falmouth.
Bradley Greenwood, Lecturer – worked as a designer and effects artist on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (WETA Workshop), Aquaman (Fractured FX), and Kong: Skull Island, among others.
Neill Gorton, Industry Partner and Lecturer – founder of Millennium FX and Gorton Studio, with 37 years of industry experience and 13 awards.
Facilities
Falmouth University’s multi-million-pound School of Film & Television includes a life drawing studio, motion capture suite, 3D printing and casting workshops, a 20-seat computer suite with professional software, and access to Millennium FX’s Southwest workshop.
Entry Requirements
A 2:2 undergraduate degree or equivalent is the typical entry point, but Gorton Studio welcomes applications based on Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) from work experience or training courses. International applicants need IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in each component) or equivalent.
Applications go directly through Falmouth University.
Prosthetics Magazine: 23 Issues of Industry Knowledge
Gorton Studio also publishes Prosthetics Magazine – 23 issues covering techniques, industry interviews, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes features from the heart of film and TV production. You can buy individual print issues while stocks last, or subscribe to the full digital library for £4.50/month.
Academic Support for Universities and Colleges
Gorton Studio has worked with education providers for over 25 years, helping institutions design and deliver industry-aware prosthetics and SFX curricula. Neill is uniquely placed to advise on integrating digital subjects into existing programmes, having devised the first hybrid traditional/digital prosthetics course in Europe. Academic group subscriptions are also available for both online courses and the magazine library.
Career Advice Straight from Neill
Gorton Studio publishes practical, honest career guidance from Neill himself on topics including how to build a portfolio, whether to work for free, the growing importance of digital skills, and how to enter the industry as a second career. You can read it all at gortonstudio.co.uk/advice-from-neill.
Links: Gorton Studio
Browse online courses and subscribe at gortonstudio.co.uk.
For the master’s degree, apply through Falmouth University.
Email: [email protected]
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Fair Use & Credits:
Images: From Gorton Studio web page
All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. Screenshots are used for commentary and educational purposes under fair use.