Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19885
Student to Pro and won a full-time job there as a lab specialist. It wasn’t until a year and a half later that he left the school to star t a three-month in- ternship at San Diego-based Pendu- lum, which led to his present full-time job as a lighting and effects artist. The Mill’s Robert Holmes was VFX lead on these spots for Nike and PlayStation 3’s Kill Zone. to helping prepare material for class, which included making models for students, he sat in on lectures — b ut this time listening with a slightly different ear.“I got to relearn a lot of the material, and that prompted me to work on my own assets.” Yacalis’s creative path seemed destined to wind through Full Sail.When his internship ended, he was offered a three-month men- torship at the school. He then applied for Yacalis is quick to point out that if it weren’t for his time at Full Sail,in all capacities, his transition would have been more difficult. “I adapted pretty easily because of my work at Full Sail. Had I come to Pendulum directly from graduating, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. I know that for a fact.Working at Full Sail and getting to see the student mentality from the other side of the fence, I got a nice vantage point as far as what [students] be- lieve or are led to believe.” At P endulum (www .studiopendulum. com), which specializes in game cinematics, Yacalis’s transition from intern to pro was made simple in that his role as intern ended when the project he was working on (Tron Evolution) was delivered.“When I started of- ficially full time, I started on a new project (Red Faction Armageddon), and that helped buffer the transition,” he says. The new job did come with some new responsibilities.“They have laid more upon me as far as pipeline, and essentially helping to lay out the foundation of the systems we are using to complete the projects,” he ex- plains. “Instead of just creating assets or shading the lighting or creating shaders and 34 Post • November 2010 www.postmagazine.com