Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/45523
EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Cinesite, a London-based visual effects house and wholly owned subsidiary of Kodak, boasts a screening theater (inset) and the Inspire program to help inspire and train artists. Inspiring Internship "It can be very difficult for people who are new to the industry to get on-the-job experience, which makes it hard for them to get their careers off the ground," explains Anna Privett, human resources manager at Cinesite, a London-based visual effects house and wholly owned subsidiary of Kodak. Find- ing a lack of formalized visual effects internship pro- grams, Cinesite launched its Inspire Program "to help attract talented young people into the industry and train them so that they have the skills and experi- ence needed for the job," she says. Inspire supports educational establishments of- fering courses in animation and effects, and identi- fies and encourages new talent through an annual internship program. "The internship program is intended to give young talent the opportunity to gain experience working alongside some of the industry's most experienced and respected visual effects professionals through a 4 • Education Supplement • October/November 2011 six-week paid placement," Privett explains. Last year, more than 250 students applied to the Cine site Inspire program. Graduate and undergradu- ate students having an interest in any of the areas in which Cinesite artists specialize—including com- positing, lighting, texturing, effects, modeling, ani- mation, and digital matte painting—were invited to submit a three-minute show reel of their best work. "We were overwhelmed by the response and the number of entries, and we selected two winners," Privett recalls. The two budding artists spent their placements working on and alongside respected visual effects supervisors like Matt Johnson and Simon Stanley- Clamp. After their placements, Cinesite offered both of them full-time positions at the company, and they've since been working on the upcoming . The facility extended an offer to one of the Da On Stranger Tides wn The Chr T r onicles of Nar irat P eader es of the Car nia: The V o yage ibbean: J ohn Car t er of M ars