Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/45523
EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Continuing education and training are ingrained within the culture at Digital Domain. of the finalists from the selection process as well. "The program has shown us how much raw, un- tapped talent there is out there, and how much hun- ger there is to break into this industry," says Privett. Cinesite revealed four winners of its 2011 Inspire internship program who enjoyed a six-week intern- ship placement. "All of the candidates' show reels conveyed enthusiasm and desire to break into the visual effects industry," says Antony Hunt, manag- ing director of Cinesite. "We see great benefit for the industry in continuing to grow the Inspire program year-to-year, as it's this next generation of talent that will enable our industry to evolve." Cinesite's 2010 Inspire internship program winner Alex Betancourt was placed in the facility's lighting department, where he gained guidance on improv- ing his lighting techniques. "During my time on the Inspire program, I was lighting as part of a big [group] working on feature films," Betancourt describes. "The experiences and lessons learned by working on proj- ects of this size is something almost impossible to teach at university. Learning the true importance of having a robust pipeline, the various roles light- ers play throughout the production, and how a shot 6 • Education Supplement • October/November 2011 goes from previsualization all the way through to be- ing approved by the director were all new things I learned as a result of the Inspire program." A solid understanding about the role a lighter plays in big-scale productions was the most valu- able thing Betancourt learned during the experi- ence. "There are roles that lighters play that I hadn't even considered before I joined the program. Hav- ing a more solid understanding means I now know what others in the pipeline need from me, and this has allowed me to produce work quicker and of bet- ter quality. It has given me a lot of confidence in my lighting and the ability to adapt quickly to new work- ing environments and challenges. "Working at a company like Cinesite, you're work- ing as part of a team that is constantly pushing the boundaries of visual effects, so every week there's a new problem or challenge," Betancourt continues. "With a constantly evolving industry like visual ef- fects, you never really stop learning or training, as there are always new techniques and tools to learn." Tiny Island Productions, a 3D animation production company in Singapore, provides continuing educa- tion, instruction, and training for up to a year before the person works on productions. During the train- ing period, close mentorship by senior/experienced employees as well as part-time external instruction-