Post Magazine

May 2018

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www.postmagazine.com 36 POST MAY 2018 EDUCATION ising Sun Pictures (rsp.com.au) continues its commitment to education and training by pro- viding students with what it deems as the necessary skill set required to fulfill VFX jobs, not only in South Australia, but also around the world. RSP Education, in partnership with University of South Australia, recently expanded the success- ful programs to meet the growing global demand for world-class VFX graduates. The courses aid aspiring artists to make the leap from the classroom to the pro- duction floor. In classrooms set up to mirror re- al-world production environments and with instructors who are working profes- sionals, the visual effects studio trains stu- dents in the technologies and techniques they will need to succeed in an expanding global film industry. Since the program's inception in 2015, dozens of aspiring artists have used the studio's undergrad- uate and graduate-certificate courses as stepping-stones to their first industry jobs. The South Australian-owned and oper- ated independent studio recently created visual effects for several internationally-re- leased feature films, including Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, Tomb Raider and Peter Rabbit. "This is a great time for the Australian visual effects industry," says Rising Sun Pictures' managing director and co-founder Tony Clark. "An abundance of talent and government tax incentives have made South Australia a popular des- tination for film and television productions from around the world." To ensure the continued availability of skilled, local talent, RSP plans to expand its onsite training program, which it op- erates in association with the University of South Australia. The studio offers intensive, full-time Graduate Certificate programs in Compositing and Tracking and Dynamic Effects and Lighting. Both programs are currently accepting applicants and open to students with a relevant degree or advanced diploma and a show-reel. RSP is also increasing the offerings of its undergraduate training program in 2018. Additionally, for enrolled stu- dents pursuing a Media Arts degree at UniSA, RSP offers accredited cours- es in Modelling and Texturing, Look Development and Lighting, and a 10-week intensive Media Industry Placement. RSP's education program is unique in Australia and one of few in the world that offers students the opportunity to learn the craft of visual effects from working- professionals in a real-world production environment. Courses are taught by RSP artists who've worked on such projects as X-Men: Days of Future Past, Gravity, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Game of Thrones. "We're growing our program to meet both our workforce needs and those of the industry generally," says Anna Hodge, RSP's manager of education and training. "We have excellent instructors and attract talented students from both Australia and overseas. Here, Hodge speaks exclusively with Post about the program. Why is training and education so important to RSP? "Rising Sun Pictures has made education a company priority and has expanded its programs to meet what is expected to be a spike in demand for well-trained visual effects artists. The Australian government's recently expanded Post Production, Digital and Visual Effects Rebate is bringing more visual effects work to the country and, potentially, hundreds of well-paid jobs. "At RSP, we train our students so that they become the ideal employee and co-worker. We get to observe how they work and they are given the best oppor- tunity to learn about industry practice by being in a studio. "In 2017, RSP employed seven grad- uates from the February intake of the Graduate Certificate in Compositing and Tracking course. Many of these received their first credit on Thor: Ragnarok — you can't get better than that! "RSP management and artists are very much on board with education as a com- pany priority. It's great to see so many talented and experienced RSP artists want to give back to budding artists. By teaching master classes, work shadowing and presenting at expos, secondary and tertiary schools, these staff members are helping grow the visual effects economy. One of our key objectives is to educate the wider community as to what 'visual effects' is and, the various roles involved in this industry, students can make informed choices about their career pathways into the world of VFX." RISING SUN EXPANDS EDUCATION PROGRAM R ADDRESSING AUSTRALIA'S GROWING VFX INDUSTRY DEMANDS Lucy and DiC

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