Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26447
EDUCATION n n n n for stories to be brought in and buttoned up and pitched, and they put them on air. We are seeing that as an opportunity, and when with a laptop, [Apple’s] Final Cut, a decent camera, and some decent journalism skills, you can really button up a nice piece.” Threats: “Tere are those who lean toward the online environment, which we’ve recog- nized; so we have started to develop our online component. Tat is certainly one. We all teach similar things, so it boils down to the delivery methods and the people who are actually de- livering it.” Outlook for 2011: “We have some program launches that are going to be coming out in the next year. I would anticipate some more growth in the campuses, as well. Digital jour- nalism will be rolling out for us in 2011, and that’s an international rollout. Tat’s going to be occurring across all SAEs worldwide.” tal Photography. Everything else is a tradi- tional school. It’s all about the face time and the ability to collaborate with fellow students to work on projects together and to exchange ideas. Tat ultimately is the advantage of a brick-and-mortar institution.” Weaknesses: “I think cost is a challenge for everybody, but [all education is expensive], other than what you learn on your own. With an institution like SVA and the computer art department, the advantage is that you are liv- ing in the situation and working at it full time, presumably. It’s different from an online expe- rience or a limited residency.” Opportunities: “I am nothing but optimis- tic about the digital postproduction industry— even considering the general economics and the challenges we have in the face of wage-based outsourcing. Te more extreme the challenges, the greater the opportunities, particularly for for capture, but the actual application space seems to be improving, though not incremen- tally jumping. We don’t see a revolution at this point. We see skills being established that are being applied more universally to a number of applications.” Dom Davenport CEO/Founder Escape Studios London/Santa Monica, CA www.escapestudios.com Dom Davenport is a former 3D artist who in 2002 set up London’s Escape Studios, providing training, recruitment, placement, and reseller services. Next spring, Escape will launch a new school in Santa Monica, Cali- fornia, in a 9000-square-foot location at the Yahoo Center. Strengths: “It’s the need for formal training: Photo courtesy Arthur Elson. John McIntosh Chair, Computer Art, Computer Animation, and VFX School of Visual Arts New York City www.sva.edu John McIntosh has been at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) for 13 years and, as a chair- man, oversees more than 60 professionals each semester. He came to the school from Digital Domain, where he was involved in training/ artist development. SVA instructs students on many of the tools used in postproduction today, including the entire suite of Adobe ap- plications. Students studying motion graphics and visual effects are trained in Adobe’s After Effects, Te Foundry’s Nuke, Apple’s Shake, and Eyeon’s Digital Fusion. Autodesk’s Maya is the main application for 3D animation. Strengths: “We have one online program, MPS (Master of Professional Studies) in Digi- At this SVA lab, students who are working in postproduction use a variety of software, including Maya, After Effects, Nuke, and Fusion. younger artists, as well as for the smaller, more efficient digital postproduction and computer animation companies.” Threats: “I don’t really see online as a threat. I see it as an augmentation of what we do. You can’t fear knowledge. Tis is the in- formation age, and it is something we should embrace. It is tough, though, to filter a lot of material online. I see traditional education as more relevant, not less relevant. All these on- line tools are simply tools. But as a business model, they have more to fear than we should, actually. I see everything that is available on- line or through DVDs or CDs as an asset, not a threat.” Outlook for 2011: “We’re excited to see applications like [Te Foundry’s] Nuke sta- bilize within the industry. We don’t see any great changes, but we see things becoming better. We see better capture and better tools Te industry has moved on so much during the past couple years and the education system is still playing catch-up. Talking with key indus- try players, there’s a gap between what is being taught and what is actually needed. So many students finish their study but don’t have the hard-core skills they need. In such a competitive industry, it’s essential they’re given the training that allows them to hit the ground running. “Because of the economy and the globaliza- tion of the VFX industry, costs are an essential part. Employing junior-level talent who are hungry and have the right skill set is important in reducing that cost. What we teach gives you a good grounding in all the nuances of how to create a good camera track and in integrat- ing CG into live action. Students are given an armory of tools that are applicable, for com- mercials or film or television work.” Weaknesses: “Generally, the majority of January/February 2011 45