ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA — Visual effects studio Rising Sun Pictures (rsp.com.au) is expanding its educational partnership with the University of South Australia (UniSA). Beginning in 2019, RSP will commence delivering the entire third year of UniSA’s new VFX specialization within the Bachelor of Media Arts degree. Currently enrolled second year students will be able to transition into the new specialization in 2019. All courses open to third-year students will be delivered at RSP’s production facility in Adelaide and taught by working professionals. The aim is to provide graduates with the skills and experience to move directly into industry jobs.
RSP has been providing university-accredited training in visual effects, in association with UniSA, for three years. It currently offers Graduate Certificate programs in Compositing and Tracking, and Dynamic Effects and Lighting, available to both local and global university students and advanced diploma graduates. The program has been highly successful, with many of its graduates finding employment at top visual effects studios in Australia and internationally.
This year, Rising Sun Pictures began delivering two new subjects onsite as part of the second year of the Media Arts degree: Modelling and Texturing, and Look Development and Lighting. In 2019, third year students will be in residence at RSP full time and pursue advanced courses, based on the existing Graduate Certificate programs, in compositing, tracking, dynamic effects and lighting. RSP will also provide students with career guidance, including resume and show-reel production and interview skills. RSP will continue to offer Graduate Certificate program for graduate students, as well as its series of short courses for students, teachers and the public looking to gain new skills or up-skill in particular software.
“RSP have been working closely with UniSA to integrate the successful elements of our Graduate Certificate program into the new Media Arts VFX stream,” says Rising Sun Pictures’ manager for training and education, Anna Hodge. “It will not only offer more specialization units, but delivery of the third year will be done in-house at Rising Sun Pictures. It is work integrated learning at its best!”
She added that UniSA ensures that courses taught by RSP meet the curriculum standards of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). VFX discipline head at UniSA, Dr. Josh McCarthy, notes “the new VFX third year structure is an unprecedented opportunity for students to engage with industry at an undergraduate level.”
From 2019 onwards as many as 100 UniSA students, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, will take part in the various VFX offerings at RSP. Students currently enrolled in related studies at other institutions will be able to transition into the new degree through recognition of previous learning and credit transfer arrangements via the university. The expanded partnership between RSP and UniSA has been developed 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.
RSP’s credits include work on Tomb Raider, Peter Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok, Logan, X-Men: Apocalypse, Game of Thrones Season 6, The Legend of Tarzan, Gods of Egypt, Pan, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Hunger Games franchise, the Harry Potter franchise, Gravity, The Wolverine, Prometheus and The Great Gatsby.