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Visual Impact Launches VI Academy With HD Short Course
With Visual Impact's reputation for training, it was no surprise when Visual Impact Academy recently opened its doors. VI has been offering camera tutorials and internships for years, and their staff continues to lecture at universities and film schools all over the country. According to company director, Marius van Straaten, the aim with VI Academy was to “centralise training within the group and to offer workshops, short courses and master classes on a more structured, scheduled basis”.
The first of these was an intensive introduction to HD held at VI Cape Town on 2 and 3 October. This two day course focussed on workflow, taking students through real-world examples from acquisition to output using SONY's XDCAM technology. Theory lectures were alternated with practical tasks, the highlight of which was a half day shoot in a park in Cape Town. “The assignment was a chase sequences. We felt this would give students a chance to practice the skills they learned during the morning's instruction in a very practical way, while having some fun. This approached proved highly successful. The sequences were stunning, and very entertaining”, says VI Academy course co-ordinator Paul Lensen.
Course attendees included established camera operators who wanted more insight into the XDCAM technology as well as industry professionals who are experienced in one area of production but were looking for an overview of the entire workflow. Students commented that the practical component of the course was highly beneficial, and that they particularly enjoyed having the VI crew – including Van Straaten and broadcast engineer Cristo Duvenage - as lecturers.
The twenty students were divided into four teams of five. Each team was given a story board and shot list which they had to visualise and film on day one of the course. Day two was dedicated to postproduction, each team member getting a chance to do some editing on one of the eight Final Cut Pro edit suites made available for the session.
The course culminated in a viewing of the edited chase sequences, and SONY broadcast sales liaison Roushal Poole – who attended the course – made a SONY Cybershot stills camera available as a prize for each member of the winning team. Certificates of attendance describing the course outcomes were also handed out to all who participated.
