UniSA has further expanded its partnership with Rising Sun Pictures, announcing the establishment of a standalone Bachelor of Visual Effects, as well as new graduate certificate programs in 3D animation and creature effects.
To be offered from next year, the Bachelor of Visual Effects will include instruction in compositing, tracking, dynamic effects, lighting, creature FX, 3D animation, 3D modelling, and look development.
The two new 12-week graduate certificate programs will taught at RSP’s Adelaide studio, in addition to the Graduate Certificates in Dynamic Effects and Lighting and Compositing and Tracking.
To accommodate the expected influx of students, RSP is constructing additional, purpose-built classroom space in its new production facility. Instructors for the new courses will be drawn from the studio’s staff of working artists.
It’s the next step in a near decade-long collaboration between RSP and UniSA, the training of which has helped nearly 200 graduates enter the industry, including 70 at RSP alone.
According to RSP president Jennie Zeiher, the expansion of the visual effects offerings is in response to overwhelming interest from future students, matched with unprecedented industry demand.
“Off the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide visual effects industry experienced unprecedented growth, and that drove a record demand for talent; we anticipate further growth in early 2024 as projects accelerate back into production off the back of the US industrial action,” she said.
“This is one of the only university-delivered programs where students train onsite at a world-class studio and not only gain practical skills but also receive the mentoring and career advice they need to begin and sustain rewarding, lifelong careers.”
UniSA senior lecturer Josh McCarthy says the teaching team worked with local and national industry to identify growth areas and skill shortages.
“3D animation and creature effects were two disciplines of need,” he said.
“The new standalone degree in visual effects is similarly designed to accommodate student demands and industry requirements. We want to produce graduates with multidisciplinary skills and the flexibility to move between specialisations within the visual effects industry. It’s a comprehensive approach toward training.”
Kurt Debens was among the first graduates of UniSA’s Graduate Certificate in Dynamic Effects and Lighting. He was subsequently hired by RSP as a junior artist and is now a lead artist at the studio with credits including Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Jungle Cruise, and Captain Marvel.
He was also part of a team nominated for a 2023 Visual Effects Society Award for the Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Debens said he felt fortunate to be able to develop industry-ready skills without leaving South Australia.
“Learning in a studio environment under the guidance of artists with a wealth of experience and knowledge was an amazing experience – I wouldn’t be here without it,” he said.
“Ten years ago, I would have thought it crazy to imagine working on studio movies in my home state.”
Applications for 2024 entry open in August via the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre.