THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 77 JULY 31, 2019
programs for feature film VFX
production in areas including
effects, lighting and compositing.
Students work in a studio envi-
ronment using such popular VFX
software as Nuke and Houdini.
Alums are working at facilities
including DNEG, Industrial Light
& Magic and MPC.
SAVAN NAH CO LLEG E O F
ART AND DESIGN
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Visual effects degrees are offered
at SCAD’s Savannah, Atlanta and
Hong Kong campuses, while the
“SCADpro” program provides
students with real-world experi-
ence from projects with the likes
of NASA and Google. Students
may also participate in and
gain networking opportunities
from such events as the SCAD
Savannah Film Festival.
SHERIDAN COLLEGE
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO
Located near Toronto, Sheridan
College offers VFX as a 10-month
graduate certificate program.
Notable alums who’ve made news
this year include Pixar’s Domee
Shi, who won the best animated
short Oscar in February for Bao
and is now developing a feature
at the studio, and Dean DeBlois,
director of DreamWorks
Animation’s How to Train Your
S
iggraph, the annual confab dedicated to computer
graphics, is knitting together a playful animated char-
acter and potent contemporary message by awarding
the top prize in its Electronic Theater animation competition to
Kristen Lester’s Purl. The new Pixar animated short follows the
whimsical tale of a pink ball of yarn who struggles for accep-
tance in her male-dominated work environment.
Director roles in the animation community still are largely
dominated by men. Lester, who is head of story on Pixar chief
creative Pete Docter’s next movie, Soul, says she based Purl
in part on her own experience of being a female animator at
the Disney-owned studio. “Over the period of my
career, I really wanted to fit in and be accepted to
do the thing that I loved doing,” she says.
Lester also drew on the relationships she
forged with several female animators at Pixar,
including Domee Shi, the writer-director behind
the company’s 2019 Oscar-winning short, Bao. “There’s a whole
bunch of women here who have been incredible,” Lester says,
citing Valerie LaPointe, head of story on Toy Story 4; and
Rosanna Sullivan, who wrote and directed 2019 Pixar animated
short Kitbull. “I had just started working at Pixar, and I was
meeting with a group of women in the story department. We
would talk about our experiences in the industry and as story-
tellers. I realized their stories were kind of my own story.”
Since the Electronic Theater is an Oscar-qualifying com-
petition, Purl’s win puts it in the 2020 Academy Awards race.
Awards recognition aside, Lester says she’s inspired by the
sense of community among her fellow females in animation:
“The most awesome thing is we are all supporting each other
and cheering one another on.” — C.G.Siggraph Salutes
Strong Women in
Animation A playful
look at gender roles
takes top honors at
the CG confab’s
annual competition
23Siggraph
July 28-Aug. 1
Los Angeles
Convention
Center1 Instructor
John Brown
(The Avengers)
taught a
sculpting class
at Gnomon
in Hollywood.
2 Aviv Mano’s
Game Changer.
3 Bea Hoeller’s
Kinky Kitchen.Purl tells the
story of an
earnest ball
of yarn who
yearns for
acceptance
in her male-
dominated
workplace.LesterDragon trilogy. Sheridan invites
professionals to meet with stu-
dents on a regular basis, and both
Shi and DeBlois recently returned
to the campus to do so.RINGLING COLLEGE OF
ART & DESIGN
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
This four-year college has inte-
grated VFX into various majors,
including BFA degrees in motion
design, computer animation,
film, game art, VR development
and entertainment design. Over
the past year, Ringling student
Eaza Shukla received a Student
Academy Award for the short
Re-Gifted, and Aviv Mano’s shor t
Game Changer earned a spot in
Siggraph’s upcoming Electronic
Theater. This summer, Ringling
College students are working
with Beau Bridges to film Acting:
The First Six Lessons using the
college’s recently completed com-
mercial and academic soundstage
and postproduction facility.THINK TANK TRAINING CENTRE
VAN CO UVER
Think Tank offers a one-year cer-
tificate program in 3D animation,
VFX and game design. During
the final term, each student is
paired with a mentor working at
a local VFX house such as MPC
or Sony Pictures Imageworks.
Additionally, Think Tank offers
an online program.VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL
VAN CO UVER
Vancouver Film School offers a
one-year 3D animation and VFX
diploma program that includes
access to facilities like the Beyond
Capture motion capture and
performance capture studio. The
program also involves indi-
vidual mentoring and support
from industry professionals
from such companies as Sony
Pictures Imageworks, Industrial
Light & Magic and Animal Logic.
Alums include directors Kevin
Smith (Clerks), Neill Blomkamp
(District 9) and Lino DiSalvo
(Playmobil: The Movie). Earlier
this year, Vancouver Film School
announced a new scholarship pro-
gram in conjunction with Pixar
animator Michal Makarewicz,
who partnered with the school in
choosing the recipients.