ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA — Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) will continue to provide education and training to students to gain the necessary experience and skill set to fulfil VFX jobs in South Australia and around the globe.

RSP Education partners with University of South Australia to expand successful programs to meet the growing global demand for world-class VFX graduates. The highly-regarded courses aid aspiring artists to make the leap from the classroom to the production floor.

In classrooms set up to mirror real-world production environments and with instructors who are working professionals, the award-winning visual effects studio rigorously trains students in the technologies and techniques they will need to succeed in an expanding global film industry. Since the program’s inception in 2015, dozens of aspiring artists have used the studio’s undergraduate and graduate-certificate courses, as stepping-stones to their first industry jobs.

The South Australian-owned and operated, independent studio created visual effects for five internationally-released feature films last year, including the Marvel Studios blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok for which it is currently nominated for a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award. The highly-anticipated Tomb Raider and Peter Rabbit are among some of their current projects. RSP currently employs over 200 staff and this will significantly expand off the back of the State Government announcement of a 10% rebate, which combined with the 30% Federal Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) offset, creates one of the largest and reliable rebates worldwide.

To ensure the continued availability of skilled, local talent, RSP plans to expand its onsite training program, which it operates in association with the University of South Australia. The studio offers intensive, full-time Graduate Certificate programs in Compositing and Tracking and Dynamic Effects and Lighting. Both programs are currently accepting applicants and open to students with a relevant degree or advanced diploma and a show-reel.

RSP is also increasing the offerings of its undergraduate training program in 2018. Additionally, for enrolled students pursuing a Media Arts degree at UniSA, RSP offers accredited courses in Modelling and Texturing, Look Development and Lighting, and a 10-week intensive Media Industry Placement.

RSP’s education program is unique in Australia and one of few in the world that offers students the opportunity to learn the craft of visual effects from working professionals in a real-world production environment. Courses are taught by RSP artists who’ve worked on such projects as X-Men: Days of Future Past, Gravity, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Game of Thrones.  In 2017, RSP employed an impressive ten of the graduate certificate students. Adelaide based Resin VFX, and Sydney’s Animal Logic also employed students from the graduate certificate courses.

RSP Education also offers short courses to the general public and aspiring artists, including ‘Introduction to Animation’ providing them with a practical experience of the visual effects industry and what it takes to succeed in this competitive field.