I've gone back to university! Yep - I'm chasing my dream of working in the world of post-production.
The course is a fairly intense compositing and camera tracking studies done at Rising Sun Pictures (RSP), in South Australia. RSP is a world renowned visual effects studio that has worked on many feature film projects over the years, as well as episodic, broadcast and other local productions. Some of their clients include Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Netflix, Amazon and MGM. Their Adelaide studio has a crew of some 240, with smaller offices elsewhere as well.
This means I can't work on personal projects for the time being, because I don't have access to any of them here. But that's fine - we're studying instead!
A few years ago RSP hooked up with a local university to offer courses designed specifically for those wanting careers in the VFX industry. Their courses have become highly regarded by those in the industry here in Australia.
Whilst doing a course is no certain means to getting work, it does provide the opportunity to re-learn some lost knowledge, learn new skills, and make some network contacts along the way. And maybe even things for your showreel. Students get to work on past project content the studio has done, including working with original plates and film footage. I can't talk about which projects they are from - all students must sign an NDA before starting the course. Which is fair enough - it's the client's IP. Suffice to say - it is content from some of the biggest stuff around. Really neat.
Unfortunately, most of the work we do we can't use in our own showreel. Which is a bit of a bummer - but understandable. However, there are a couple of personal projects we do and the footage from them we are allowed to take home with us. So, even though it may only be a couple of shots, it's one thing we can take away from the course. The other things we take, of course, are the skillset and contacts we make.
I'm really enjoying it. The course has all the things I want to learn and see in something like this. The future beckons...