The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Pupils get a virtual effect reality check
Amasterclass in virtual production was given to Tayside and Fife pupils from an industryleading company that has worked on Star Wars and Harry Potter.
More than 270 Scottish school pupils and around 80 students attended the two-day engagement, workshops and mentoring event at Abertay University’s School of Design and Informatics.
Industry experts from Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), which is the visual effects arm of Lucasfilm and part of The Walt Disney Company, ran the masterclass.
The company is known for its work on Star Wars, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Back To The Future and more.
S3 school pupils and Abertay students were given the chance to use the university’s new Virtual Production Research Environment, which includes a section of a highdefinition LED wall that was used by ILM in the making of The Batman.
Youngsters from nine schools across Tayside and Fife listened to talks from ILM production engineers and Abertay’s visual effects experts, took part in tours of the campus and designed their own superhero as a first step towards the concept design process.
A group of 20 students from Abertay’s Computer Arts programme took part in a session to showcase their artwork portfolio to ILM representatives and discuss potential career routes into the sector.
The event was supported by Developing the Young Workforce Tay Cities and sponsored by Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise (InGAME),
Phillip Vaughan, a senior lecturer at Abertay and programme leader of the new MSc in Technical Art and Visual Effects, said: “To get access to ILM’s expertise and mentorship is a money-can’t-buy experience and it has been great to give the group a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of movie magic.
“Virtual production has enormous potential as a growth industry for Scotland, so it is important to us here at Abertay and to our industry partners to have a strong pipeline of young, engaged, and fresh thinking people coming into the sector.”
Amy Backwell, ILM’s emerging talent specialist, said: “We are extremely delighted to have partnered with Abertay and Perth schools networks for this bespoke taster programme.
“We recognise the high importance and value of outreach and inspiring the next diverse generation of talent, especially those in a different geographic region.
“It is exciting to have sponsorship in order to deliver an enriching programme of VFX careers and interactive workshops that are wide-reaching and accessible to young people.”