Star Wars Celebration V was the mecca for sci-fi (not to be confused with SyFy, which is ridiculous) in Orlando this past summer. But for the students of DAVE School (Digital Animation & Visual Effects School) the Star Wars event was a great beginning to their career.

 

DAVE School, based on the backlot at Universal Studios Orlando, is the brain child of Jeff and Anne Scheetz. Their one-year curriculum takes students from beginners to proficient CG animators and VFX artists. Their placement record and success at the convention is proof.

The school has grown from a trailer on the backlot to filling an entire sound stage and office complex at Universal Studios Orlando. They celebrated their 10-year anniversary at the same time they moved into their new facilities with a new Mocap system and cyc on their own large sound stage.

Jeff's background started in Los Angeles. "I was a visual effects supervisor, and then an animation producer, at Foundation Imaging. We went from 20 employees to over 200 in less than a year. I hired most of those people and made observations about what was not being taught in schools. That was the inspiration to start our school."

Anne adds, "When we first started we wanted the students to develop their own demo reel during the final quarter. But we learned that isn't what they will do in the industry, so now in the last quarter we have them focus on a job as part of a crew on a short film just like a real job. We bring in outside writers and directors and musicians and let the students concentrate on using their new CG and compositing skills."

Their first complete short was based on a toy created by New York toy studio Art Asylum titled PsychoPump. (www.DAVEschool.com/movies/psychopump/).

Another project the school did with Art Asylum was based on another line of toys called Specidemons. That started because Specidemons was pitched at Foundation Imaging while Jeff was producing there, and he always thought the idea sounded cool. "I ran into the owner, Digger, years later and finally produced Specidemons." (www.DAVEschool.com/movies/specidemons.)

Full disclosure, I wrote, boarded and voice directed Specidemons. Jeff and I sat down with the toys and determined the good guys and bad guys, gave them personalities and I went off and wrote the script. Like many of the DAVE School shorts, this one combined live action with animation.