On February 23, 2003, digital media training center Future Media Concepts (FMC), in cooperation with Apple, will kick off its 15-city "FCP to the Max!" tour to bring professional-level Final Cut Pro training seminars to editors across the U.S. and South America. For US$199, the intensive daylong seminars are taught by FMC's team of Apple Certified Instructors, and address the full capabilities of Final Cut Pro for professional production.

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is hosting an evening with Dan Philips, 3d-CG veteran and friend of animation, who has worked on such animated features as THE ROAD TO EL DORADO and JONAH – A VEGGIETALES MOVIE. On Monday, January 27, 2003, Philips will present a series of selected still and animated 2D/3D images from his collection of work from 1987 to 2002.

High school seniors and international students interested in an animation education are invited to apply for scholarships for The Art Institute of California -- San Francisco's bachelor degree program in Media Arts & Animation. Scholarship awards are based on the quality of projects submitted by high school seniors who demonstrate ability and commitment in one of the school's programs of study. Students may qualify for part- or full-tuition scholarships.

The NFTS Finishing School, the digital compositing and 3D animation training arm of the U.K.'s National Film and Television School, is running an EU funded 12-week "Masters in Visual Effects" compositing course in Madrid, Spain. Hosted at the Spanish film school ECAM (Escuela de Cinematografia y del Audiovisual de la Comunidad de Madrid), in partnership with Spanish post-production house EnEfecto, the pan-European program was created to help students come up to speed in the booming visual effects business.

The National Film Board’s Animation Studio is reaching out to emerging animators across Canada with its new "Animation Hothouse" program. Six young filmmakers have been selected to participate in the intensive program, directing an animated work ranging from ten seconds to thirty seconds. The selected students will spend 12 weeks with the NFB’s community of filmmakers in Montreal, where they’ll be provided with tools, resources, support and mentoring.

ILM animation director Tom Bertino and senior VP Patty Blau head a roster of presenters at Ex’pression Center for New Media's "Insider Day," January 10, 2003. Ex'pression hosts ten Insider Days a year and each includes workshops and seminars featuring technology movers and shakers, famous producers and engineers, musical and digital artists, and other resources to keep students on the new media front lines. The Insider Day experience provides a valuable networking arsenal for students after graduation.

Anzovin Studio, a leading publisher of training materials for Hash's Animation:Master 3D animation software, has released a new instructional CD-ROM entitled MODEL A FACE WITH BILL YOUNG. Anzovin Studio's lead modeler and technical director, Bill Young, takes students step by step through the detailed process of modeling an anatomically accurate human face. Young's emphasis is on crafting efficient Hash splinage that doesn't just look good in stills but animates well, too.

The Art Institutes International Minnesota (Ai Minnesota), located in downtown Minneapolis, is now offering a bachelor's degree program in Visual Effects & Motion Graphics. To accommodate the new program, Ai Minnesota has expanded its facilities to include a green room, a professional-level sound recording studio, several digital video cameras and lighting kits. The Visual Effects & Motion Graphics program utilizes software applications such as Combustion, Shake, Maya, Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects.

The Gnomon Workshop has released three new training DVDs on deformers in Alias|Wavefront's Maya. This series specifically covers clusters, blendshape, sculpt, lattice, wrap, wire and jiggle deformers. Each title has 120 minutes of instruction, lecture notes, scene files, resource spotlights and bonus materials. DVDs are priced at $79 each and may be purchased at www.thegnomonworkshop.com.

Discreet has announced an expanded partnership with The Art Institutes, which has purchased 2,500 copies of Discreet's 3ds max 5 for use in its design and art schools throughout North America. Various Art Institutes across North America have recently launched a new Game Art & Design degree to capitalize on the ever-growing game development market. "Enormous industry acceptance and demand by our employers has led The Art Institutes to implement 3ds max 5 as the natural and optimal choice for our curriculum needs.

A newly released book by college educator Mike S. Fowler illustrates the principles of layout from an instructor's perspective. Created by Fowler to use when teaching, ANIMATION BACKGROUND LAYOUT: FROM STUDENT TO PROFESSIONAL illustrates the purpose and function of animation layout, and is applicable to both students and more experienced animators. Fowler previewed his book at this year's 2002 Ottawa International Animation Festival, and reports it received rave reviews from the staff of many colleges and universities from across North America.

Oregon3D, Inc. has appointed Mark Noland as educational director and Phillip Guzzo as associate educational director. Mark Noland has worked for over 15 years in nearly every area of digital imaging including Web, print, game, film and video production. He founded Mercury Studios in 1997 where he acted as a producer and director for clients such as Fox Sports and The Golf Channel. Phillip A.

The Gnomon Workshop has released four new training DVDs that focus on modeling and kinematics in Alias|Wavefront's Maya. This series includes two DVDs on Polygon modeling and two more titles on Maya's Kinematics engine. Each title has 110 minutes of instruction, lecture notes, scene files, resource spotlights and bonus materials. The DVDs were produced by Alex Alvarez, director of the Gnomon Workshop and Gnomon School of Visual Effects; and Darrin Krumweide, associate director of Gnomon.

Detroit, Michigan's College for Creative Studies (CCS) Animation and Digital Media department will welcome a group of industry experts in 2002. Lanfranco Aceti, Thom Gillespie and Bill Tomlinson will be guest speakers at a series of presentations hosted by the college. Lanfranco Aceti is a digital artist and a Ph.D. researcher in fine art at Central Saint Martins in London. He has been focusing on the cross-platform media as expression of the contemporary avant-garde. Aceti will be giving an open presentation on November 25, 2002 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

Continuing its worldwide expedition, the LightWave 7.5 Character Animation Tour consists of in-depth training on intermediate and advanced methods and techniques including modeling as related to character setup, character rigging, animation concepts and features, and advanced animation techniques. After being well received at its first two stops, Tour presenter Ford Entertainment Group has announced that the Tour will continue through spring 2003 with additional Canadian, U.S. and worldwide dates.

Starting February 2003, VanArts (Vancouver Institute of Media Arts) will launch a new full-time diploma and certificate program in Game Art & Design. Worldwide, the video game industry is worth an estimated $40 billion, out-grossing other traditional forms of entertainment including film and music.

Side Effects Software will be offering a new round of trainer certification courses for Houdini Version 5.5. Certification testing will take place November 21, 22 and 23, 2002, in Santa Monica, California. In addition to having a fully enabled license of Houdini Master for non-commercial use while certified, Houdini trainers are eligible to teach Houdini at the level certified; are invited to participate in beta testing of upcoming versions/products; have access to special Houdini technical support; and receive a listing on the Side Effects Website as a certified Houdini trainer.

Lost Pencil Animation Studios Inc. has released two new training CDs in their Just Animate series, "Lip Sync" and "Facial Expressions and Body Language." Both CDs demonstrate techniques using Lightwave 7.5, "Lip Sync" offers instruction on how to create multiple phoneme mouth morph targets and an animation of a character speaking.

Teletoon, Canada’s 24-hour animation station, has announced the twelve Canadian students who have won this year's Teletoon Animation Scholarship Award. The award is one of the few for arts students and the only formal national contest for students of animation. Since the launch of the scholarship program five years ago, Teletoon has awarded more than CAD $160,000 to students studying animation. This year’s group of winners represents a wide range of applicants from major animation schools to smaller, rural high schools.

The Gnomon Workshop has released nine new training DVDs on modeling, dynamics and expressions in Alias|Wavefront's Maya. This series includes three DVDs on NURBS modeling and four more titles on Maya's Dynamics engine produced by Alex Alvarez, director of the Gnomon Workshop and Gnomon School of Visual Effects, and Darrin Krumweide, associate director of Gnomon. Andrew Orloff, head of CG at newly opened visual effects studio Zoic and a new instructor at Gnomon, has produced two DVDs on using expressions in Maya.