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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

No FX. Something Truly Special

The summer release of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” coincided with the “dawn” of new career options for special effects artists who worked on the film. Exceptional Minds is a non-profit school in Sherman Oaks that prepares autistic young adults for careers in digital graphics. The curriculum has included work on several major films, including “Dawn.” The school has 27 students in a three-year program, and graduated its first class in June. Since then, several alumni have found paid work in the industry, said Susie Zwerman, who is the school’s director of job development and a visual effects producer at Crystal Rain Media Entertainment in Studio City. “We want to duplicate that success with as many young adults on the autism spectrum as we can effectively facilitate,” she said. For “Dawn,” students worked on track marker removal, where small “flags” are placed in scenes to help effects artists find a specific spot and later the markers are covered over using the video equivalent of Photoshop. Last year, the school used compositing to clean up shots in “American Hustle” and produced the final credits for “Lawless.” “We also do PowerPoint graphics and animation design presentations and other digital artwork for commercial and non-profit organizations,” Zwerman explained. Numerous Valley companies support the school, including United Front Design in Sherman Oaks, Film Roman in Burbank, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. in Glendale and Pixel Magic in Glendale. Tuition is more than $30,000 a year, but students usually pay about half, with the rest coming from private donations. Alumni Kevin Titcher, 23, landed a job at Stargate Studios, a special effects house in South Pasadena, after graduation. Previously, he worked six years bagging groceries at a supermarket but now spends three days a week converting photos and video onto the “green screen” behind actors. “I was always interested in animation, and at one time I wanted to become part of a camera crew,” the Calabasas resident said. “I heard about the school, and that was my opportunity.” Sam Nicholson, chief executive of Stargate, has tapped the school to outsource assignments when he’s swamped with work, in addition to recruiting new employees. “Our real contribution is to offer Stargate Studios as a ‘landing pad’ to transition the graduating Exceptional Minds students into the business community,” he said. – Joel Russell

Joel Russel
Joel Russel
Joel Russell joined the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2006 as a reporter. He transferred to sister publication San Fernando Valley Business Journal in 2012 as managing editor. Since he assumed the position of editor in 2015, the Business Journal has been recognized four times as the best small-circulation tabloid business publication in the country by the Alliance of Area Business Publishers. Previously, he worked as senior editor at Hispanic Business magazine and editor of Business Mexico.

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