May 2007
Durham College Computer Animation students join working world prior to graduation
Third-year Computer Animation student Jackie Mills (above) and
classmate Angelina Mazzocchi will be joining the IMAX animation team to
convert Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which will be
released this summer, from 2-D to 3-D.
Durham College certainly has a talented student body. Two third-year Computer Animation students set to graduate this June have landed jobs with IMAX to work on the new Harry Potter movie due in theatres this summer.
Jackie Mills and Angelina Mazzocchi will be working with IMAX industry professionals on digital compositing and rotoscoping. They will be converting the 2-D version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which will play in most movie theatres, to a 3-D version that will be played at all IMAX theatres beginning Friday, July 13.
"It's a job most people wouldn't get until after 10 years of working in the industry," Mills said. A self-proclaimed huge Harry Potter fan, she said this couldn't be more exciting for her.
Mills has enjoyed the three-year Computer Animation program at the college. She said the program teaches an introduction to artistic movement, knowledge of the industry and compositing, which translates into putting everything together. She has learned how to take an idea and create story boards from it, draw preliminary animation, and model, texture and render.
Christopher Gould, a professor with the School of Design and a former employee of March Entertainment told The Chronicle student newspaper that the success of the students is a result of their positive attitudes and strong work ethics. He feels students are being pushed harder than ever before to reach their full potential and added that the feedback he has received from employers is that Durham College Computer Animation students are the most professional and hardworking.
Nine other Computer Animation students have also been hired prior to graduation by March Entertainment which is located in Sudbury, Ontario. The company came to the college to hold interviews earlier this year.
