DAVE School Celebrates Six Months in a Safe and Creative Environment On-The-Lot
The DAVE (Digital and Visual Effects) School re-opened on the Backlot at Universal Studios Florida in early May and Executive Director Gina Rhodes provided an exclusive look into the status of operations to Universal Studios Florida Production Group’s QUICK TAKES.
Pamela Tuscany, General Manager, Vice President at USFPG noted. “We are pleased to acknowledge the progress occurring at DAVE School. Their model is proving effective for faculty and students as they provide trend-setting technology training that is key to the future of our entertainment industry.”
“Our re-purposing plan was in play during the mandatory shut down,” says Managing Director Gina Rhodes, “and our re-adjustments include everything from staggering of class schedules to alternating student attendance days and times plus one-touch computers and equipment where each student uses their own workspace and equipment.” Further, a full cleaning crew steps in between each shift and,” Gina laughs, “our faculty and students have become quite diligent about keeping surfaces and spaces sanitized. Our facility has never been so clean!”
While gaming has become a substantial portion of learning at DAVE School the protocols led to a natural transition in Virtual Production. The differences between traditional film making and VP are quite profound; in Virtual Production we are rendering while we’re on set so while background and actors have traditional roles, the rendering demands an intense amount of preparation. It’s fascinating and exciting,” states Rhodes.
