Countdown to January
The next class start date is January 2nd. This is a night class that meets from 6:00PM to 11:00PM Monday-Friday. The class has only 12 spots left but there is still time to register. Those interested in STUDENT HOUSING should contact Karla at (407) 224-3283 for information. The deadline to register for student housing is December 1st.

NASA Seals and X-Men: Dark Tide - award winning shorts!
The Central Florida FMPTA (Florida Motion Picture and Television Association) held it’s 17th annual Crystal Reel Awards this past Saturday, the 11th of November. The small, gala affair sought to recognize and award local filmmakers for their efforts and achievements over the past year.

The DAVE School entered two films into this year’s competition: NASA Seals and X-Men: Dark Tide. We are proud to announce that both student films won in their respective categories. NASA Seals was awarded the Silver Award for Special Effects in a Student Short Film, while X-Men: Dark Tide took the prestigious Crystal Award in the category, Student Animation Short Film. Both films can be seen here.

April Warren makes a splash with Flash Filmworks and The Guardian
Many people know that Kevin Costner starred in the Coast Guard thriller movie, The Guardian. However, many people do not know that DAVE School graduate, April Warren, lent her creative talents to the film’s amazing visual effects work. April’s biggest challenge during her time with Flash Filmworks was creating some of the stunning ocean effects, but her other responsibilities included everything from creating water effects in Lightwave to compositing shots in Digital Fusion.

April, who graduated with the X-Men: Dark Tide class in September of 2005, took an internship with Flash Filmworks shortly after graduation. After a two week period, however, April was hired onto the production full time. “Flash Filmworks is primarily a Lightwave house and I was picked up due to my skills with the program,” said April. While on the job, April learned the ins and outs of other software, specifically Real Flow, a fluid dynamics simulation software, and Digital Fusion. “It’s good that the school is now teaching Digital Fusion,” she added.

April was not the only DAVE School graduate to work on The Guardian. Pat Killik and Motoki Nishii both joined the project as it moved into the final phases of production. “Pat didn’t even know that I worked there,” joked April. “He must have seen the job posting and applied…he had some prior experience with Real Flow.” Meanwhile, Motoki came to Flash Flimworks the same way April did, taking advantage of the internship and the contacts he had made at the DAVE School, namely April, herself, and instructor, William Vaughan.

April has been pleasantly surprised by her time in the industry. “There are a lot of expectations, but, at the same time, they’re not out of reach.” When asked to elaborate, she said, “I thought it would be more difficult, but I’ve found that most people are willing to help. I really learned about the power of networking. During my time there, I went to a number of industry events and met a lot of people. I was a bit worried about what I would do when my contract ended, but on my last day, I had three job offers.” April is currently working with Lightstorm Entertainment, a James Cameron company, on an undisclosed project.

Ron Thornton Married!
DAVE School's most elligable bachelor tied the knot on sunday the 12th of November to his lovely wife Lada. In a small ceremony surrounded by friends, the happy couple exchanged vows. A small reception followed the event.