GanzChroma 0022
Remember when I mentioned about our ridiculously high instructor-to-student ratio? Well, this time, the spotlight's on Kuan Tsai. He's a former student of mine who graduated earlier this year, and he was among the first in his class to snag a job as a Compositor at DNEG Vancouver.
Three months ago, Kuan reached out with an earnest interest in helping out and we had a long chat, and the very next day, I offered him a paid gig as our teaching assistant.
Ever since he came onboard, Kuan's been our one-on-one hero for the students at ACE. He even stepped in for me when I had to jet off to Singapore to attend my mother's prayers.
A significant factor in students not securing VFX jobs is the lack of prompt feedback on their work by their instructors. Students toil over a shot or sequence for months, only to present it at their graduation. Hence, the sea of not-so-great reels with overlooked errors. Once the program ends so does all the feedback too.
Since I started teaching, I've made it my mandate to screen work at least once a week. Nearing the end of the program, I often spent 4 to 6 hours per student, offering detailed feedback on every shot all in the hopes of increasing their chances of landing a job in Canada. And yep, most of this happens after class hours!
This time around, I've organized my program to have multiple instructors review student shots weekly. Each week, at least two instructors are reviewing the student work. All the sessions are recorded too, so everyone on the team can refer to the previous notes.
This approach is vital. It trains students to handle feedback, prioritize impactful aspects of their shots, explore ideas through multiple iterations, and importantly, teaches them to ask the right kinds of questions about their work to their leads and supervisors.
And guess what? These are the very skills needed on the job. Imagine that... a school that actually teaches what's needed!
I always have said this, the quality of your questions matters. And all of this training is for students to ask the right questions about their work, which will eventually lead them to the right answers.
But hey, don't just take my word for it. Tune in to Kuan and Ryan's lively discussion on how to best present Ryan's keying shot!
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