Adelaide-based visual effects studio Rising Sun Pictures has seen its fortunes grow spectacularly over the past two years and has applied its artistry to a series of high-profile projects ranging from the Baz Luhrmann film Elvis and Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder to the hit series The Boys, Cowboy Bebop and Hawkeye. To keep pace with its burgeoning workload, RSP has added staff and resources to its main studio in Adelaide and has also launched a satellite operation in Brisbane.
RSP’s education program is also growing and is expanding to Brisbane, beginning with its Graduate Certificate in Dynamic Effects and Lighting program.
“We saw a unique gap in the VFX market and opened our Brisbane studio early this year,” said RSP head of business development Jennie Zeiher. “Our intent is to help build the VFX industry in Queensland, which is already a renowned, international filmmaking destination. A key component in that effort is education. It’s essential to developing a studio-ready talent pool.”
She added, “The industry’s continued growth comes with an unprecedented need for skilled artists. To compete, studios need a balanced mix of staffing. That’s why junior artists are so important! In a few years, juniors will be working at mid-level with the potential to be employed by the industry’s best.”
Although RSP’s program is new to Brisbane, the products of that program are not. Queensland animation studio Pixel Zoo has hired more than a dozen RSP graduates in junior artist roles. Another former graduate, Ben Cooke, recently transferred from RSP Adelaide to Brisbane where he will be both a working artist and a teaching assistant in the new education program.
“Ben will be a great support to students there through his personal experience in the program,” said Zeiher. “As an effects artists and teaching assistant he will help nurture the next generation of Brisbane artists.”