Press Release from Gnomon School of Visual Effects

LOS ANGELES - Nov. 14, 2011 - Gnomon School of Visual Effects - the leading training facility in digital and entertainment arts - has announced the dates and instructors for its upcoming, Master Classes 2011. Taking place December 5-19, the interactive online specialized training courses feature 14 exclusive classes covering a wide variety of visual effects topics, each taught by leading digital arts professionals with industry giants, including Blizzard Entertainment, DreamWorks, Naughty Dog, Pixar and Sony.

"The level of talent we've been fortunate to bring together for the online Master Classes not only exemplifies our own standard for student education, but also brings to light the real sense of community among professionals in the art and VFX industries," said Alex Alvarez, founder and CEO of Gnomon School of Visual Effects. "These artists and their accomplishments are what drive the entertainment industry forward. They know all the techniques and all the tricks of the trade. They are the ones who know best how to be successful and more importantly, they want to share that knowledge with a new generation of artists."

Held within private forums via GnomonSchool.com, Master Classes allow students and working professionals to participate in a community-oriented environment with detailed discussions on their projects and specialized feedback from instructors. Master Classes participants will get 28 total hours of lecture across all 14 classes, pulling back the curtain on the techniques, thought processes and workflows of some of the world's best animation and visual effects talent.

Below are testimonials from past Master Class students:

"Many of the instructors created projects for us and gave us feedback. This alone was worth the cost, just to create alongside our many heroes and have their input into our working habits. Overall, the instructors were wonderful and the classes incredibly informative."

"Whilst not officially working in the industry, this has given me a huge insight into where the pros are at, how they are doing it and what I need to do to get up to speed and get in."

Gnomon's Master Classes - though very high-end and specialized-cover a broad range of topics from combat animation for games to advanced visual effects techniques for production. All lectures are recorded in HD video format and can be easily accessed 24 hours a day during the Master Classes event. Essential VFX tools in both the entertainment art and visual effects space - such as Maya, ZBrush and Photoshop - are also to be a key focus of the courses.

Course listings include:

3D Character Texturing and Enhancement in NUKEInstructor: Alex Cancado, Lighter and Lead Compositor

Advanced Visual Effects Techniques for ProductionInstructor: Wayne Hollingsworth, Visual Effects Technical Director

Character Modeling and TexturingInstructor: Mark Dedecker, Character Modeler

Combat Animation for GamesInstructor: Bruno Velazquez, Lead Game Animator

Concept Design: From Abstraction to ProductionInstructor: Aaron Limonick, Concept Designer

Creating Highly Realistic CompositesInstructor: Rob Nederhorst, Visual Effects Supervisor

Efficient Cinematic LightingInstructor: Jeremy Vickery, Lighting Technical Director

Environment SculptingInstructor: David Lesperance, Environment Artist

High Dynamic Range Imaging for Live Action Visual EffectsInstructor: Phil Holland, Digital Imaging Specialist

Illustration for Entertainment: Pitching with PicturesInstructor: Cameron Davis, Visual Development Artist

Making "Archetype": The Short FilmInstructor: Aaron Sims, Director/Creature Designer

Realistic Creature Animation for Visual EffectsInstructor: David Breaux, Creature Animator

Stylized Visual Effects AnimationInstructor: Slim Ghariani, Senior Visual Effects Artist

The Full Cycle of the Design & Directorial ProcessInstructor: Bradley Munkowitz, Holographic Design Director

Users can purchase digital tickets to the entire suite of 14 classes for $295. Further information can be found at http://www.gnomonschool.com/master/2011/.

For more information or to schedule an interview with the participating artists or Eric Miller, managing director of the Gnomon Workshop at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, please contact Nick Parker or Steve Willis at Bender/Helper Impact (for Gnomon) via the contact information below.

About Gnomon School of Visual EffectsLocated in Hollywood, the epicenter of the entertainment industry, Gnomon School of Visual Effects (www.gnomonschool.com) is an innovative training facility that stresses the importance of creativity in digital entertainment production. The school believes that while new software tools help to create impressive computer-generated characters and worlds, it is not the technology that drives results, but the artist. All Gnomon instructors are specialized industry professionals who bring their experience and connections into the classroom to provide an outstanding start to the careers of the next generation of leading production artists. The results speak for themselves, as the Gnomon School of Visual Effects reports a 93% placement rate for 2010.

About Gnomon WorkshopSince 2000, The Gnomon Workshop has provided artists and students with the educational resources they need to succeed as artists in the entertainment industries. Whether they're interested in design, modeling, effects, animation, storytelling or matte painting, these DVDs provide a valuable educational resource for students around the world. The Gnomon Workshop is the sister company of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, which provides professional caliber visual effects instruction to students and professionals in Los Angeles, California.