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The DAVE School
The DAVE School consistently produces skilled graduates who are uniquely prepared for industry positions. DAVE graduates have worked on Oscars and Emmy nominated and/or winning projects, and have won other prestigious awards.
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The Digital Animation & Visual Effects (DAVE) School was founded on June 8, 2000, by two Industry executives looking to create #CareerReady artists with practical animation skills. They created a school that offered specialized training in Visual Effects with extensive practice under industry level supervision. The Game Production program followed 13 years later in September of 2014, making it the second program to be offered by the school.
At the end of 2017, The DAVE School introduced fully online bachelor programs in Motion Graphics, as well as the additional Bachelor’s Degrees in Visual Effects and Game Production for Diploma students seeking to enhance their educational experience.
Today, The DAVE School consistently produces skilled graduates who are uniquely prepared for industry positions. DAVE graduates have worked on Oscars and Emmy nominated and/or winning projects, and have won other prestigious awards. The school continues to grow in the traditions of its founders by keeping in tune with industry trends and changes. This affords the school the means to adapt its educational programs to meet the needs of the always advancing fields of digital entertainment and interactive media.
General Info
Facilities
Located inside the gated backlot of Universal Orlando in Soundstage 25, the DAVE School’s 18,000 square foot facility includes learning and interactive labs, a dedicated Virtual and Real-Time production stage, a Vicon motion capture system, 3D printing and VR/AR labs, and secure student access 7 days a week.
Staff
Twice a year we conduct industry an industry advisory board. 5 times a year we have industry veterans review and critique student portfolios. We attend industry related conferences including Siggraph, GDC, IITSEC, IAAPA, and more. We routinely have guest speakers who are leaders in the fields of VFX, gaming, animation, simulation, etc..
Employment Rates
These are the current employment rates for our students: VFX Diploma = 66.67%, Game Diploma = 68.00%, VFX Bachelor = 81.82%, Game Bachelor = 83.33%.
Technology
Software
Maya, Photoshop, Substance painter, Nuke, PfTrack, Premiere, and Unreal,
Hardware
Each student workstation is a top of the line desktop equipped with Geforce RTX 2060/2070 /2080ti display cards, 32GB ram, and Intel Xeon W-2123 3.6 ghz processors,. The school has its own render farm that has 12 dedicated nodes and 150 nodes total.
Student Showcase
Take a look at some of the traditional and digital artwork The DAVE School students produce during their education.
•Avani Jain | Environment Artist, Treyarch
I landed my first job at Treyarch, a AAA studio most famously known for Call of Duty: Black Ops. It’s so surreal being surrounded by some of the industry’s best artists and I’m beyond honored to be a part of this team. I want to thank the DAVE School for providing me with valuable skills and knowledge about the gaming industry. The Game 501 class especially prepared me for game production and industry standard techniques, which I’m extremely grateful for. I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend this school. Thank you!!
Networking & Careers
Studios Hiring
Following studios hire our graduates: Blur Studio, CoSA VFX, Digital Domain, Disney Interactive, Double Negative, Dreamworks Animation, EA Games, Encore, Framestore, Fuse FX, Hydraulix, Inhance Digital, Insomniac Games, ,Lockheed Martin, Lucasfilm Animation, Luma, Mass Virtual, Method Studios, MPC, Mr X Inc, Nickelodeon, Pixomondo, Reel FX, Rhythm & Hues, Scanline VFX, Sony Imageworks, Stargate Studios, Stereo D, The Asylum, The Mill, The Third Floor, Valve, Walt Disney Animation, Zoic and many more
Courses
For over 20 years, The DAVE School has trained entertainment industry 3D artists by connecting students with award-winning industry professionals who bring real-world experience to the classroom. Our programs are developed and led by an experienced team of instructors who have worked at industry leading studios. The two core programs that are taught are Visual Effects Production and Game Production. The first 9 months of these courses are online and the last 3 months are on campus for our studio residency. Once those are completed students can then take our fully online Bachelor’s degree program in their field of study. We also have a fully online Motion Graphics Bachelor's degree.
Game Production Diploma Program
The Game Production diploma program is designed to give each student practical exposure to complete each of the major disciplines needed for game art content creation. This includes games produced by both major game studios working on AAA titles and independent production houses working on mobile gaming and other applications. Students will learn the proper tools and techniques used by industry professionals.
Bachelor of Science - Game Production
The Bachelor’s Degree in Game Production is designed to give each student practical exposure to complete each of the major disciplines needed for game art content creation. This includes games produced by both major game studios working on AAA titles and independent production houses working on mobile gaming and other applications. Students will learn the proper tools and techniques used by industry professionals. The Game Production Bachelor’s Degree program consists of an additional 18 months post diploma and an additional 60 credits. The credits are broken down into 36 Credit Hours of General Education Courses and 24 Credit Hours of Elective Courses.
Visual Effects Diploma Program
The Visual Effects Production diploma program gives students a broad range of skills which allows them to pursue jobs in the computer graphics industry, including feature film and television effects, game art, print advertising, architectural visualization and military simulation.
Bachelor of Science - Visual Effects
The Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Effects Production gives students a broad range of skills which allows them to pursue jobs in the computer graphics industry, including feature film and television effects, game art, print advertising, architectural visualization and military simulation. The Visual Effects Bachelor’s Degree program consists of an additional 18 months post diploma and an additional 60 credits. The credits are broken down into 36 Credit Hours of General Education Courses and 24 Credit Hours of Elective Courses.
Bachelor of Science - Digital Graphic Design
The Bachelor of Science Degree in Digital Graphic Design will allow students to apply real world art techniques through the combination of different media such as computer-generated imagery, film, and studio design. The students will be able to build the opening credits for film, design multi-media presentations, and create graphic commercial art for business operations. The students will learn and understand principles of composition, color theory, typography, design, compositing, and animation using a variety of software.
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