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With ambitious expansion plans in place for its Melbourne studio, Oscar-winning visual effects house Framestore is not only seeking out Australia’s best established talent, but also throwing open the door for tomorrow’s VFX and animation superstars.

Framestore was the first VFX house to launch a paid internship scheme, and has spent two decades training and industry-proofing hundreds of artists, producers and technologists. These include fresh graduates taking their first industry steps via a Launchpad internship, to more seasoned professionals looking to level up or change path with the scheme’s Launchpad Pro iteration. Both schemes have now been rolled out in Melbourne, with five graduates getting to grips with a Launchpad internship and 12 experienced artists keen to specialise in Creature FX via Launchpad Pro.

“Australia’s VFX industry is witnessing a real boom,” explains Lara Hopkins, Framestore’s Head of Studio, Melbourne. “This is obviously fantastic for the here-and-now, but for a company that has a local heritage stretching back 35+ years we also know we have to future-proof it by identifying, inspiring and upskilling the best new talent. Rolling out Launchpad here in Melbourne means we have access to twenty years of expertise running a globally successful training scheme, but we’re able to give it a very Australian spin by finding the best local students and junior artists and providing them with a bridge to their professional careers.”

Ready for take-off with a Launchpad internship

“As with any industry there’s always a bit of a disconnect between what you learn in the classroom and the practical reality of the job itself,” says Lara.

“Launchpad aims to bridge that gap over the course of eight weeks, immersing each intern in a particular department while helping them understand how the different teams intersect to create the visuals for projects like Ted , Furiosa: A Mad Max Story and Borderlands . As well as working on live shots from films that are currently in production they’ll also get the chance to develop a personal project, and they’ll be mentored and helped by our artists every step of the way.”

This year’s inaugural program saw the interns working within the studio’s animation, environments, FX, paint and roto and compositing teams. Tina, who worked with the Environments team, came to VFX via fine art. Her interest was piqued after taking a short film class, and after graduating in Design (Digital Media) she embarked on a masters degree in Animation, Games and Interactive. “Everyone in the company is friendly and supportive and I really felt welcomed by the Environment department,” she says. “Dudley [Birch, Environments HOD] and the whole team gave me an opportunity to grow, and provided me with a place where I could improve my skills and better understand the industry.”

Sky’s the limit with Launchpad Pro

While the internship is geared towards students and recent graduates with little to no on-the-job experience, Launchpad Pro focuses on those seeking to take their career to the next level, undertake a more specialised role or, perhaps, return to work after a career break. These initiatives are driven by industry need, and focus on specific departments or specialisms – in this instance, Creature FX, or, more colloquially, CFX. For a studio that prides itself on the calibre of its animation work, the CFX team play a pivotal role: they help breathe life into CG creatures and characters by ensuring their flesh, fur, clothes, skin or feathers move and interact realistically when in motion, thus heightening each characters’ sense of believability. “We’re a growing team but it’s always quite hard to hire junior artists,” explains Melbourne’s Head of CFX, Paul Boyd. “It’s not a skill set that’s widely taught in academic settings but it’s a vital part of the process when you’re so well known for characters like Ted, Rocket Raccoon or Winnie The Pooh. If you didn’t have CFX artists working on those characters, the results wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective – the team adds layers of subtlety and nuance that really helps an audience suspend their disbelief.”

For the CFX intake, Paul focused on attitude and passion as much as technical skillset. “We can teach you the software, that’s the easy part,” he says. “What we really wanted to get a feel for was people who were as excited as us at the chance to bring all these CG characters to life.” In an ideal world Paul would, by the end of the 12-week course, have 12 new starters ready to join his ranks. Even if people decide a career in CFX isn’t for them, however, he’s positive about the wider benefits of the initiative. “People might ultimately choose a different path in VFX, but Launchpad Pro will have given them a fantastic grounding. Obviously there’ll be focus on Framestore-specific tools and technologies, but the first month of the course is geared towards off-the-shelf tech, and skills and techniques they’ll be able to take anywhere. Considering the industry is growing and constantly on the lookout for skilled, experienced artists helping meet that need is no bad thing – a rising tide lifts all boats, after all.”

This said, Framestore hopes to be able to retain as many of these interns and Launchpad Pro participants as possible, as Lara explains: “The Melbourne studio has a fantastic slate of projects coming into the studio over the next 6-12 months, so we’re hoping to keep as many of the trainees as busy as possible after their training with us. This will be a boon for us during such a busy time and, in the long run, a significant boost for Australia’s VFX talent pool.”