26 June 2009
Around 50 students from the Cape Flats townships around Cape Town began animation training at False Bay College in Khayelitsha this week, as part of an initiative by the Cape Film Commission, the Western Cape film industry and the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta).
Described by many as one of the Western Cape film industry’s most ambitious project to date, the Animation Industry Development Initiative aims to create a local animation and new media industry with capable of generating up to 10 000 jobs by 2020.
Awareness workshops
The first of several community awareness workshops, along with presentations at schools and libraries, took place among Cape Flats communities in April, reaching more than 1 000 prospective animators.
According to Cape Film Commission (CFC) commissioner Laurence Mitchell, the workshops introduced potential candidates to the world of animation and career paths in animation, giving students the opportunity to view showreels and to submit their own drawings for assessment.
“I am delighted at the abundance of talent available on especially the Cape Flats, and I remain confident that even though this is an ambitious project, we will reach our intended targets,” Mitchell said in a statement this week.
Drawing, personal development
Mitchell added that the training starting this week would focus on drawing for animation, digital design, and several soft courses on entrepreneurial and personal development.
“We have consciously made a decision as industry leaders that the Animation Academy will not be an outreach programme, but that we will establish it on the Cape Flats, where we want to contribute to alleviating poverty and creating jobs,” he said.
SAinfo reporter
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