Technicolor’s Jonathan Fletcher Describes Talent Development Opportunities for the Global Visual Effects Community via Technicolor Academy

The global rise of high-quality -- and visually compelling -- film and episodic projects spurred by emerging streaming video services is stimulating demand for high-end visual effects (VFX) talent. This is putting pressure on the entire content creation community to field qualified artists and technologists capable of meeting the needs of premier projects in the industry, according to Jonathan Fletcher, Global Head of Learning and Development for the recently launched Technicolor Academy.  

The Technicolor Academy is a global initiative within Technicolor that is dedicated to increasing the pool of talent with the digital and artistic skills that are being demanded by today's content creators.  

"Technicolor works on some of the biggest projects in the world across many different studios in film and television. The skill sets we need to deliver those shows are ever increasing," he says.  

To address this challenge, the Technicolor Academy is working on a couple of fronts- with recent graduates looking to get real-world training and experience, as well as with educational and training institutions around the world.  

Recent graduates can apply to a n 8-10 week Academy focused on key disciplines to get them further prepared to work in the real world.  They'll then be placed into one of Technicolor's visual effects studios to continue to develop their skill set and begin their career.    

The Technicolor Academy team will also work with educational institutions around the world to optimize the development of in-house curriculum for students.  

"The majority of institutions in our education partner programs produce VFX generalists, and that is fantastic. But as we work on extremely sophisticated projects, we require specialists. That is where the Academy comes into play. We will take those generalists and hone their skills in specific areas."  

By partnering with these institutions with master classes and sessions to help students and faculty understand the specific skill sets are required by the industry, the Academy team will help expedite the learning curve once students enter the workforce.  

"We will work with faculty to review courses and make sure the y are aligned with what the industry needs as we move into 2019, 2020 and beyond.  We also want to make our experts available to lecture and share their insights into the intricacies of the industry," he says.  

The Academy team is also working on initiatives to support the continuous professional development of current artists as they mature in their careers and adopt new technologies and methodologies into their workflow.  

"It's really important to provide learning pathways for artists who are already working," says Fletcher. "Too often I see people go through a fantastic induction program, but then there is no further learning for them. So we are going to work really closely with our business units to create a dedicated pathway that allow artists and technologists to progress their skill sets within each studio," he says.