Digital media arts major interns at Jellyfish Labs
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Huntington, Ind.-The highly-acclaimed children's show "VeggieTales" is well-known for its humor, moral teaching, and of course, animation. Brian Thompson, a junior digital media arts major at Huntington University, had a unique opportunity in the summer of 2007 to understand part of the creativity behind the show, as well as gain vital experience in his craft. Thompson, who hails from St. Paul, Minn., worked with VeggieTales co-creator Phil Vischer through an internship with Jellyfish Labs, Vischer's new company. Jellyfish, according to its Web site, is a creative shop, developing new ideas for family and faith-based projects. This differs from companies such as Big Idea, creator of 'VeggieTales' and full-length productions.
Above all else, Thompson thoroughly enjoyed the people at Jellyfish. "It was an amazing environment," he said. "Phil Vischer put emphasis on the character of people. They were all strong Christians: kind, considerate, and enjoyable. By the end, we weren't co-workers-we were friends. It was a very tight-knit group."
While with the company, Thompson worked on production for an Internet-based children's program. His jobs included activities such as compositing, green-screening, and editing. Compositing involves taking multiple elements and finalizing them into a finished shot. Green-screening involves taking clips shot in front of a solid green screen and inserting background elements.
To be successful at Jellyfish, Thompson needed the necessary skills for the job. His training as a digital media arts major at Huntington University did just that.
"My classes gave me a technical understanding of programs that I needed in order to work effectively," he said.
In addition to helping teach him the skills to succeed once at Jellyfish, it was Bryan Ballinger, assistant professor of digital media arts at Huntington, who arranged the internship for Thompson and fellow junior Josh Watson through his contact with Tim Johnson, business manager at Jellyfish.
This summer, Thompson also worked at SIGGRAPH, short for Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques. It is a yearly conference brining together 25,000 of the world's best computer technicians and animators. Through SIGGRAPH's student volunteer program, Thompson was able to be a part of the conference.
Animators from Disney and Sony DreamWorks answered questions of volunteers. A job fair, featuring representatives from various technology and animation companies, also occurred.
"The most vital part of the conference for me was seeing firsthand what the animation industry was like, and networking with future colleagues and employers," Thompson said.
Now, in addition to a busy schedule, Thompson maintains his own business, the two-year old Thompson Digital Media Services. Through his company, Thompson creates small projects for companies like his hometown Saturn dealer, the archdiocese of Minneapolis, and even F&M Bank and Trust of Iowa, which aired Thompson's graphics on television.
With two years remaining at Huntington, Thompson is currently looking toward a future in the visual effects industry, which he describes as being "responsible for adding cool explosions and computer generated characters to your favorite summer blockbuster movies. Visual effects make Spider-Man swing through New York City, and Harry Potter's magical spells come to life."
