
Our Digital Media learners, alongside peers from Redborne Upper School, (who visited LDE as part of our school to school support program), enjoyed a special digital day! Learners enjoyed masterclasses and mentoring from leading professionals at Industrial Light & Magic and Escape Studios. Learners were offered portfolio support, expanding their horizons to the many digital opportunities in tertiary education and gained unparalleled insight into the VFX industry.
The day kicked off with a portfolio masterclass from Giorgios Konstantinou – an outreach officer for Escape Studios, who previously graduated from the institution as a 3D animator. Giorgios shared tips on portfolios presentation aligned with industry standards and practices. He offered valuable insight into industry standards to ensure that those who wish to submit a digital portfolio, do so in the correct format and showcase their talent for the best chance of success. Following this advice, our visitor reviewed various showreels (including his own) and analysed what made them successful.
Reflecting on Giorgios’ masterclass, year 13 Digital Media learner Sean shared, “It was an amazing and inspiring talk. Seeing such great showreels gave me something to aspire to. It was a practical session as well – I am more confident with making my portfolio now that I understand the professional way to format the portfolio which will hopefully help me to convey my passion for Digital media when applying to Escape Studios.”
Following this masterclass, Giorgios offered our learners personalised feedback on their portfolios. One-to-one feedback like this, from a leading professional, help our learners to remain relevant and right up to date on industry trends, ultimately helping them to develop their digital work and build out a portfolio in a way that accurately reflects their creative passion and aptitude.
"I had the pleasure of meeting some of the brilliant learners who are undoubtedly, the next generation of creative artists. I was impressed by their 3D modelling and animation skills, which could not have been developed if not for the college's high-tech recourses, as well as the tutors' passion and knowledge of the subjects. It's an honour to continue collaborating with London Design & Engineering UTC, since the work that the learners produce, is exactly what we are looking for at Escape Studios," Giorgios, Escape Studios.
During a collaborative workshop learners from Redborne demonstrated their sound design projects giving an opportunity for LDE learners to plan the creation of the accompanying visuals which will form part of a combined project (more on that in a future update). Dylan, Digital Media and Music Tech student from Redborne shared, “The 3D models from the LDE learners were truly amazing. Being able to collaborate with likeminded peers from another part of the country has been a really worthwhile experience, I am getting inspired from the work they have done on their digital projects and even have thought of some ideas for further collaboration between our two schools as a result of this trip.”
We concluded a truly amazing day with a masterclass from Margit Norom, Training & Development Coordinator at ILM, offering insight into the digital media industry. Margit shared industry experience and showcased some of the amazing work her company has done. She specifically focused on the VFX industry and the ILM Jedi academy, an initiative that offers trainees the opportunity work to closely with industry experts in areas ranging from Technology to Art, to Public Relations.
Our Digital Media Teacher and Chief Technical Officer, who organised this day alongside Escape Studios and ILM, reflected on the success of this EE: "Our work with Redborne Upper School and industry leaders like Escape Studios and ILM gave our learners real-world insights and feedback. It is wonderful to see students' enthusiasm and growth as they engaged with top digital media professionals. This initiative has broadened their horizons and equipped them with the skills and confidence needed for their future."