School of Media, Art & Design (MAD) Professor Matt Grabinksy, left, teaches a group of Pickering High School students how to use Maya animation software. The students came to Durham College on May 4 as part of a two-day workshop on MAD’s programs.

Durham College turned into a testing ground for 240 secondary school students on May 4 and 5 when the School of Media, Art & Design (MAD) hosted a two-day workshop to showcase its film and animation courses.

After meeting Durham College President Don Lovisa and Charlotte Hale, associate dean of the School of Media, Art & Design, the students were then sent off to four workshops on topics including film compositing, animation sequences, animation collaboration and music video.

In addition to listening to lectures from college professors, the students also used Durham College’s computers to get a feel for the work done by MAD students. According to Hale, this kind of interaction helps them adjust to the reality of college.

“So many students want to get into gaming and animation and the perception is that they’re cool and easy programs,” said Hale. “In fact it’s a lot of work and a lot of students coming out of high school hit the wall during their first year. Not because of a lack of creativity or ability, but because they need to quickly develop a strong work ethic and time management skills. These workshops will help them realize how much work they’ll be doing in college.”

The students received a compressed version of what students learn in two to three years, and were impressed by the experience.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Lindsay Rusaw, a Pickering High School student who attended the Film and Animation Collaboration workshop, which focused on learning to use Maya 3-D animation software. “The campus looks nice and this is an exciting medium to get into.”

The day was organized by the School of MAD in conjunction with the Building Future Connections program, part of the provincial government’s School-College-Work Initiative to provide students with a clear pathway from high school to college.