It was 7:30 AM when I pulled up to the gate of Media World Pictures.
The security guard leaned his head out of the booth and I rolled down
my window and announced officially,
"Hi. I'm Jason Tillman. I'm expected in the DAI training
department"
"Just a moment, sonny. I'll call in for clearance."
While he called the department, I shifted restlessly in my seat and
began to sweat. The air felt thick and balmy for a February in L.A.. Or,
was it just me? Here I was an experienced professional, yet pulling up
to the gate of a major motion picture studio had me feeling like a
school boy.
After what seemed like an eternity he hung up the phone and chuckled,
"Kind of early, aren't ya? First day, huh? Always the same...The front
desk had your name on the list, so, DAI is that large complex up there
on the left. Park in the visitor's area out front, go in the main entrance
and sign in at the front desk. Someone will meet you there and take
you up to your department."
"Thank you, sir."
"Good luck, son." I could hear that he was still chuckling as I pulled into the lot.
I paused just inside the entrance, so my eyes could adjust to the
subdued lighting... Art Deco lamps... Curvy sofas and over-stuffed
chairs in soft leather... Hand plastered walls fading from olive to ochre
to terra cotta, punctuated with ebony-framed movie posters. I crossed the
Italian tiles of the entry and padded across a carpet that must be an inch
and a half thick. Was this swanky or what? There was even a fountain--
water neatly tracing an arc from a slot in a dark steel slab to a pool of
sandblasted glass. More like a lobby at the Ritz Carlton than an office
complex, this place seemed like a magnet for money. Which I guess is
what they need for multi-million dollar pictures...Then I noticed the
security guard behind a large mahogany countertop. I signed a log and
she told me to have a seat, "I've got a message for you from Bill
Thurman. He'll be down around 8:00 to show you around. Here's a guest
badge. After all of your papers have been processed, you'll have a photo
id made in personnel."
So, here I am. First day at DAI and 15
minutes early. I'm ready to bounce
off the walls with anticipation, but... I could get real comfortable on that
couch.
I sink down into the cushions and pull out the Cinefex magazine I
brought---the one with the feature on "Toy Story" and how the characters
were created and animated. I could stand to read through it again, but
suspect I won't fully understand the entire process until I see the artists
in action. These illustrations are fantastic...
I hear a voice clear and turn my head.
"Jason! How're you doing?"
Bill offers his hand, "Bill Thurman--met you at the ATPS conference
when you interviewed with Cynthia."
"Hey good to see you!"
"Since we have a few minutes, I thought I'd give you a quick elevator
tour of the pipeline. The pace is just now beginning to pick up--Our visual
effects supervisor, Glen Michener, is getting ready for our next job, The
Chronicles of RocketBoy. It's scheduled to start up in two weeks."
"Pipeline?"
"Yeah, it's how we refer to all of the artists and technicians who
create the various elements in the animation sequence."
"Sounds great. I'm looking forward to seeing the action."
Bill points to the double doors on the left, "During production, folks
would be heading through those doors right about now. Now," pausing
for effect, "....that's where shots become immortal..." he gestures
grandly, "or go back to the pipeline for recycling---the
'dailies.'"
"So...that's when the completed film clips are viewed, right?"
Bill presses the button for the elevator. "Pretty much...each morning
the visual effects supervisor, the cg supervisors and folks from the
pipeline view approved shots in the movie theatre. This is where you
might get a chance to see the director and producers of our next
feature. They come whenever significant shots have been completed.
It's basically where the final approval for shot sequences happen. We in
Training don't usually have time to attend dailies, but once in while, if
we hear something impressive has been created."
We step into the carpeted elevator and the brass and wood doors
glide shut. "The top floors have the executive offices. The animation
process starts on the sixth floor and funnels down to the second."
The elevator stops on "2" and the doors open to a large work area. It's
dim, but halogen desk lamps and computer monitors glow softly inside
work carrels. Dividers create byzantine passageways through which...
Whoop! A nerf ball whizzes past. Whick! Another one smacks a pony-tailed
fellow on the head as he dives into his carrel. Bill chuckles, and as the
elevator doors close I hear the cry, "Die, Kilgore!"
As we get out of the elevator on the sixth floor, we're in another world
of brightly lit offices and work spaces, well populated with lots of busy
folks wearing black. Some things are always the same when it comes to the
entertainment industry. I smile to myself. Story-board sketches cover
the walls in layers, keyboards are clicking, people are talking, phones are
ringing, and the sketches rustle with every movement
This is the domain of our visual effects sup., Glen Michener. He's basically
our director during production. It's his final judgment on whether a shot
is complete or needs revision. Things are pretty tense for him right before
production begins so I try to stay clear of this area until things get rolling...
On to our home, the seventh floor."
"Well, here we are. DAI Training."
It does look just like home, at least my last home at AEC. Work carrels at
the front end of the room... an office to the left....and a large training room
to the right. In the back is a meeting and work area for the team. I can
already picture design materials spread across the large table top and
animated discussions around the white board as we brainstorm
instructional strategies.
Ah...and there at the far end...a full length couch
where a tired designer might grab a nap during an all-nighter.
Bill leads the way to his desk. "Our work carrels are a good size, I'd say
seven, eight feet across. All of them have networked PCs like this one and
plenty of desk space." Bill notices me picking up a figurine of a scowling
'Worf,'
"You may have noticed that we make a big deal out of personalizing
our space here. Big fan of Spock...I'm the Trekkie on this floor," he
gestures to the 'com badge' that made a nice lapel pin, "but there're plenty
of others on the pipeline."
"Your spot is just to the left here. The PC should be installed in a just
couple of days--- they're quick around here. And anything else you need,
just let Cynthia know. Access to equipment in the training department
has been like free rein in a candy store..." he rubs his chin "but, they're
keeping closer tabs these days."
I walk into my carrel, set my case on the desktop, and try out the chair.
Forward tilt and I'm keyboarding; backward tilt for feet-on-desk thinking;
and... my lower back feels really good.
"Not bad...all it needs is my Dilbert Collection."
Bill calls in from next door, "By the way, I hope you like gourmet coffee.
With the hours we put in, we take it pretty seriously." He appears in my
doorway and hands me a mug, "This is some of my rocket fuel."
It is good. "Bill, with this fuel, I can handle any all-nighter."
"A ha! All right! You have good taste!---well, I'll leave you a few moments
to get settled in. Cynthia will be here in a flash...time for me to get
things going for the day."
A flash it was. I took the packet from DAI out of my briefcase and Cynthia
was standing in my doorway, extending her hand.
"Welcome to DAI, Jason. How was the trip?"
"Not a hitch. But, it's great to finally be here..."
"Fantastic. Ready for the orientation workshop?" Cynthia pulls
her calendar and a folder out of a zippered briefcase and begins writing as
I respond.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Good. I'll try to catch up with you later in the week to see how you're
doing. The workshop will be keeping you pretty busy, so you won't be
seeing much of us except for Linda Moss. She facilitates the training that
you and all the recent hires get on our proprietary software. We have our
own operating system for the networked mini-computers used in animation,
and our own database for keeping track of all of the animation...it's a
rendering management system. Linda also covers basic communications
and gives a presentation of our Intranet set-up. You'll be impressed. It goes
from 9 until 1 throughout the week."
"And here's the schedule of vendor workshops in the afternoon that I'd like
you to sit in on. They'll give you a feel for the tools our animators use and
the type of training they get on how to use them."
"Great!"
"Our meeting is one week from today--Monday, 8 a.m.--with Bill and our
other training coordinator, Susan Foster. We'll get right down to business,
plan a course of action for your project, and begin development."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll be ready!"
"Oh...Jason, before things get rolling, take a look at this." She leads me to
the double doors just past her office.
"You're going to love this...," she laughs, opening the double doors to the
most impressive training room I've ever seen. Set on an amphitheater
incline, there is not a seat in the room that doesn't provide a clear view
of the teacher's station. Computers are recessed into the desks and the
chairs are ergonomically designed for comfort and efficiency.
"We've set the standard with the design of this training room...been cited
a few times in Training and Development Quarterly. Your course with Linda
will held in here, um," looking at her watch, " in about 40 minutes."
"Well, it makes learning look fun. I'll enjoy this opportunity to get
familiar with some of tools.
"It's a great environment for presenting too...makes it so much easier
when the participants are comfortable and you have eye contact with all
of them...Well, time for me to get going...Welcome to DAI, Jason. We're glad
to have you here." And in a flash she was off.
I take a deep breath and pulled the org and production charts from the
DAI orientation materials. Better take another
look. They'll help me make better sense of the 'glimpse' I got of the DAI
organization...
Return to The Chronicles Marquee
or continue to the...
Training Meeting One Week Later
