S'pore digital media students get 'realism'

Singapore-owned Creative School of Media & Entertainment (CITS) has set up a new digital media educational facility to groom local talent in support of the country's bid to become a regional digital media hub.

In a release Tuesday, the Creative Education Group announced that its digital media training arm CITS is now housed within a commercial animation studio with hi-tech equipment for honing skills such as editing and rendering. The Creative Coconut Animation Studios, and the Creative Education Group, are owned by Web Weaver Fusion, a company specializing in digital media and education.

According to the release, the CITS--which has presence in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and the Asia-Pacific region--annually grooms over 36,000 graduates, out of which about 16,000 are from the Asia. Within the region, CITS has schools and studios in countries including China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

CITS alumni, the school added, have established careers in industry heavyweights such as Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm and Electronic Arts (EA). They have also contributed to films such as Shrek and Pirates of the Carribean.

When contacted, a spokesperson for CITS was unable to provide the target annual intake for the Singapore school, but told ZDNet Asia that the studio has a capacity of 60 persons.

The Singapore government has been stimulating the island-state's digital media scene over the last three years. In December 2005, it pledged to invest S$1 billion (US$681.6 million) over 10 years in the digital media industry by bringing in foreign players such as EA and cultivating local talent in areas such as games development.

In addition, key initiatives to back research and development activities in interactive and digital media (IDM) were formalized last year.