Last week, high school students interested in Recording Arts from all over the Chicagoland area came to Flashpoint Academy to participate in Flashpoint’s first Summer Institute.  The five-day session was designed to give high school juniors a taste of the intense media arts programs offered and experience firsthand how Flashpoint’s immersive learning environment can lead to a deeper and more meaningful education.

Recording Arts students began the week with an overview of recording audio within a high-resolution networked multi-channel system and the complex signal flow inherent in recording facilities with multiple studios.  By Thursday, they were engaged in a tracking and overdub session with the local R & B act Sugar Pusher.  The week culminated in a final day of mixing and mastering to produce a bona-fide Redbook CD.

The students really seemed to have a great time — even by the end of the first day, the kids appeared to have made great friends with one another, laughing and joking as they left class together.  It was great to have them, and we can’t wait for many of them to return to campus in the fall as they begin their college search.

Flashpoint Academy’s Summer Institute: a terrific way to see [and hear] for yourself what our exciting media arts programs are all about.

Applications are now being accepted for the final 2009 Summer Institute. To register, CLICK HERE.

Today, Flashpoint Academy was pleased to welcome Garry Meier, veteran of Chicago radio and host of WGN 720 weekdays from1pm-4pm.

As a life long resident of the Chicago area, I grew up listening to Garry and continue to be a big fan today.  I’m personally so pleased to have Garry back on the airwaves in Chicago, and Flashpoint is excited to have given him a tour of campus!

Garry Meier joined WGN Radio in April of 2009. Whether he’s bantering with his sidekick “Elton” Jim Turano, crusading to “Get Ron Bronzed” with a statue outside of Wrigley Field, giving away quirky prizes through the “Garry Meier Drive-Thru Window” on Michigan Avenue, or giving listeners the opportunity to share what’s on their iPod playlists in his popular Friday segment, Garry’s wit and absorbing energy keeps Chicagoans entertained day after day. (From wgnradio.com)

Flashpoint VFX/Animation Chair Perry Harovas welcomed Director and animator Lucas Martell to Flashpoint Academy for a pre-screening of his long anticipated short film “Pigeon: Impossible”.

The film, an animated action story that runs 6 minutes, took Martell primarily, and a small group of dedicated people, approximately 5 years to complete. He spoke with invited guests and Flashpoint students about the need to keep honing the story until it works, something that he found out the hard way, as not having that part nailed down contributed to 2 of the 5 years it took to make the film.

The film was shown twice, both times to thunderous applause.Martell’s film will show in many film festivals this year with perhaps the most important screening, for Martell, happening at the annual Siggraph Conference for animation and computer graphics, this year to be held in August in New Orleans.

Learn more about Martell’s “Pigeon: Impossible” here: http://www.pigeonimpossible.com/

Peter Hawley and Laurie Scheer accompany Flashpoint Academy students to LA to visit the studios, see the sights, and “demystify Hollywood.”

View the full gallery here.

An excerpt from Peter’s email to the faculty and staff in Chicago:

On Tuesday, day two of the trip, the Flashpoint group spent the day at Sony Studios.  … We had a great meeting with Mike Rizzuto, a post-production executive.  He took us to the scoring stage (recent scores – Up, Angels and Demons and some guy named Spielberg is in there today).  We then went to a foley stage where Flashpoint friend Vince Guisetti (who came to Flashpoint in 2008 to do a professional workshop on our foley stage) was working.  He showed the students his technique and promoted Flashpoint.  “Flashpoint is the only place in the country where you can learn to do what I do.”  He wants to return.

After a tour of the back lot-stages, the Jeopardy set, a P. Diddy sighting [w]e had lunch in a studio commissary.  After lunch … we had a preview screening in an executive screening room of Taking of Pelham 123.  Afterwards we spoke with a q.c. person who viewed the print with us. (He saw dirt where no one else did.)  We talked prints and distribution.

We were at Sony from 9-4pm. From there we went to Santa Monica where students had some free time and we met up with recent grads … who are in L.A. for interviews.  At 8pm we packed up and drove up the Sunset Strip back to our hotel.

View the full gallery here.

Flashpoint Academy’s own Simeon Peebler is featured in the NBC piece, “iPhone Gold.”

“Years ago [iPhone technology] wasn’t on the radar as game developers, and now look how central it is to our lives,” said Simeon Peebler, who recently published his first application, “Blip Bloink.”

The Tetris-like game costs $.99 per download, of which he gets to keep 70 percent.  Apple keeps the rest.

As the Game Development Chair at Flashpoint Academy, Peebler said the opportunity to make money is what attracts many to the application-building business.

Read the full story here.