Digital Domain Institute and Florida State University Welcome Inaugural Classes to Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation and Digital Arts Program

Digital Domain Media Group, Inc., (NYSE:DDMG) the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts and the City of West Palm Beach announce the arrival of the inaugural classes of students to their pioneering public/private collaboration – an accredited four-year BFA degree program in Animation and Digital Arts. Student orientation begins August 22 in West Palm Beach, with classes starting August 27 in Tallahassee and West Palm Beach.

The joint FSU/DDMG program gives students a "best of both worlds" experience, with the opportunity to earn an accredited BFA degree from the FSU College of Motion Picture Arts and a Diploma in specialized areas of digital media production from the Digital Domain Institute (DDI). Students learn from professional artists and trainers working at DDMG studios and also have the opportunity to apply their skills in a practical environment, with the potential to earn internships on the production of the major feature films underway at DDMG studios. The goal is to provide a well-rounded education while at the same time equipping students with the skills they need to get an entry-level professional position in digital media.

Next week, DDI and FSU will welcome both the freshman and sophomore classes to the program simultaneously – 20 freshman who will be attending FSU’s Tallahassee campus for general education courses, and 30 sophomores who have transferred to the program after completing their freshman studies at FSU and other institutions. The sophomores will attend classes at the FSU/DDI West Palm Beach urban campus, where they will immerse in the Animation and Digital Arts curriculum. The new students will join dozens of part-time students who have been enrolled in DDI’s Essential Skills program since March 2012.

“We’re off to a great start,” said Frank Patterson, Dean of FSU College of Motion Picture Arts. We have 50 full-time students who have an impressive 3.92 average high school GPA, representing our inaugural class in the animation and digital arts program. And we are excited that our bachelor students will be walking into already vibrant classrooms -- they will be joining dozens of part-time students who are already taking courses at Digital Domain Institute’s (DDI) Essential Skills Program. We have created an excellent learning environment that promises to produce a new generation of film school graduates.”

Digital Domain Media Group Chairman and CEO John Textor said, “We are pleased to welcome our first class of degree students to Digital Domain Institute. We have created a unique partnership of our educational institution with an accredited university, and thus are able to offer our students a college degree. We also have formed relationships with other companies that need employees skilled in computer-generated graphics, so students have the ability to hone their skills on real projects not only in the film industry at Digital Domain but also in other applications. As a result, we offer our students a college degree as well as the opportunity to build a resume that shows that they have acquired the skills necessary to get well-paying jobs.”

About Digital Domain Media Group

Digital Domain Media Group (DDMG: NYSE) leverages its expertise in digital visual effects (VFX) and computer-generated (CG) animation across a group of interrelated businesses. At its foundation is Digital Domain Productions (DDPI), an award-winning digital production company founded in 1993. This leading provider of visuals has contributed to more than 90 major motion pictures, including Titanic, the Transformers series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and TRON: Legacy, hundreds of commercials, and recently created the virtual likeness of rapper Tupac Shakur for Dr. Dre’s show at the Coachella Valley Music Festival. Mothership, a DDPI subsidiary, focuses on creating advertising, entertainment and branded content from concept to completion, across multiple media platforms. DDMG, its work and its employees have been recognized with numerous awards, including seven from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The company is building on its success in VFX to participate as a co-producer in major productions and is currently co-producing the upcoming live-action sci-fi feature film Ender’s Game, as well as virtual likenesses for Elvis Presley that will be jointly owned by CORE Media Group and DDMG. DDMG also converts two-dimensional (2D) imagery to three-dimensional (3D) imagery and holds key patents in this area. The company is also applying its CG expertise to produce original, family-friendly animated feature films at its subsidiary Tradition Studios. The first movie, The Legend of Tembo, is in pre-production and two more features are in development. The company’s education subsidiary, the Digital Domain Institute, sets a new standard in digital media education through a pioneering public-private partnership with The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. DDMG is expanding its worldwide footprint of the highest quality visual effects and animation at the lowest possible cost through global partnerships in India and China. The company has studios in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Florida and Vancouver and is currently establishing studios in Beijing and Abu Dhabi. http://www.ddmg.co

About The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts

The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts is recognized as a top film school, described by the Hollywood Reporter as "one of the world's best," the New York Times as "one of the top motion picture schools in the nation," and recognized by the Directors Guild of America for its "distinguished contribution to American culture through the world of film and television." Florida State is renowned for the number of Student Oscar®, Emmy®, and notable national and international awards its students earn each year. (FSU earned four Student Emmys® in 2011, more than any other US school.) The faculty comprises award-winning industry experts with a combined 400+ feature film credits who share a gift for teaching students the art, craft and business of storytelling in the motion picture industry.