A LAMPETER graduate has landed a Hollywood blockbuster of a job on Oscar-winning director James Cameron's new groundbreaking 3D film, Avatar.

Cara Davies, who graduated from the town's university in media production in 2007 and now works for London-based visual effects and computer animation studio Framestore is video effects (Vfx) co-ordinator on the upcoming big budget film.

The futuristic film is currently in post-production and due for release in December.

The film is the third major cinematic release she has worked on since graduating in July 2007.

"The job is very unpredictable, no two days are the same," said Cara, who is from Bridgend.

"As the client is based in Los Angeles, calls are made in the early evening, meaning that the hours can vary from 9am to 6pm to 9pm to midnight.

"I co-ordinate the 3D modelling, lighting, textures, and many other aspects of the 3D characterisation, liaising with specialist effects companies such as Weta and Industrial Light and Magic.

"It is really exciting work."

Lecturer Trevor Harris, of Lampeter University's Department of Film and Media, said Cara deserves her success for the amount of work she has put in to her fledgling career. "We think she's a great role model for our students and that's why we keep in contact with her and she keeps in contact with us.

"She sends ecstatic emails saying you won't believe what I'm going to be doing now. We're proud and delighted with her career"

He added: "Framestore obviously really like her.

"She's part of the London-Lampeter media mafia made up of our ex-students working down there!"

After graduating Cara was employed as a production assistant on The Tale of Despereaux. The film featured stars including Dustin Hoffman and Sigourney and was released in December 2008.

She then worked as production controller on Spike Jonze's upcoming Where the Wild Things Are.

Multi-Oscar winning Titanic director Cameron has promised one more layer of the suspension of disbelief will be removed in Avatar with its computer generated (CG) characters looking more real in 3D than in 2D.

He says the experience of Avatar will be "unlike any other movie".

In another first for Lampeter University, Cara also now has her own entry on the influential internet movie database website IMDB.com.