Looking for a truly in-depth and honest angle on VFS’s Writing for Film, TV & Interactive Media program? Check out this five-part in-depth overview by Writing grad John Sullivan. On his blog Brollywood, he chronicles his experience in the program, including the good, the bad, and the ugly (you’ll have to read it to find out which applies to the instructors!).
For those not in the know, Brolly is British slang for an umbrella. The wood is, you know. Like Holly-.
And in case it needs saying, the instructors in the Writing program are breathtakingly attractive. Honest.
If you were to browse on over and visit the “What You Will Learn” section of the Sound Design homepage at our parent site VFS.com you’d see how much we love and admire the photography of Tin Wong, a Sound grad from summer ’06. He took all the pictures we used for the slideshows. Tin Wong is one great example of the kind of inspiration that the students here bring to class every day, the campus all year long, and no doubt to the vibrant culture of the city as well. Tin Wong: Here’s a bro’ whose working up his skills as a sound designer, and meanwhile, he’s taking tons of incredible pictures of his life and education here in Vancouver and at VFS. If you follow this link to Loft846 you can check out his photo blog. He even made a very cool little Quicktime doc about his experience at VFS!!! (FYI: VFS does NOT endorse putting an open flame to Tin Wong’s groin!) Next election, Vote Tin.
Our resident (not evil) game guru Dave Warfield has been profiled in Now Newspaper. Speaking on the Game Design program he heads up here at VFS, we saw this quote pop out at us:
For a long time, King of the Hill was The Simpsons’ subtler, gentler cousin. But the smart animation series has held strong, outlasting even massively popular live action sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld. Classical Animation grad Michael Loya has worked as a Storyboard Artist and now as a Director on the critically acclaimed show.VFS chatted with Michael about his work as well as his side projects.
Okay, a couple days ago we talked about how envious we here at VFSblogcentral are of Makeup Design instructor Patricia Murray’s gig doing makeup for Battlestar Galactica (our favorite TV universe). Today we received visual confirmation. Pictures of Patricia on the set, giving blood to Starbuck and a Boomer, prepping the surgery patient Captain Adama, and more…
The uber-prestigious Sundance Film Festival kicks off today, which means our intrepid Digital Design instructor Bun Lee is gearing up for a busy week! Bun’s a mentor in the Adobe Reel Ideas program at Sundance. The six-day program jam-packed with presentations and hands-on training sessions is designed to unite the worlds of film and technology. Those attending sessions can expand on their knowledge of Photoshop, Dreamweaver, After Effects, and other tools essential to the film trade for everyone from filmmakers to producers to film publicists. There will also be the occasional special presentation, such as “Visual Effects Compositing for Superman Returns” hosted by Kevin Baillie, Visual Effects/CG Supervisor at The Orphanage. Rumour has it no one was actually shot in the eye during the filming of the movie. Huh. Bun was also a Faculty Mentor at Adobe’s Reel Ideas program in Cannes this past year. Wish we were with you, Bun! Say hi to Bob Redford for me.
…goes to Cars? Interesting. At the Golden Globes awards on January 15, 2007 the Hollywood Foreign Press gave the first-ever Best Animated Feature Film award to Cars, over equally well-reviewed (and, some might argue, fresher) films Happy Feet and Monster House. Any other Pixar film would’ve been a no-brainer for the win. But some of the press about Cars has been decidedly lukewarm, and many have called the latest Pixar film out for its “by the numbers” story and lack of laughs. So, all you animation folks: care to weigh in on the Cars win? Is this a case of “if a Pixar flick is up for any award, it’s a shoo-in” — or do you think Cars is really the best of the 3?
People are definitely talking about our two day, sold-out Game Design Expo. Much respect and gratitude to the intrepid Beth A. Dillon for writing this detailed overview of the event. Dillon sums up our thoughts nicely: “Due to the overwhelming response in registration and a sold out event, VFS has set up another Open House for February 25, 2007, which will feature sample classes including Level Design, Interface Design, and Game Art.” If you missed the Expo, see you at the next Open House, eh!
But post-mortemed all the same. Game Design grads Todd Agnello, David Bowring, Diego Pons and Ryan Stancl recently post-mortemed Seas of Europa — designed together in the GD program — for Game Career Guide online. A description of the game from the post-mortem: “The game follows the adventures of Inu (E-nu), an alien creature that is destined to be the hero of the seas. See, the waters of Europa are changing; for better or worse, the creatures are mutating, and Inu just happens to be one of them that mutates for the better. He’s born with a tentacle on his head and the ability to grab creatures and fling them around. Inu – and the player – are charged with clearing the seas of enemies that are hogging the life-giving heating vents.” Most adorable game EVER. And hey, maybe it’s all REAL.
Here’s a seriously good chance to get a peak at the stunning new makeup studios at VFS. Today, Monday, January 15 at 5pm & 8pm PST (Vancouver time) and 8pm & 11pm Eastern time. The show will repeat this following Friday the 19th at 3pm PST (Vancouver time) and 6pm EST and Sunday at 9am PST and 12pm EST.
The Future’s in Tin
Nice Quote if You Can Get It
“Within one to two weeks,” Warfield said, “students are already interviewing. We’ve had a really positive response. Sixty per cent of students are hired right out of the gate.”
Did I just drop my Wii?
Michael Loya is King of the Hill
Continue reading
VFS Helps Make Up the Human Race
Our Man at Sundance
First Golden Globe for Best Animated Film…
VFS Sells Out to Game Industry
Seas of Europa Alive & Swimming
Set Your TV for Stun
Tune in to the Life Network to check out the screen makeup episode of Making It Big (filmed right here at the VFS campus) featuring Oscar-winner Ve Neill, Emmy-winner Michael Key and VFS’s own Charles Porlier. Here is the schedule: