Acting grad Holly Dignard plays Nicole Miller on the hit drama series Whistler. We caught up with Holly to ask for her words of wisdom to aspiring actors everywhere.
What was your experience before coming to the Acting program?
I had come from a solid theatre/acting education. I understood and studied the history, theory, methods, etc. It was nice to go into a program that helped finetune that for film and TV.
How did the program prepare you for life as a working film and TV actor?
VFS prepared me for the industry in many ways – the business aspect, how to handle myself on set, the etiquette on and off camera, audition technique, and, of course, voice work.
What’s your advice for those at earlier stages of their career?
Duelity, the ambitious final project (yeah, you know the one) by Digital Design grads Marcos “Boca” Ceravolo and Ryan Uhrich, has been written up by Justin over on Motionographer.com. And we have to agree with Justin: we hope they keep collaborating too. Update #1: Since the new Duelity site launched, the video’s swept through science blogs, got linked by well-known blogger Jason Kottke, and has sparked a spirited debate on its official blog. Update #2: We asked Ryan about all the controversy, and he’s obviously taking it in stride: “We were hoping to make people think. Looks like they are!”
The conversation is in two parts, both available on mp3. The first part starts with a discussion about the portrayal of bipolar disorder in Hollywood film, and the second part continues with a closer look at the actor’s idea of being “in the moment.” A fascinating discussion that gives you a really good sense of the honesty and passion Bill brings to his acting and his teaching.
Ben says he and his fellow Rhythm & Hues artists worked on “all the animals except the polar bears, our main characters being Pan and the Golden Monkey.” As far as learning experiences on this film go, Ben noted: “Working on the film gave me new insights on how a live action film is made. I love watching and studying how the raw cut looks before we get it. It can be quite funny sometimes to see the footage before computers are involved.” On his blog, Adam noted two shots he worked on are in the Extended Preview Trailer below — 00:21, the close-up of Pan as a cat saying “That’s odd, she acted as though she’d never seen a person’s daemon before…” and 02:07, the shot of Pan as a ferret peeking from underneath the table.
I Am Legend: Awakening is the prequel series of comics by DC’s Vertigo imprint, and Eric was an animator on the “digital graphic novel” version – a tie-in of a tie-in, if you will. It’s a cool intro to the world we’ll be seeing in the film. Take a look: I Am Legend: Awakening “Story 3: Isolation”.
The pictures speak for themselves. Check out Makeup Design grad-to-be Ana Steiner‘s amazing final project, transforming a flesh-and-blood model into an intricate Babushka doll. (Matryoshka, nested doll… Call it what you will, it’s still cool.) Here are some stills that really capture the fine detail in Ana’s handiwork: And here’s a video showing the process from start to finish:
Duelity Makes Motionographer
Hello, Vancouver, I’m Listening
Our very own Bill Marchant, Head of Acting, was interviewed on the Dr. Howard Gluss Show recently (Gluss is like Frasier Crane, but without the comedy). FINDING OURSELVES IN THE MOVIES: EMBRACING SELF CONFIDENCE is the title of the conversation the doc has with Bill, also the subject of Gluss’s book, and an important step in Bill’s acting curriculum . “From neurotic character behavior in the films of Woody Allen to the paranoid behavior of Dr. Strangelove, Bill Marchant addresses the issue of how acting techniques can help minimize our neurotic behavior and build self confidence.”Behind The Golden Compass
The Golden Compass, likely the most anticipated movie of the season, hits theatres tonight, and we’re proud to say that no fewer than 13 VFS graduates had a hand in the epic adventure. The VFSers who worked on the film are graduates of four different VFS programs – 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Character Animation, Classical Animation, and Film – and include Tamir Diab, Tony Etienne, Justin Hammond, Pearl Hsu, Aruna Inversin, Hyunchul Jung, Andrew Lawson, Matthias Lowry, Chad Moffitt, Fion Mok, Thom Roberts, Ben Sanders, and Adam Yaniv.I Am Legend: Awakening
The release of the post-apocalyptic Will Smith action flick I Am Legend is looming, so there’s a wealth of tie-ins, and Digital Design grad Eric Wada had a hand in one of them.The Making of a Human Doll
