Makeup Design for Film & Television student Mandy Imeson will appear tomorrow on Global BC‘s Saturday News programming between 7am and 10am. She’ll be providing Global BC’s weather personality, Arran Henn, with three different Halloween costume changes. Tune in to see what kind of spooky creations Mandy will come up with!
The avid VFS Blog reader may remember our post earlier this year about Vancouver acting guru William B. Davis starring in a Writing for Film & Television department “Port Short” film. Written by grad Michael Thede, My Best Friend, Charlie was recently featured on our YouTube channel and has already garnered over four thousand views. Here’s the final cut:
One of those is BioWare’s juggernaut Edmonton studio. The developer behind Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect is one of the game industry’s most successful and influential. The VFS alumni at BioWare hail from several VFS programs, notably Game Design, Sound Design for Visual Media, and 3D Animation & Visual Effects. And they’ve been a busy bunch in 2009, between the forthcoming sequel to the acclaimed Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, a new, highly-anticipated fantasy RPG set for release on November 3rd for the 360, PS3, and PC. Advance reviews are glowing: Game Informer calls it “one of the most addictive and expansive RPGs of its time.” “I believe all the VFS people here know who came from VFS,” says Game Design grad Mark Barazzuol, a designer on Dragon Age. “I didn’t know many of them before I came, as they were from different classes. I was, however, very fortunate to have a fellow classmate, Corey Gaspur, start here as well. I hear nothing but good things about him from the Mass Effect team.” The VFS graduates who worked on Dragon Age: Origins include Cinematic Designer Guilherme Ramos (Game Design), Jeremie Voillot, Jordan Ivey, and Mike Kent (Sound Design) on the audio team, and, from the 3D program, Artists Herbert Lowis, Bobby Bath, and Ryan Lim, Cinematic Animator Nathan Zufelt, and Concept Artist Brian Sum. When your game’s ready for release, it’s a relief, sure, but nerve-racking just the same. Dragon Age: Origins is no different – positive buzz and BioWare’s pedigree aside, it’s still a new IP, and the talk of the game being a “spiritual successor” to the popular Baldur’s Gate adds even more expectations. Still, so far, so good. So, where will gamers see Mark’s handiwork when they pick up Dragon Age on Tuesday? ”I was the designer responsible for Morrigan, Leliana, Wynne, and Sten,” he says. “I was responsible for the epilogue and I hooked up the random encounters. I’m not just doing level design – I’m doing nearly all facets of design. The technical stuff more than anything else.” “The easiest way to explain it is to say that all the bits and pieces in a level are already created but they just stand there and do nothing,” he continues. “Anything you can touch, interact with, or move, I hook up. Most of my time isn’t strictly design, either. It’s making sure what is already designed works, or works in a good way. The rest of the time is indeed designing, or working with other employees here to make sure those static ‘Lego bits’ are the ones I need for the level.” In early October, Mark spoke to attendees at Pure Speculation, an Edmonton sci-fi con, about breaking into the video game industry. He should know plenty – his road to becoming a professional game designer was a long and winding one. “It took me a decade. I started off out of high school, gathering a group of friends, and trying to create an MMO,” a massively multiplayer online game, “a year before Everquest was released, actually. We got venture capital, started our own business, and got well into preproduction before funds just ran out.” “It was heartbreaking but I learned a lot, and it took years on my own before I got into EA as a term tester,” he says. “That only lasted six months, but that galvanized my desire to be a game designer.” Before he came to VFS, he tried unsuccessfully to land a job at BioWare. A year in Vancouver, the student game Foamzilla under his belt (created with classmate Johan Eickmeyer, and a 2008 finalist at the Independent Games Festival), and he was more prepared the second time. “VFS did of course make a big difference. It was certainly the catalyst for getting a job at BioWare. I knew a lot coming in, but it still paled to what I was able to learn.” Back to Dragon Age. The game went gold this week (that is, it’s at the manufacturing stage and there’s no going back now), meaning a dose of perspective for everyone involved. “It’s so hard to get a good idea of a project when you are so close to it,” Mark says. “I’m proud of it. I really do think it will make RPG of the year.”
If that didn’t keep her busy enough, she also applies her voice acting talents to commercials, and works as a live theatre and on-camera actor too. Considering Krystal’s recent Gemini award nomination for “Best Ensemble Performance in an Animated Series” for her work in Grossology, there’s no doubt her future’s looking bright. Hi, Krystal. The last time we spoke with you, you explained what it’s like to work on an animated series like Grossology. Now that you’ve had a few more years of experience under your belt, is there anything you’ve learned in your recent work that you didn’t know when starting out? Krystal: I’ve learned the power of subtle shifts with tone of voice, and to have a greater understanding of rhythms from one scene to the next. I’ve also learned to recognize my own personal rhythm and not let that be the character’s go-to rhythm. Because of this, I find that I have a fuller variety of voices in my tool box. I feel that I’ve had time to sharpen my comedic timing as well. You’ve recently started voice acting for more adult-oriented Teletoon series, such as your recurring role on The Dating Guy. What was the transition like in moving toward more mature language and subject matter?
In fact, it’s pretty good, and the horror genre press are loving it. Bloody Disgusting, for one, calls it an “instant cult classic.” Trick ‘r Treat was shot in and around Vancouver, and boasts quite a few VFS grads in the credits – and faculty, too. Acting for Film & Television grad Matt Anderson plays a hapless clerk at a costume shop while Shelly Devuyst was a stunt performer. 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni Juliana Wade (rotoscope and matchmove coordinator) and Matthias Lowry (visual effects artist) worked on the VFX. Sound Design for Visual Media grad Glen Noseworthy (ADR mixer) and Todd Mason (sound effects recordist) are credited, while Film‘s Glen Dickson was a camera op and Shauna Bryan the senior visual effects producer. On top of all that, Makeup Design for Film & Television instructors Shauna Magrath, Bruce Houston, and Michelle Lemieux all worked in the film’s makeup department. Trick ‘r Treat is available on DVD and Blu-Ray in your fine brick-and-mortar and online retailers.
“This is a game-changer for the Writing program,” says Head of Writing Michael Baser. Students will now have access to a comfortable lounge, new laptops are positioned throughout the campus for convenient internet and network access, and there is an HD film theatre. Plus, every classroom has been furnished with a 60-inch plasma screen. [Wow!] Writing student Rebecca Fisseha described the new campus as “an inspiring space”, and that it “invites productivity.” The Writing department is now only two blocks away from the Film Production, Game Design, and Digital Design campuses, and boasts a stylish design not easily found in other writing programs. “Throughout my career, I’ve spoken as a guest lecturer at other writing programs,” says Baser, “and I’ve yet to come across anything that resembles what we’ve got here at VFS.” “There’s space for new ideas and creativity,” says Writing student James Targett. “It’s like a creative lounge.” Congratulations to the Writing department’s students, instructors, and staff on their new home. Here’s a quick look inside the new campus:
Astro Boy, the much-anticipated CG adaptation of the beloved manga and TV series, is earning lots of praise for its handsome looks. That reflects well on the work of Classical-Animation-grad-turned-Animation-Director Kim Ooi, as well as 3D Animation & Visual Effects alum Andreas Hikel, one of the film’s Layout Artists. You could make a case that Hilary Swank was born to play Amelia Earhart, so Amelia, a new biopic directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), seems almost inevitable. A pair of 3D grads, Animator Clement Yip and Compositor Armando Velazquez contributed to the film’s visual effects. And finally, we have Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, which adapts the first books in the Darren Shan series. A trio of grads are credited on this one: Digital Character Animation grad, Technical Animator Nicholas Augello and 3D grad and Lighting Lead Ai Saimoto (both by way of Rhythm & Hues), and Character Designer and 3D grad Julianna Kolakis. What’s your pick for the weekend?
Impress our judge, film industry veteran and Head of the Makeup Design for Film & Television program Stan Edmonds (The Butterfly Effect, I, Robot, Unforgiven), and you’ll have the chance to win some great prizes, including a selection of professional-quality makeup supplies! All you have to do is show your Halloween-themed makeup skills – and that can be anything you imagine as long as you’ve created the makeup yourself – on the photo-sharing site Flickr between October 26 and November 1. Once three finalists are chosen by our judge, the public will get to vote on the winner. (Sorry, VFS students, grads, staff, and their immediate family members aren’t eligible to enter – you love Halloween as much as anyone we know, but it wouldn’t be fair!) Visit vfs.com/halloween to find out more about how to enter!
Make sure to visit the Vancity Theatre tomorrow and Saturday to help support the following films from our grads: Iran: A Nation of Bloggers (from Digital Design grads Aaron Chiesa, Hendy Sukarya, Toru Kageyama, and Lisa Temes) Papercut (from Classical Animation grad Pedro Eboli) Missing Alice (from Film Production grad Rick Skyler) Updated: One more! Pier Pressure (from Film Production grad Darren Borrowman, written by Writing grads Bob Woolsey and Andrew Menzies)
Since more young filmmakers are turning to the web to kickstart their careers, it’s no surprise that a production team would emerge from the deep talent pool of VFS grads and create a web series like the upcoming “Rise ‘n’ Shine Og“. Debuting October 31, 2009 on risenshineog.com, this web series features the work of Film Production grads Christopher Livingston, Nadav-Sacha Santo, David Roncin (also a VFS staff member), Alan Vazquez, Cory Johnson, and Chris Gilbertson; Sound Design grads Stephen Mo and Filipe Chagas; and Makeup Design grad Cheriene Galley.
“My Best Friend, Charlie”
Alumni Usher In the Dragon Age
Our grads are all over the world. But there are also animation studios, production offices, and game developers that have become bonafide hubs, boasting an especially high concentration of VFSers.
“Some of my fellow students noted I knew a lot of stuff they didn’t when it came to some of the game design courses,” Mark says of his time at VFS. “It was only due to working on my skills and not succeeding over the last decade that allowed this. So in some ways my failures became my strengths.”Acting Grad Finds Her Stance
After graduating from VFS’s Acting for Film & Television program, Krystal Meadows forged a professional career in voice acting, finding work on series like Grossology and Clang Invasion. Some of her most recent work is featured in Kids WB’s World of Quest, where she plays “Anna Maht”, a sorceress-in-training.Trick ‘r Treat!
Trick ‘r Treat has been in the can for a couple of years now and it’s finally seen the light of day, courtesy of Warner Bros. With four intertwined stories in its 90 minutes, it’s a bit like an installment of The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror, except live-action and not quite as over-the-top.VFS Unveils New Writing Campus
This week, VFS officially opened the doors to its new Writing for Film & Television campus. Located at 198 West Hastings Street, Writing students will now share a building with many creative minds from Makeup Design and Acting.
A Boy Robot, A Freak, An Icon
This week, three films open that, between them, credit seven VFS grads, representing all three Animation & Visual Effects programs.Halloween Makeup Competition
Is Halloween when your creative side really comes out? Do you like nothing more than transforming yourself and your friends for the craziest night of the year? If that sounds like you, you’re invited to enter the VFS Halloween Makeup Competition!2009 Vancouver Short Film Festival
This year’s Vancouver Short Film Festival will once again feature the works of Vancouver Film School grads. As is now the custom with many film festivals, the VSFF has created a short trailer that, appropriately, gets straight to the point (click here to watch it).Og Together Now