The Digital Design Open House is less than a week away! Don’t miss out on your chance to discover how our one-year curriculum and faculty of design professionals are shaping the next generation of designers.
Our students create exciting and innovative projects during their year, from attention-grabbing brand designs to inspiring motion graphics, and much more.
After graduation, VFS Digital Design alumni land gigs working for some of the industry’s top companies like AKQA, DreamWorks, and DDB.
Starting at 6pm (sharp), you’ll hear from current students and alumni, not to mention Head of Department Brett Forsyth, about what life is really like during and after the program.
We’ll see you there!
Digital Design Open House
Thursday, March 25, 6pm (sharp)
New Location!
VFS Main Theatre, 420 Homer Street
(Corner of Homer & Hastings)
Register now at vfs.com/designopenhouse or call 604.631.3591.
Today’s release awareness: Repo Men, a bloody sci-fi flick starring Jude Law that hits theatres today. The visual effects on Repo Men were done out of Mr. X in Toronto, and that team naturally includes a few VFSers. Leading the way is CG Supervisor Craig Calvert, along with Compositor Armando Velazquez and Animator Clement Yip. All three are 3D Animation & Visual Effects grads.
You can’t teach ambition, but you can inspire it. And that’s exactly the spark Makeup Design grad Elisa Solomon took away from her year at VFS. When asked about how she landed her current position at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in California, she said: “I think that VFS gave me the confidence to even apply for that job. to apply for any job. It gave me the push to finally move to Los Angeles, something I had wanted to do for 5 years.” Before finding her way to Vancouver, Elisa originally studied acting and wigs in Austin, Texas, which led her to makeup. “I love the versatility that each offers: stage, film, print, fantasy, horror, realism,” she says. “Makeup especially has countless possibilities. I guess that’s what I like about it. Makeup keeps you on your toes. It makes you think outside of the box. VFS does a great job of supplying their students with the techniques to do anything. Ultimately though, it’s up to the student to decide which are appropriate for each job.” Just after they graduate, and sometimes just before, some Makeup Design students and grads put their skills to the test in the high-pressure student makeup competitions at the annual IMATS (International Make-Up Artist Trade Show) events in Vancouver, Sydney, Toronto, London, or Los Angeles. With her X-Men-themed prosthetics creation (pictured above), Elisa placed 3rd in Toronto’s IMATS student competition this past December. She also competed in London’s event this past December.
One of the great things about Game Design Expo is that it gives us a chance to lift the cover off the games we make and the games we play. In fact, this year’s Industry Speaker Day presentations on Saturday, April 10, 2010 promise to shed light on high-profile and smaller-but-buzzworthy titles alike. Games like Mass Effect 2, ModNation Racers, Alpha Protocol, and Dead Rising 2. Tickets are on sale now for Industry Speaker Day (visit gamedesignexpo.com to book yours now), and as we look forward to this year’s speakers, we also thought it’d be a good chance to take a glance at the games they’re behind. We’d be remiss, of course, if we didn’t also mention Tyler Sigman (Big Sandwich Games), whose presentation is called Game Mechanic Throwdown – sort of a big-picture palate cleanser that bring us back to the basics of what make amazing games… well, amazing. And the panel, which features, among others, Saints Row 2‘s David Bowring, and is moderated by Victor Lucas of The Electric Playground. The panel is a major highlight of Game Design Expo every year. Tickets for Industry Speaker Day are still available. Visit gamedesignexpo.com for details and to register.
One of the VFS grads behind the scenes? 3D Animation & Visual Effects alum Tyler Breon, who graduated in 2005 and boasts the first Uncharted as his previous credit. On God of War III, he served as a character artist, and was responsible for bringing that volcanic guy pictured in the screenshot below to life. It’s well worth your time to check out Tyler’s online portfolio – some incredible work there! Ji Ye, a Digital Character Animation grad, also contributed to the game via well-known studio Massive Black, except that he did it before beginning his 6 months in DCA – which he wrapped just this past December!
The short documentary “David” is a product of that trip. Directed, produced, and edited by Mohamed and Angela through their company Eye Inside Films, the short profiles a teenage boy who witnessed a deadly attack on his family and is struggling to remain positive in life. We’re happy to announce “David” has been accepted to screen at the 6th annual Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Doha, Qatar (April 19 – 22, 2010). Click here to watch a preview of “David” on Eye Inside Films’ website.
Leave it to BioWare to do an expansion right. Following on the massive critical success of Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, the Edmonton developer is releasing Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, a full expansion in an industry often preoccupied with fast, cheap downloadable add-ons. Awakening comes out tomorrow, and, like the main game, features the work of a whole bunch of VFS grads. Among them, 3D Animation & Visual Effects grad Nathan Zufelt, who, as he explains on his blog, was the cinematic animator on the expansion: It’s quite rare these days to be given a script on a large project that you get to storyboard, animate and even light and composite. Bioware is one of the few big studios where an animator can actually take his own shots entirely from script to screen. Game Design grad Mark Barazzuol, who we interviewed at the time of Dragon Age: Origins‘ release, was also in the mix.
A lot of VFS grads work at Relic, to put it mildly. There were about a dozen on DOWII (check out our interview with one of them, Game Design grad Francois Chaput), and Chaos Rising is no different. Right now, we can confirm two – Art Director Ian Cumming (3D Animation & Visual Effects) and Animator Jefferson Takahashi (Classical Animation and Digital Character Animation). Congrats on the release, guys, and to everyone at Relic!
We’ll be revealing all the details about how — in one year — EBM students learn to develop better film, TV, game, and music properties, get the most buzz, and build bigger audiences. Don’t miss your chance to discover how EBM provides a new kind of business education inside a world-leading entertainment school. Entertainment Business Management - Learn about our one-year Entertainment Business Management program Register for this Open House at vfs.com/ebmopenhouse or call 604.631.3591
To many, the event became known simply as Stand Out – a chance for students to learn from our faculty right inside our programs. While our full-time students were off enjoying their break week between terms, this group managed to put their stamp on VFS in a very short time. Amazing! When we first launched this initiative, we were looking for the best – and, believe us, that’s what we got. They came from around Greater Vancouver and way beyond, from across Canada, the U.S., and even all the way from Suriname! They really wowed us with their talent and drive… and their karaoke skills, too. When it was over, one attendee left a comment on our YouTube channel that read: “It was two of the best days of my life.” And all we can say is, ditto! (You can see some of the result of his two days in this video.) We’d like to thank all of the students who came out and made this event so incredibly exciting and fun for everybody. Best of luck to you all, and we look forward to seeing you again soon! Check out this slideshow for a taste of what students experienced! Want to find out more about the programs that were offered? Visit vfs.com/standout.
3D Grads on Repo Men
Makeup Design Grad Wigs Out in LA
Makeup Design for Film & Television grads can be surprisingly versatile. Beyond learning the mechanical know-how that prepares them to work as makeup artists in a variety of settings, students also acquire important “soft skills” that complete them as aspiring professionals in today’s entertainment industry.Game Design Expo: Spotlight on Industry Speaker Day
Mass Effect 2
At Game Design Expo: Get Your Game Out Of My Movie! Interactive Narrative Design in Mass Effect 2
Release Date: in stores now!
The Buzz: Since the game’s release in January, the response from critics and gamers has been… how to put this… ridiculously over-the-top good. ME2 improved on its predecessor in just about every way, and it’s an early candidate for Game of the Year. If BioWare didn’t already have the respect of just about everybody, it sure would now. At Game Design Expo, Mass Effect 2‘s Lead Cinematic Designer Armando Troisi will discuss the innovative interactive storytelling that’s at the core of the game’s success. (Ahem… we also hear his talk at GDC was standing-room-only.)
ModNation Racers
At Game Design Expo: Anonymity to Superstardom: Making User-Generated Content Fast and Fun
Release Date: May
The Buzz: It’s best described as the Little Big Planet for the kart racing set, and that’s enough to get a lot of gamers salivating. ModNation Racers promises a huge amount of user-generated wackiness and an awful lot of cute. It’s not difficult to see how kart racers could prove to be fertile ground for creative gamers, and developer United Front Games’ William Ho will touch on exactly that – how game designers can tap into the limitless creative power of its audience to produce an experience unlike any other.
Alpha Protocol
At Game Design Expo: Crafting the Perfect Challenge
Release Date: June
The Buzz: “Spy RPG,” full stop. What else needs saying? This title fromObsidian Entertainment is one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” concepts – players guide the main character through the twists and turns of the espionage world, making the kinds of tough decisions you’d expect in any good spy thriller. (Who doesn’t want to take a character and model him after their favourite “JB” – Jack Bauer, James Bond, and Jason Bourne?) The word of mouth on Alpha Protocol has been steady, and now that it has a release date, we’ll be hearing a lot more. Lead Systems Designer Matt MacLean will use Alpha Protocol‘s development to illustrate his talk about challenges, rewards, learning curves, and more – i.e. the bread and butter for any game designer.
Dead Rising 2
At Game Design Expo: Re-Raising the Dead – Sequeling Dead Rising 2
Release Date: August
The Buzz: There was a lot to like about the first Dead Rising - taking a golf club to a teeming horde of zombies has a certain intrinsic je ne sais quoi. Considering the likelihood that the sequel’s developer, Blue Castle Games, will iron out the first game’s minor kinks (like its frustrating save system), there’s already a lot of buzz for this installment’s summer release. Creative Director Jason Leigh and Level Director Josh Bridge will be lifting the cover off the sequel’s development at Game Design Expo, sharing their unique insight into the challenges of creating a follow-up to a fan-favourite title.
TRON: Evolution
At Game Design Expo: The Modern Role of a Game Designer and the Importance of the Team Voice
Release Date: November
The Buzz: Details are sparse for now – except for a launch trailer from December – but it’s TRON, so you know there’s talk. We wouldn’t expect Propaganda Games Design Director Chris Whiteside to reveal too much at Game Design Expo, but he will be exploring the ways a game design team works – and works successfully – which, in a medium like this, is about as important as it gets!God of War III: Grads on Trilogy Finale
God of War III hits the shelves today, and the PS3 action game has us asking the question: what crazy kind of butt-kickery is Kratos up to now? The game was developed by Sony Santa Monica, and is, for the most part, getting killer reviews.
“David” to Screen at Aljazeera Documentary Festival
Last year we blogged about two Film Production graduates — Angela Buhr and Mohamed Soliman — who traveled to Uganda to film Opportunitas Aequa‘s efforts to better the lives of youth living in war-ravaged communities through the unifying power of soccer.Out Tomorrow: Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening
Chaos Rises
When Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II hit last year, it was, for many, a very welcome departure from the tried-and-true RTS formula. But there was a big gap in the shape of the ever-popular Chaos Space Marines faction, and that’s something Vancouver-based Relic Entertainment rectified this week with the release of DOWII‘s first expansion, Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising.EBM Open House – April 8, 2010
Entertainment Business Management‘s upcoming Open House will be a memorable night for all those who see the waves of change hitting the entertainment industry and think only one thing: opportunity.
Open House
Thursday, April 8 at 6pm
Vancouver Film School
420 Homer Street (at Hastings)
- Find out how you graduate from EBM with a portfolio of real accomplishments
- Meet our faculty of respected entertainment industry pros, along with students and alumni
- Discover how EBM gets you ready to be a force in the entertainment industryYoung Talent Stands Out at VFS
Last week, we had the great pleasure of welcoming some spectacularly talented students onto our campuses here at VFS to take part in a series of exclusive 2-day programs for high schoolers.