One of our favourite trailers of the year – see below – is finally hitting theatres!
Beasts of the Southern Wild, a critical darling that won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at Sundance and the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, begins its limited release this week – a release that will hopefully expand soon.
To say the film has been well-reviewed would be an understatement.
Rolling Stone: “A game-changer that gets you excited about movies again.”
New York Observer: “Unlike anything you’ve seen before or will likely ever see again.”
AV Club: A “remarkable, lyrical feature debut.”
What more do you want to hear?
VFS grads worked on this film – just another reason to find it at a theater near you. They include 3D Animation & Visual Effects grad Anuj Patil (Senior Compositor) and Film Production alum Drew Bienemann (Additional Visual Effects Photography).
What are we watching next week? Get Stuffed, a new reality series debuting next Tuesday on OLN, which had a whole bunch of Film Production grads behind the scenes. The series follows competitors taking part in ridiculously over-the-top competitions, from ostrich races to “chicken beauty pageants” to… well, things we’re not really sure we’ll mention on this blog – you’ll have to watch to find out. Our alumni who helped make the show include Director of Photography Zach Williams, Assistant Editor Jay MacMillan, Unit Manager/Production Coordinator Stephen Sawchuk, and PA Daniel Baker. Get Stuffed premieres Tuesday, July 3 at 9pm on OLN. Check it out!
Kazakhstan native Vyacheslav Nam graduated from the Entertainment Business Management program in 2011. Since then he has been active in the Kazakh-Canadian community, founding the first major organization for Kazakhstanis living in Canada. He is also using his entertainment background to create a Canada-Kazakhstan forum in an effort to unite the film industries in both countries. We caught up with Vyacheslav to learn more about his VFS experience and the impact he is making in the Kazakh-Canadian community. Why did you choose to study at Vancouver Film School? Vyacheslav: For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to learn English. After I got my Multimedia degree in St. Petersburg, Russia, I decided to pursue my interest in film. I came across the Entertainment Business Management program online and saw that it fit my needs perfectly so I decided to move to Canada and continue my education. What did you do right after graduating? Vyacheslav: After completing the program, I decided to implement all the knowledge and skills I gained at VFS, and founded The Kazakhstan Society in Canada, the first major community organization for Kazakhstanis living in Canada. The purpose of this organization is to raise awareness about current affairs, hold charity events benefiting the Kazakh-Canadian community, and create better networking opportunities. Using my experiences in the Entertainment Business Management program, I coordinated the society’s opening ceremony at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Over 250 people attended, including Kazakhstan’s deputy ambassador and the regional director of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association. I also produced a short film showcasing Kazakhstan’s 20 years as an independent nation. It was broadcast on Kazakhstan`s major public networks and named one of the most memorable events of 2011. You are currently working in the entertainment industry in various capacities. How did VFS play a part in helping you on this path? Vyacheslav: I have kept in touch with my teachers at VFS, and often ask them for advice and recommendations. I think it’s fantastic that we can keep up with current students, alumni, and instructors through the VFS blog, email, and a variety of school-sponsored events. It was great to be able to study here and to meet so many bright and open-minded people. What projects are you working on now? Vyacheslav: I am currently working on a Canada-Kazakhstan co-production forum. The goal is to give Kazakhstanis who work in the film industry opportunities for collaboration with Canadians and to provide them with information on the film studios and facilities available in Vancouver. I am also working closely with KazakhFilm, the state-funded film studio in Kazakhstan and we plan to bring the best of Kazakhstan’s films to screen here in Vancouver. Thanks for speaking with us Vyacheslav and good luck with your future projects!
Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Sarah Elizabeth Miller will be one of the contestants competing in season 3 of Syfy’s hit reality competition show Face Off! The season premiere is Tuesday, August 21 on Syfy, when we’ll see a new round of contestants vying for $25,000 in makeup supplies, a Toyota Camry hybrid, and $100,000. The season 2 finale was the most watched unscripted telecast in the channel’s 20-year history. Face Off judges include luminaries Ve Neill (Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands), Glenn Hetrick (Heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files), and Patrick Tatopoulos (Underworld, Independence Day, Resident Evil: Extinction). Here’s host McKenzie Westmore previewing some of what’s in store for the third season. Sarah Elizabeth graduated from VFS in December 2010 and was one of the artists who recently won a Leo for her work on the student production The Little Mermaid. Here’s her Face Off contestant bio. Much more to come as we cheer her on, but for now we’ll just say this: a huge congratulations to you!
Cool news from OOMPH, the Digital Design community and showcase! VFS Digital Design grad Simon Vieira is Art Director at the start-up Storypanda, and the app is now available! You may have read about it recently in the Financial Post. From OOMPH: Part of 500 Startups, Storypanda develops storytelling for families using a variety of platforms: mobile, web, TV/film, games, toys, and educational. The kids’ books are structured for interactive collaboration, allowing children to engage in the creation of the story, which they may then share with their family and friends. Visit OOMPH to find out more about Simon and the new app!
Behold the trailer for 72 Hours with Empire, an upcoming extreme sports short film that was directed by Film Production grad Christopher Fisher and produced in association with Monster Energy USA. We interviewed Christopher last year about his career, but don’t let that distract you from today’s 1:11 of awesomeness. Motorcycles! Guns! Crazy stunts! Update: Shout-out to Sound Design for Visual Media grad Ruben Rojas and Classical Animation student Stefano Marrone who worked on the film as Sound Editor and Animator, respectively!
Last month, students in the Entertainment Business Management program held the Spring 2012 Impact Awards, an evening in celebration of the work of VFS students. EBM student Marc Hebert recapped the event for us. Guest post by Marc Hebert When my Entertainment Business Management class started planning the Impact Awards back in March, we decided on a 1930′s gangster theme. We figured that money-hungry, yet classy, mafia-types would create the right dramatic appeal for the event, and allow for a night of excitement! After deciding on the theme, our next priority was location. We knew that we needed a place that people love to go even when there isn’t a special event happening. We turned to the Caprice Nightclub – a swanky club in the heart of Old Vegas (or Granville Street as it’s known to most) that has just the right vibe and layout to make for a great awards show. We quickly worked out a deal with the owner for a Monday night in the distant future, and the location was locked. As people in the event business know, once you’ve got your venue and theme picked out, everything else just starts to fall into place. We quickly scooped up some prominent industry professionals to present the awards, utilized our personal networks for the entertainment, and put our heads together to find some appealing decor and tasty food. Before we knew it everything was ready and the event was upon us! Over 240 students, guests, and industry professionals arrived at the Caprice for the big show. The music and dance numbers went off without a hitch, our hosts enchanted the audience with their humour, the winners accepted their awards with moving speeches, and the Caprice nightclub made for the perfect atmosphere for everyone to mix, mingle, and enjoy the event! A big congratulation to all of the Impact Award winners. This event is all about recognizing the amazing work of VFS students, and we honoured some truly incredible work. We can’t wait to see what you all produce in your future careers! Zero to Sixty: Ethan Young - Beta Fish (3D Animation & Visual Effects) Technical Achievement: Jesse Rope - Wwise Implementation Project (Sound Design for Visual Media) Mission Impossible: Caitlin Groves - Fishman: A Foam Appliance Character (Makeup Design for Film & Television) Outstanding Performance: Mayumi Yoshida - There’s No End (Acting for Film & Television) Storyteller: Mike Nickel - Space Cadet (Writing for Film & Television) Outstanding Character Design: Nicki Noermark - Automaton (Writing for Film & Television) Outstanding Setting Design: Woong Park - Oh My Grandma (3D Animation & Visual Effects) Outstanding Emotional Impact: Crystal Jarvis - Visiting Loved Ones (Classical Animation) Difference Maker: Skye Radies, Sheryl Vedamani, Marc Hebert, Zach Hill, Enrique Vasquez, Alper Demirci, Max Tennessen, Marlon Doll – Power Up: Music to Game By (Entertainment Business Management) Public Enlightenment: Madelaine Rumball, Michael Stevenson, Sonia Bashash, Dalhi Guzman Inzunza, Gavin Maguire, Jerome Regef, Jeff Chen, Owen Chen, Kaustubh Mishra – Brainstreams: Learning, Living, Sharing (Digital Design) More than the Sum of its Parts: Amrit Pal Singh - Mr. Bumbel’s Museum of Toys (Digital Design) Friend of VFS: Barbara Dawson People’s Choice Award (brought to you by Canon): Marc St-Onge, Ryan Cramer, Ben Kanbour – Gravitilt (Game Design) A huge thank you to the extremely helpful owners and staff of Caprice Nightclub who shared their vast event planning knowledge and helped our team execute a successful event. Another big thank you to Canon for sponsoring the event and making every element 10 times better than it would have been otherwise. Finally, to everyone else who helped along the way – thank you for all of your support! We’ll see you at the Fall Impact Awards! Visit the Impact Awards on Facebook for more photos from the evening.
Makeup artists from the VFS Makeup Design for Film & Television program took their talents to the City of Angels this weekend, earning 1st and 2nd place in two Student Competition categories at the 2012 International Make-Up Artist Trade Show Los Angeles, aka IMATS LA! On Sunday, Darla Edin (above), a Minnesota native who graduated this past April, won 1st prize in the Character/Prosthetic category for her work on model and fellow grad Caitlin Groves. For wowing the panel of industry judges, Darla got a trophy and over-sized novelty cheque, worth $1000, plus major kudos from attendees. Darla’s win followed a big 2nd place finish in the Beauty/Fantasy competition on Saturday by alum Chia Hui Lin, who hails from Taiwan. You’ll find lots more pics from IMATS LA 2012, including work-in-progress shots of the award-winning work and grad demos that had the show floor buzzing, at the VFS Makeup Design Facebook page. If you missed us in Los Angeles, we’ll also be at IMATS Vancouver in July. And if you really want to see how our one-year program owns the IMATS podium, there are still a few seats left in our Makeup Design Summer Intensive, running the week before. Congratulations, Chia Hui and Darla! Chia Hui Lin won 2nd place for Beauty/Fantasy at IMATS LA (with model Jori Phillips and Head of Department Stan Edmonds)
Brave, Pixar’s first film with a female lead, comes out today. Brave combines action, fantasy, and comedy to tell the story of Princess Merida and how her quest for a life beyond the palace walls inadvertently unleashes chaos that she must set right. Those helping bring Brave to the big screen include 3D Animation & Visual Effects grads Justine Codron (Lighting Artist/TD) and Bill Watral (Effects Artist) and Sound Design for Visual Media grad Nia Hansen (Sound Assistant). Great work!
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter puts an interesting spin on America in the 1800′s. What if vampires roamed the earth and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, secretly hunted the undead? The film hits theatres today, thanks in part to over a dozen VFS grads at companies like Method and Weta Digital. They hail from 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Digital Character Animation, and Foundation Visual Art & Design and include: Farhad Mohasseb, Compositor
Film Grads ‘Get Stuffed’
Kazakhstan and Canada United Through Film
Makeup Grad a Contestant on Syfy’s Face Off
Digital Design Grad Makes Kids’ Stories Collaborative
72 Hours with Empire, Coming Soon, Directed by Film Grad
Spring 2012 Impact Awards
Planning
The Big Night
The Winners
Big Thanks
Makeup Artists Conquer Los Angeles
Pixar’s Brave Has VFS 3D and Sound Design Talent Behind the Scenes
Over a Dozen Grads on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Tuba Yalcin, Effects Technical Director
Lisa Nolan, Visual Effects Artist
Andrew Park, Animator
Juani Guiraldes, Animator
Alberto Landeros, Digital Compositor
Chun-Ping Chao, Digital Compositor
Jose Yapor, Visual Effects Artist
Mary-Margaret Conley, Data i/o Administrator
Eric (Anthony) Gabas, 3D Artist
Kieran Tether, Lighting Technical Director
Ronen Tanchum, Effects Technical Director
Mike Rhone, Visual Effects
Tamir Diab, Lighting Technical Directior/Visual Effects Artist