Last month, Vancouver Film School offered aspiring animators in Mexico the opportunity to experience VFS for themselves, through an Animation Intensive at Tecnolόgico de Monterrey . This five-day workshop, led by our own faculty of industry professionals, offered a taste of VFS’s Classical Animation and Digital Character Animation programs.
The students were exposed to animation fundamentals and shown ways to apply them in traditional and digital environments while learning some incredible new tools and exercises that will help them grow their skills and expertise. We were thrilled to be able to bring this particular opportunity to Mexico for the first time and the students seemed pretty happy to have us as well – the program sold out! We also received some very positive feedback about the event from some of the students who attended.
“It was a great experience,” said Guillermo Campos, who told us that he learned a lot and was shown aspects of animation that he had never taken into account before. “This will now make it easier for me to improve my animation skills,” he said.
Joel Hernández told us that the experience was really useful – not only the technical side but the artistic aspect as well. “The professors were really prepared and have the experience necessary to provide us with helpful feedback,” he shared.
Check out the photos below to see the students in action!
Learn more about our 2012 Summer Intensives beginning in July.
Several 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni were involved in realizing Burton’s vision for Dark Shadows, working as far afield as MPC in London and Method Studios here in Vancouver. They include: CG Supervisor Dan Mayer Well done, guys!
The Avengers assemble today in North America after a strong international release, weeks of great reviews, and months of fan buzz. For us? Apart from being big Marvel and Joss Whedon fans here at the VFS Blog, we’re also looking forward to seeing the work of Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Jackie Adamson on the big screen. She worked as a makeup artist on Avengers and had the opportunity to do it alongside veteran department head John Blake. Since graduating in December 2010, Jackie’s done all kinds of stuff: on top of Avengers, she worked on Cleveland, I Love You and Fun Size, and is a full member of the Ohio IATSE Union – a big deal for a working makeup artist. Her IMDB profile will be worth keeping an eye on. As for other programs’ grads on Avengers, they’re well into the double digits, including industry vets like 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni Aaron Gilman (Animation Supervisor), Stephen King (Lead Animator), and Nicholas Markel (Previsualization Supervisor), working out of companies like Weta Digital, ILM, Digital Domain, and Third Floor. Here’s more: Louis Cox, Camera Technical Director
Is it possible to have a life-changing experience in just five days? If you were to ask past participants in Summer Intensives at Vancouver Film School, the answer would be a resounding yes! Nine programs. Five days each. A firsthand look inside our acclaimed programs. That’s what it’s all about. In one week with us this summer, you’ll: Best of all, the cost of your Summer Intensive is applied against your tuition if you choose to enroll in a full-time VFS program. If you’re seriously considering an education at VFS, you can’t lose. Visit the Summer Intensives website for all the details and to register right now.
Grayson Scantlebury – Design Scripter Good work, everyone!
Founded in 1987, VFS has become the destination for amazing artists from all over the country – and around the world. The 2012 Cross-Canada Roadshow is your chance to discover if VFS is right for you, and how you can get started on a rewarding path in the entertainment industry. Sign up to attend one of these free info sessions, where you will: - Hear about an exclusive scholarship opportunity for attendees April 11: Fredericton Click here to find out all the details and register now. We hope to see you this spring in a city near you!
Guest post by Joseph Alina It is no secret that students in 3D Animation & Visual Effects work quite diligently to create demo reels with aspirations of attracting an opportunity from a heavyweight production house. In this instance, that opportunity and that heavyweight production house came to us in the form of Sony Pictures Imageworks. My fellow classmates and I were graced with a visit by Ken Maruyama, Vice President Recruiting and Academic Relations /Animation Artist Management. Ken came up from Los Angeles to discuss Imageworks’ operational chart, recruiting, and the future for their Vancouver studio. Along the way Ken toured The Studio and, to my surprise and good fortune, I was one of six students to directly present our work. I was somewhat nervous to show my diamond in the rough of a reel to Ken and to an audience of schoolmates. However, my review with Ken showed our faculty and staff are dead on when telling us how to achieve a demo reel that draws interest from studios such as Imageworks. Imageworks, with their involvement in movies like Arthur Christmas, The Amazing Spider-Man, and MIB 3, has approximately 150 employees in the Yaletown district. The exciting part – they mean to double that figure within several months. Ken highlighted an avenue to join their stellar core team through a paid internship program. Eight weeks in duration, internships are paid, allowing you to become familiar with their processes in creating blockbuster movies, with the opportunity to become a full-time hire. The added benefit to the internship is that your work can be featured in a major film production. In securing movie credits at such an early stage it becomes a great start to a fun career. During my enrollment as a student in 3D Animation & Visual Effects, I have felt more connected to this industry than ever before. Thank you Vancouver Film School! Thanks, Joseph!
“Mass Effect 3 goes out on a big note. A galactic note. A giant, infra-sonic ultra-low frequency alien scream of a note.” David Murphy – Sound Designer You may remember some of them from our exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at BioWare last year, which also included an interview with Audio Lead Rob Blake. Congratulations, everyone!
It’s an exciting time at VFS right now! We’re kicking off our 25th anniversary celebration this year with an amazing opportunity for the storytellers, pioneers, innovators, and creatives who are looking to transform the entertainment industry over the next 25 years. If that sounds like you – and you’re ready right now to take the first big step in launching your career in film, TV, games, or design – then you may be eligible for a scholarship of up to $25,000 for specific full-time programs starting April 30th or June 25th, 2012. This is a limited time opportunity, so don’t delay. Visit the 25th Anniversary Celebration site now and get started!
Last summer’s SIGGRAPH conference provided VFS students with a ton of opportunities to hear from industry pros at the top of their game. We hosted a number of those talented men and women for special presentations and campus visits, including 3D Animation & Visual Effects grad Lino DiSalvo. Now a Supervising Animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios — where he’s made significant contributions to films like Tangled and Bolt — Lino graciously shared some advice with students and sat down with us for an on-camera interview. Check out the video here or on the VFS YouTube channel!
Grads (Re)animate Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows, Tim Burton’s adaptation of the 1960s/1970s TV series, descends ominously into theatres today. The gothic fish-out-of-water horror/comedy stars Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins and, promisingly, the New York Times hails it as “Mr. Burton’s most pleasurable film in years.”
Senior Compositor Christine Peterson
Compositor Farhad Mohasseb
Visual Effects Artist Klaus Skovbo.Assembling the Avengers
Andrew Park, Animator
Roland Vallet, Animator
Daphne De Jesus, Senior Digital Paint Artist
Chrystia Siolkowsky, Roto Artist
Henri Tan, Creature Technical Director
Santhoshi Balasubramanian, Digital Artist
Mary Margaret Conley (Hill), Data I/O Administrator
Cedric Lo, Lead Animator
Scott Jones, Creature Technical Director
Juani Guiraldes, Animator
Josh Lange, Previsualization Artist
SriKalyan Tallapragada, Technical Director
Announcing the 2012 Summer Intensives
VFS Summer Intensives 2012
Prototype 2 Kicks the Doors Down
Good news for fans of throwing helicopters at tanks – Prototype 2 hit shelves this week, and promises to be a “sequel that is everything the first game wanted to be.” Helping you to tear New York apart was a team that included 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Design, and Game Design grads.
Kevin Maloney – Design Scripter
Laurie Kindiak – Senior Environment Artist
Miko Wilson – Mission Designer
Scott Morin – Design Scripter
Jamie Currie – Senior Interface Artist
Tomo Akiyama – Senior Animator
Harry Ahn – Lead Cinematics Animator
Ivan Mickovic – Art Director
Christopher Power – Senior QA TesterVFS is Hitting the Road From April 11 to May 5, 2012!
We’re celebrating Vancouver Film School’s 25th anniversary by visiting 13 cities across Canada from April 11 to May 5, 2012 – and we’re bringing an exclusive scholarship opportunity with us!
- Get an inside look at student life at VFS
- Discover how VFS prepares you for your career in film, TV, games, and design
- Meet a VFS Admissions representative for application and portfolio tips
April 12: Ottawa
April 14: Toronto
April 17: Winnipeg
April 18: Saskatoon
April 19: Edmonton
April 21: Calgary
April 25: Victoria
April 26: Vancouver
May 1: Penticton
May 2: Kelowna
May 3: Kamloops
May 5: Prince GeorgeGuest Post: Sony Pictures Imageworks Provides Industry Scrutiny to Student Reels
Sony Pictures Imageworks paid a visit to VFS recently, to review student work from 3D Animation & Visual Effects and discuss opportunities at their studios. Current student Joseph Alina had his reel undergo industry scrutiny, and filed this report. VFS Grads Save the Universe with Mass Effect 3
Creating one massively-successful game that also garners enthusiastic critical acclaim would be enough for most companies to rest on their laurels, but when BioWare followed up Mass Effect with the equally successful Mass Effect 2, the pressure was on for the final act in the trilogy to top both of them. Today, most of the world will find out if they were successful, although early critical response seems a resounding “Yes”.
“The answer is yes. Mass Effect 3 is a triumph.”
“More than ever, the Mass effect universe pulls off the masterful trick of feeling huge and yet believable.”
“Few gaming sagas come to a definitive close, but this one signs off in breathtaking style.”
The team crafting that experience included VFS alumni from Game Design, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, and Sound Design for Visual Media.
Joel Green – Sound Designer
Herbert Lowis – Senior Character Artist
Nathan Zufelt – Senior Cinematic Animator
Jeremie Voillot – Technical Audio Lead
Bartek Kujbida – Senior Cinematic Animator
Corey Gaspur – Lead Combat Designer
Samuel Irwin – Cinematic Designer
Jordan Ivey – Sound Designer
Steven Bigras – Audio Artist
Patrick Biason – Audio ArtistCelebrating 25 Years with Over $1,000,000 in Scholarships!
Video: 3D Grad Lino DiSalvo On His Journey to Disney