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:
- meet emerging artists, filmmakers, actors, writers, animators, and designers just like you from all around the world
- get training by top instructors who are plugged into the industry
- gain new industry knowledge and hands-on experience
- get meaningful insight into what a one-year full-time program at VFS can offer you
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.
VFS Summer Intensives 2012
Visit the Summer Intensives website for all the details and to register right now.
Remember Death Do Us Part? It’s the upcoming indie horror featuring the work of a group of talented VFS graduates — from Acting for Film & Television and Film Production through Makeup Design for Film & Television. The film stars Acting grads Peter Benson (also writer/producer) and Emilie Ullerup (Sanctuary) alongside Julia Benson (Stargate Universe), Christine Chatelaine (Riese), and Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica). And that’s not all. Death Do Us Part was directed by Nicholas Humphries, who teaches in several VFS programs, produced by Foundation Visual Art & Design alum Ryan Copple (Riese), and had Film grad Chris Heffernan as production designer while Makeup Design grads Sarah Elizabeth and Malin Sjöström-Ewan formed the makeup department. The list goes on. The movie had a debutante ball of sorts recently at Vancouver Fan Expo, beginning with a panel with the cast and creative team. That led to a hot little Electric Playground behind-the-scenes video profile. And today, we get the premiere of the full trailer for Death Do Us Part. Behold: Check out the official Death Do Us Part website and stay tuned for more about the film!
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!
The Canadian version, titled Primeval: New World, will air on Space channel and feature two Acting for Film & Television graduates in lead roles: Niall Matter (Eureka) and Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries). It’s also worth noting that the series was re-developed by Vancouver’s own Omni Film Productions, where Writing for Film & Television graduate Michele McMahon is the Director of Drama Development. Congrats to everyone involved. We can’t wait to see the new series!
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!
Here’s a quick look at some of the Oscar-nominated films VFSers helped create: Best Picture Animated Feature Film Visual Effects Check out the rest of the nominees and air times on the Oscars website.
This year’s focus was on non-fiction books and Carmen’s Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter made it to the top thanks to efforts by Toronto/Vancouver rapper Shad. Catch the announcement on CBC.ca. Congratulations, Carmen!
While Dionne Gordon and Jennifer Siddle, the Program Managers for Writing for Film & Television and Entertainment Business Management, respectively, are amongst the many Mad Men fans who can’t wait for season five to finally arrive. They decided to take the critically-acclaimed series into their own… hands. With the help of many VFSers, they launched Plaid Men this past weekend – a web series that puts hand puppets inside the feisty Manhattan ad agency and picks up where season four left off. You can catch a new episode every Sunday night at PlaidMenWebSeries.com. In March there will be two episodes per week on Sundays and Thursdays in the lead up to Mad Men‘s season premiere on the 25th. Plaid Men features the talents of Writing grads Bob Woolsey, Derek Thompson, Steve Toms, and Wade Fennig; Film Production grad Ryan Jackson; Writing/Film instructor Rudy Thauberger; Acting for Film & Television grads Naomi Dayneswood, Shannon Lang, Lauren Martin, and Aaron McCallum; and Head of Acting Bill Marchant. Oh, and that title sequence? It’s created by Ian Berg, a grad of both Foundation Visual Art & Design and Digital Design. Check out the first episode and ‘like’ the series on Facebook.
Allan Hawco and Lynda Boyd chatted with Head of Department Bill Marchant about the industry, how they each got started, and – of course – the third season of Doyle, which premiered last week with the help of a little-known star by the name of Russell Crowe. “He was a real gent,” Hawco said of Crowe, noting the arduous mega-flight the actor had to make from Australia to Newfoundland for a few days of filming. Check out photos of the visit on the VFS Flickr profile. Both Hawco and Boyd come from theatre backgrounds and adapted their skill sets to the screen. For Hawco, it’s been a fight the whole way: “I was 24, 25, and I was doing a play somewhere and everyone was asleep,” he said. “I wanted to fight for things I could create myself.” He saw 45 coming closer and didn’t want to be complaining about the same things he disliked at 25. Now, he’s the showrunner of one of CBC’s most successful series. Along with a just-get-it-done attitude, it means wearing a lot of different hats aside from acting — like producing, editing, and writing. In fact, all the major decisions for the series come from him. Boyd, meanwhile, hit her stride in the mid-’90s with appearances on series like The X-Files and Highlander. It was big transition for a theatre pro who’d been dancing since she was a child: “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” she said. “I didn’t know what a ‘mark’ was.” When she auditioned in Newfoundland for Doyle, she took a mental picture of everything around her at the time and told herself “I’m coming back here”. Clearly, that positive mindset has paid off. It’s something Hawco has taken to heart as well: “I spent most of my career unemployed… I don’t care about anything else right now… I’m making a TV show in Newfoundland.” Many thanks to our guests and congratulations on a successful season three premiere! Check out series air times on CBC’s website.
CBC’s new one-hour adventure drama premieres tonight! Arctic Air will feature the work of Acting for Film & Television grads Adam DiMarco (“Kirby Nystoruk”) and Emilie Ullerup (“Astrid Poulsen”), as well as Writing for Film & Television grad Derek Thompson, who’s contributing as a Script Coordinator. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for a successful premiere (and first season), the chances of which are no doubt buoyed by the leadership of a number of acclaimed Canadian entertainment industry pros — including Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers), Ian Weir (Flashpoint), and former VFS Writing instructor Sarah Dodd (The Border). Best of luck to everyone involved! (Visit cbc.ca for schedule information) Update (1/17/12): We neglected to mention the series also features Acting grad Tanaya Beatty as “Caitlin Janvier”!
Trailer Premieres for Death Do Us Part
VFS 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 GeorgeUpcoming Primeval Spin-Off Features VFS Acting Grads
As reported today by The Province, Vancouver has been hosting the ongoing production of a new spin-off of the British TV series Primeval, which follows a team of scientists investigating “temporal anomalies”. And there are dinosaurs too — so what’s not to love?Celebrating 25 Years with Over $1,000,000 in Scholarships!
VFS Connections to Oscar 2012 Hopefuls
This weekend’s Academy Awards will celebrate another great year in film and alumni success. VFS grads contributed to a number of celebrated films in 2011 — garnering credits on 9 of the 10 highest-grossing movies of the year. On Sunday, we’ll see how many of those films take home the top prize in the biz.
*The Descendants — Acting for Film & Television Advisory Board Member Matt Lillard played “Brian Speer”.
*Hugo – 3D Animation & Visual Effects grads Elena Topouzoglou (Stereoscopic Compositor), Michael Eurek (Junior 3D Generalist), Geeta Basantani (Lead Compositor)
*The Tree of Life — 3D grads Jeff Tetzlaff (Modeling/Texturing Artist), Jesus L. Yapor (Compositor), Stephen King (Animator)
*Kung Fu Panda 2 — Digital Design grad Cesar Alejandro Montero Orozco (Surfacing Artist), and 3D grads Claudia Keene (Key Assistant Clean-up Artist), Nicholas Augello (Character Effects Artist)
*Puss in Boots — 3D grad Javier Solsona (Lead Character Technical Director) and Digital Design grad Cesar Alejandro Montero Orozco (Production Testing)
*Rango – 3D grads Cedric Lo (Lead Animator), Henri Tan (Creature TD), Jamie Bowers (Texture Painter), Kieran Tether (Digital Artist), Michael Lum (Animator), Scott Jones (Creature Lead), Stephen King (Animator), Teh-wei Yeh (Digital Artist), Will McCrate (Lighting TD)
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 — 3D grads Annabelle Kent (Digital Compositor), Henry South (CG Modeler), Joshua Herrig (Lead Lighting Artist/Look Dev Artist), Jozef van Eenbergen (Pipeline Developer), Kevin Mah (Effects Technical Director), Mike Rhone (Effects Technical Director), Nuno Nisa Pereira (Visual Effects Technical Director), Sara Hilmarsdottir (Matchmove Artist), Sofus Graae (Visual Effects Coordinator), Will Towle (Camera Tracker)
*Real Steel — 3D grad Aruna Inversin (Lead Compositor) and Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Cristina Atkin (Mold Making, Legacy EFX)
*Rise of the Planet of the Apes — Digital Character Animation grad Chad Moffitt (Animator), Film Production grads Gary Hawes (Second Assistant Director), Gord Dunick (Visual Effects Set Supervisor), Classical Animation grad Michael Cozens (Senior Animator), Makeup Design grad Mike Nickiforek (Animal Effects Fabrication), and 3D grads Abdullah Ecirli (Digital Compositor), Anthony Di Ninno (Previs Artist), Carolyn Wong (Creature Technical Director), Cesar Rodriguez Bautista (Digital Paint Artist), Chrystia Siolkowsky (Motion Editor), Jesse Sturdy (Witness Reference), Kristin Sedore (Lighting TD), Matt Weaver (Animator), Patrick Henry (Witness Reference), Richard Sur (Lighting Technical Director), Tamir Diab (Lighting Technical Director)
*Transformers: Dark of the Moon — 3D grads Anna Tonrungroj (Stereoscopic Nuke Background Prep), Borae Cho (Pipeline Technical Director), Cesar Rodriguez Bautista (Stereoscopic Prep/Roto Artist), Chelsea Whittet (Digital Production Administrator), Daphne De Jesus (Digital Paint Artist), Henri Tan (Creature Technical Director), Jamie Bowers (Texture Artist), Jooyong Lee (Roto/Paint Artist), Kelsey Ayukawa (Stereo Roto/Paint Artist), Kieran Tether (Digital Artist), Louis Cox (Visual Effects Artist), Pedram Daraeizadeh (Digital Production Administrator), Samson Wong (Integration Artist), Serguei Kalentchouk (Rigging Lead), Stephen King (Animator), and Film Production grad Justin Hammond (Lighting Technical Director)
*Hugo (as listed above)Acting Instructor’s Book Tops CBC’s Canada Reads Competition
We’re excited to hear the news that Acting for Film & Television guest lecturer Carmen Aguirre has drawn top acclaim in CBC’s Canada Reads competition. The annual battle of the books pits well-known national personalities against each other in a public debate where they must champion a work by a Canadian author.Plaid Men Web Series Unveiled
VFS is a place focused on helping students spend most of their waking hours on amazing projects, staff and faculty also find unique ways to work together creatively.Republic of Doyle Stars Visit VFS Acting Students
Acting for Film & Television and Acting Essentials students and faculty were treated to a special guest visit this morning from two of the stars of CBC’s The Republic of Doyle.
Arctic Air Premieres Tonight & Features VFS Grads