(Read on to win tickets to an exclusive pre-release screening!)
Even the most epic tales must come to an end, and on Friday The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 will bring the tale of vampires versus werewolves versus teen love to its (first half) conclusion. As with the previous films, the crew was peppered with alumni from 3D Animation & Visual Effects and Film Production. Well done!
Carrie Wilson – Second Assistant Camera
Henry (Hung-Chi) Peng – Matchmove TD
Alan Fregtman – Rigger
David Yabu – Lead Animator
Yuta Shimizu – Lighting Lead
Biren Venkatraman – Lighting and Asset TD
Daanish Wain – Compositor
Chun-Ping Chao – Digital Compositor
To celebrate, we’re offering two tickets to an exclusive private screening, courtesy of Cineplex Media, at the Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver on November 17th, 2011 at 7:00pm. To enter, LIKE this post by tomorrow at noon. This contest is now closed.
Update (1/17/12): We neglected to mention Acting for Film & Television grad Tanaya Beatty is also featured in this movie as “Rachel Black”.
Amie crafted bumpers by animating the grid-pattern logo of the event; the kinetic letters of the speakers’ names move like geometric marionettes. Juan’s nametags are based on origami, and provided a tactile activity for an otherwise static object. Unfortunately, his design for infrared scanners to be used to connect the tags to social media kiosks proved too ambitious for the project, but certainly demonstrated his desire to push the design envelope. All in all their work was a huge success, and helped unify the look and feel of the conference. Congratulations, Amie and Juan! For more on this story, and to hear from the designers themselves, head over to Digital Design’s OOMPH blog. You can see Amie’s work in the video below.
When Classical Animation Teaching Assistant Ayrin Witijono was thinking of creative projects that could also help charities, she turned to the VFS community for an inspired take on the Peter Pan stories of J.M Barrie. With the help of a host of grads representing Digital Design, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Character Animation, and Classical Animation, Witijono put together The Many Faces of Peter, with partial proceeds going to Oxfam.
As described on the book’s jacket: The idea: 12 professional animators re-envision the story of Peter and Wendy in one or two frames each. Their vastly different graphic approaches range in media from hand drawn to digital, watercolour to embroidery, and are united by a poetic retelling of the 1904 J.M. Barrie novel. The Many Faces of Peter is designed for parents to read with children: to answer their questions, pick favourite images and guess which pairs of illustrations were drawn by the same artist. The interior design of the book was done by Digital Design grad Keiko Furukawa, who helped to ensure consistency amongst the images and to navigate the printing process in China. Providing illustrations were Ross Klettke, Tammy Dubinsky, Tzanko Tchangov, Michelle Clement, Grahaeme Cowie, Ayrin Witijono, Carlo Solanoy, Desiree Cassidy, Eric Montero, Ian Milne, Louis Étienne Vallée, and Marisa Smit. If you’re in Vancouver the book is celebrating its launch on November 18, 2011, with an event at Fall Tattooing & Gallery. You can find the details below or follow the book on its blog.
If that sounds like your thing, enter to win a copy of Skyrim by tweeting the following message: “Buy a ticket to @gamedesignexpo before Nov. 25 and you can win a copy of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim http://ow.ly/7uoEt @vfs #gaming #contest” This contest is now over. A winner will be announced Monday, November 28. As the tweet says, if you’ve already bought a ticket to Game Design Expo you’ve been entered not once, but twice for this contest. Need tickets? You can buy them here!
During the one-year Acting for Film & Television program, students vie for a chance to compete in a monologue competition. It’s a great opportunity to prove your evolving acting chops and apply lessons learned in the first part of the year. For Mayumi Yoshida — a student who first encountered VFS as a Summer Intensives participant and continued her journey through Acting Essentials to Acting for Film & Television — it was an aligning of the stars. She initially wasn’t listed to compete, but a generous fellow student withdrew so she could enter. At the end of the day, it was Mayumi who came in first place! Jason Mireau also made a lasting impression on the judging panel of VFS faculty and staff. His at-times manic performance, as you’ll see, is captivating and reflects the hours of preparation that students put into these pieces. We’ve captured both performances — in single takes — and you can watch them below, or click here to find out more. Mayumi Yoshida performs an excerpt of “Sixty Years to Life” by Nick Zagone. Jason Mireau performs an excerpt from “House” by Daniel MacIvor.
Over the weekend alumna Leah Cuff became a two-time IMATS winner in Toronto, adding to her impressive win at IMATS Vancouver. Joining Leah in Toronto with other strong entries were past podium-finisher Carly Wolk, Ellen Chen, and Katie Melanson. As an added bonus, Leah’s win came in front of Academy Award-winning veteran makeup effects artist, Howard Berger (The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Congratulations, Leah, and to all competitors!
But there’s a lot more to independent film financing than just asking for money; like everything else, it starts with a compelling story. For Film Production grad and three-time Kickstarter-vetted fundraiser Gregory Bayne, that story is Kirk Bloodsworth’s seriously epic struggle for freedom. “Back in March of this year a friend, after having watched my previous documentary Jens Pulver | Driven, approached me with the idea of doing a film about Kirk, whom she had recently met,” says Greg. “She urged me to read the book, Bloodsworth: The True Story of One Man’s Triumph Over Injustice by Tim Junkin, which chronicles his story of wrongful conviction and his journey to becoming the first death row inmate to be exonerated by DNA evidence.” “His story ran me through the full gamut of emotions, and by the end I was fully convinced that I had to make this film. I met Kirk, and was further impressed by his ability to tell his story, and by all the good that he accomplished with it on behalf of the many others who share in his story. Kirk eventually watched Driven, felt confident in my abilities to bring his story to the screen, and we’ve been developing the project ever since.” Greg has also called on the talents of Classical Animation grad Matthew Wade, who will contribute to the film as Lead Animator. “Greg pitched the Bloodsworth story, documentary, etc. to me a while back and referenced Krawll when talking about some animated sequences he wanted,” says Matthew. “I was on board with the thing right away and am even more into it after seeing some of the stunning interview footage.” After meeting and exceeding his Kickstarter funding targets for three previous initiatives, it’s not surprising to see Greg return to this community to gather support and spread awareness for Bloodsworth. “Running a crowd-funding campaign is very difficult, so if you’re going to bat for something in such a public arena it’s important that you believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. That belief can be contagious, and it is absolutely necessary if you’re going to survive the campaign.” “I am on my fourth campaign with Bloodsworth, and have to admit that it was a very difficult decision to ultimately jump into this arena again. What finally convinced me, beyond the financial need to move the project forward, was the true benefit that a crowd-funding campaign offers: the ability to bring early awareness to a project, and through that, begin building a community around it.” Watch Kirk Bloodsworth tell his story. “I believe anyone looking to launch a campaign via Kickstarter, or any other platform, needs to understand that all important aspect of these endeavors. Even though contributors are not technically investing in the work, by the very act of departing with any amount of money on your behalf, they’ve said, ‘Hey, I believe in you, in what you’re doing, and that you’ll get it done.’ It’s not a commitment to take lightly. By asking for these dollars, and this type of direct support, from friends, family, acquaintances, and at times complete strangers, you are making a commitment to deliver on your campaign’s promise to the best of your ability.” “In short, I would advise the following fundamentals that I do my utmost to live up to with each outing: 1) Be grateful. If people are taking the time to pledge to your campaign, say thank you. 2) Be open. Folks that pledge to your campaign deserve your interaction. So, if they have questions or simply want to express themselves to you, be receptive and respectful. 3) Be on task. Concentrate on making the goal, and always consider new and creative ways in which to reach out to your potential audience. 4) Don’t bully. People give out of appreciation, not being brow-beaten. It’s fine to share your campaign via social media, to email, to ask… but understand, just as you do, people have lives and perhaps there slow, or sometimes, complete lack of response likely has nothing to do with you. 5) Know it can be done, and proceed accordingly. Thanks for the tips, Greg — and best of luck with the film!
Industry Speaker Day – Saturday, January 21 Tickets for Industry Speaker Day go on sale today at 11:00am! See the full lineup, watch interviews and presentations from previous years, and get your tickets at gamedesignexpo.com. VFS Game Design Open House – January 22 On Sunday, January 22, VFS will throw open the doors to the acclaimed one-year Game Design program for a free, day-long Open House. This will be the first time aspiring designers and the public will be able to see inside Game Design’s new 88 East Pender Street campus. Get a hands-on look at the program, test-drive student- and alumni-created games, take sample classes, and be the first to get all the details on the 2012 Women in Games Scholarship! Open House registration is open now!
We were given exclusive access to BioWare’s Edmonton campus as part of a series of interviews with VFS Sound Design grads Mike Kent, Jeremie Voillot, Jordan Ivey, Patrick Biason, Steve Bigras, Joel Green, Audio Lead and Advisory Board member Rob Blake, and Project Director Mark Darrah. In the following video the team, nominated for a 2010 Game Developer’s Choice Award in Audio for Mass Effect 2, talk about BioWare’s approach to audio, the creative challenges of working on very different franchises (Mass Effect and Dragon Age), the role of audio in gaming, and life at one of the largest game companies in the world. “We’re trying to make a really memorable and immersive experience,” says Rob Blake. “And I’ve always thought that our job as sound designers is to tell the story better.” Based on the continuing accolades, and the anticipation around Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3, we’d say they’ve succeeded. Check out more exclusive content and student work on the VFS YouTube channel.
Part 2: The Makeup and The Script. The work of Makeup Design students and grads has found a high-profile home in the Compendium film series. They’ve given us the blood and guts of H.P. Lovecraft, the sirens of Homer, and the unforgettable Tinkerbell. Now, for the fourth volume of Compendium — dubbed “Psycho Princess” for its reinvention of female-driven fairy tales — VFS makeup artists turned their attention to a whole new set of challenges. The Little Mermaid makeup team was lead by Makeup Design grad Sarah Elizabeth. She worked closely with the EBM student producers to come up with a design that suited the vision everyone shared: “We wanted her to be something that was aquatic, but not the regular beautiful mermaid. To do this we decided to stay away from the usual colours for sea creatures (blue/purple) and looked at using colours that maybe suggested she was beautiful once, but almost as if she was rotting and falling apart from her long captivity — so pink, yellows, and browns.” “We also wanted to find ways to change her appearance and make her look more “deep sea” and fish-like than mermaids regularly look, so we came up with the prosthetic for her face and the webbed hands and fins.” It didn’t hurt that the actress playing this mermaid was Acting grad Jovanna Huguet, who was joined on screen by fellow grad Trevor Gemma. After Sarah developed the initial concepts for the tail, webbed hands, nails, arm fins, teeth, hair, and face, she brought on two additional makeup artists. “It wasn’t until I shared parts of it with my two stellar makeup assistants (Makeup Design grads Susan Manning and Krysten Merrick), that the character really started coming to life. I gave each of them different areas to work on individually and then as a group, the three of us would meet, share ideas, help trouble shoot and critique what was being made.” “The idea was always kind of there for me, in part due to my innate (and often disconcerting) love of circuses, and perhaps due to the association of mermaids to sideshows, like the Fiji Mermaid. It instantly clicked for me.” As far as the win at Screamfest? It’s obviously a great honour shared by the entire team. For Meagan, it’s been a surreal experience: “I feel like we just partook in the underdog story of the year, us being the student film with the teeny-tiny budget that managed to surpass all, even despite the star power behind some of the other films. It’s an indescribable feeling and I’m not sure it’s completely set in yet.” “Even when they announced we won I was too shocked to do so much as cry. I could only flail around squeaking for half an hour, but I think any visible ridiculousness was forgiven.” Thanks for the insight, Sarah and Meagan. And congrats again on the big win at Screamfest!
Digital Design Work Featured at TEDx Vancouver
The TED talks have set the standard for captivating speakers, bringing together the best minds in technology, entertainment, and design for thought-provoking presentations. So when TEDx Vancouver needed motion graphic speaker bumpers and interactive nametags, two Digital Design students, Amie Bennett and Juan Martinezguerra, rose to the challenge. Illustrating for a Good Cause
Here Be Dragons – Enter for a Chance to Win Skyrim!
As we mentioned earlier, Game Design Expo 2012 features Bruce Nesmith, the Director of Design behind the most talked-about game of the year, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, just one of the many speakers brought to Vancouver by Game Design and VFS. Several aspects of the game have become trends in their own right, whether it’s placing buckets on people’s heads, or the more courageous fighting of dragons, mammoths, and giants…all at the same time. And the critics agree – Skyrim is currently sitting at a 96 on Metacritic, otherwise known as “Universal Acclaim”.VFS Acting Students in Performance!
VFS Makeup Design Takes Top Spot at IMATS Toronto
The story of the International Make-up Artist Trade Show, and the competition that goes with it, has been written largely over the the past few years by Makeup Design for Film & Television students and grads. From Los Angeles to New York to Vancouver and now Toronto, the success record has been nothing short of amazing. 
Filming the First Death Row Inmate Saved by DNA
Crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo have become integral parts of indie filmmaking, as building an audience and gaining financial support are two of the biggest hurdles to seeing a little-known project succeed. 
“I hope, for the most part, that the success [of previous campaigns] is fueled by the calibre of the projects themselves,” says Greg. Bethesda, BioWare, and Eidos Headline Game Design Expo 2012!
The designers and developers behind some of the year’s biggest games and the changing landscape of both social and independent gaming – our sixth annual Game Design Expo and Open House, coming January 21-22, 2011, promise to be the best yet!
This year, seven presenters from Canada and the U.S. will take the podium, including keynote speaker Bruce Nesmith, Director of Design at Bethesda Softworks and one of the minds behind multi-award-winning Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Emmanuel Lusinchi, Associate Lead Designer at BioWare Austin, who will discuss BioWare’s hotly-anticipated MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The day of presentations will be followed by a special panel focused on the local indie game scene. Sound Design at BioWare
The last few years in gaming have belonged to BioWare. With multiple game of the year awards, and the Studio of the Year nod from the 2010 Spike TV Video Game Awards, the company has also become a major recruiter of VFS talent, not only from Game Design but 3D Animation & Visual Effects and Sound Design for Visual Media as well. How to Make an Award-Winning Short Film: Part 2
As promised in our last post, this is the second part of the story behind The Little Mermaid, the award-winning short film project lead by Entertainment Business Management students that brought together talented contributors from Digital Design, Writing for Film & Television, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Film Production, and Acting for Film & Television.
Of course, all this amazing makeup was created to tell a story, and that story began with Writing grad Meagan Hotz. “Coming up with the story for The Little Mermaid wasn’t a particularly long or convoluted process,” she says. “I got the prompt for the Compendium shorts and wrote it either that night or the next night.”