VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL MEDIA KIT VFS Corporate Fact Sheet

VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Corporate Fact Sheet WHO WE ARE Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a post-secondary entertainment arts school. In just one intensive year at VFS, students receive a comprehensive education balancing theoretical instruction and hands-on production. This experience includes lectures, tutorials, productions, collaborations with other departments, mentorship with working professionals, and guest speakers from the industry. VFS is known as “the studio that teaches”. WHERE WE ARE Vancouver is more than just a beautiful, cosmopolitan city. Its entertainment culture is driven by robust industries for film, design, TV, animation, video games, and sound production. With a population of 2.2 million and growing and consistently named one of the world's best and most livable cities, Vancouver is the ideal place to launch a career in the entertainment arts. OUR PROGRAMS & DEPARTMENT HEADS 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation Digital Character Animation, Houdini™Certification Larry Bafia Acting for Film & Television and Acting Essentials Bill Marchant Digital Design Sebastien de Castell Entertainment Business Management Ken Ashdown Film Production David Hauka Game Design Dave Warfield Makeup Design for Film & Television Charles Porlier Sound Design for Visual Media Robert Grieve Writing for Film & Television Maria Jacquemetton Foundation Visual Art & Design Ted Jones OUR RESULTS VFS alumni work for companies like Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Electronic Arts. Some contribute to films like Lord of the Rings, Transformers , Pirates of the Caribbean and Enchanted. Others are entrepreneurs, writing pilots for comedy series or cutting documentaries. Or they’re artists, screening their work at Cannes, Siggraph, Sundance, and Annecy. Regardless of their path, our graduates are equipped for success. VFS, like the entertainment industry, values the ability to produce quality results above all else. BENEFITS OF VFS • VFS is a gateway to the entertainment industry • Students network with: - Other Students: up and coming entertainment industry leaders - Faculty: leaders currently working in the industry -Regular Guest Speakers and Industry Partners • Collaboration with other programs At VFS, there are dozens of productions in the works at a given time, including films, TV pilots, commercials, documentaries, music videos, video games, and animaion demo reels. • Vancouver is “Hollywood North” Students train in the city that’s the 3rd largest in North America for film and 1st for game production. • Advisory Board Industry leaders advise VFS on how to best create comprehensive programs that give students an advantage in the evolving marketplace • VFS is one of only three schools in North America that has a Pro Tools program and certification from Digidesign. • In many programs, final projects are viewed and evaluated by industry panels • Scholarship programs are regularly available to the best and brightest students • Workplace preparation: Portfolio creation and employment and team preparation VFS VALUES At VFS, we are driven by passion, innovation, experience, and the results. We believe that Results Matter. Those results are what we aim to give every student: a life-changing year, an arsenal of high-level skills and know-how, and a great career to show for it. WHY VFS? A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE During their year at VFS, students create a body of work to showcase their abilities and launch their career.This portfolio or demo reel is designed to demonstrate their creative and technical abilities to potential employers and collaborators. Whether they’re making films, video games, and commercials, or bringing 2D and 3D characters to life, our leave school industry-ready professionals. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Corporate Fact Sheet HISTORY OF VFS VFS opened its doors in April 1987 to a class of twelve eager film students. Twenty years later, the school now graduates over 1300 students a year. Since its inception, VFS has become the largest private post secondary arts and entertainment school in Canada. • April 1987: VFS open its doors, launching the Film Production program • February 1994: Classical Animation program launches • February 1994: VFS launches North America’s 1st Multimedia Program • February 1995: 3D Animation & Visual Effects program launches • May 1996: Acting for Film & Television program launches • June 1998: Digital Character Animation program launches • May 1999: Writing for Film & Television program launches • January 2000: Makeup Design for Film & Television program launches • April 2002: Sound Design for Visual Media program launches • May 2003: Foundation Visual Art & Design program launches • August 2004: Digital Design program launches • October 2004: Game Design program launches • February 2006: Entertainment Business Management and Houdini™ Certification programs launch • August 2006: VFS launches its new 1-year Makeup Design for Film & Television program • August 2006: the VFS $1 Million Scholarship launch • October 2006: VFS YouTube channel (youtube.com/vancouverfilmschool) launches • March 2008: VFS and YouTube present “What Matters to You” Scholarship Competition 1380 Burrard Street 3D Animation & Visual Effects Classical Animation Digital Character Animation Entertainment Business Management Foundation Visual Art & Design Sound Design for Visual Media Houdini™ Certification CAMPUSES VFS has five campuses that span the entire Vancouver downtown core. 198 West Hastings Street Admissions Acting Essentials Acting Makeup Design for Film & Television 420 Homer Street Digital Design Game Design Makeup Design for Film & Television Student Services VFS Café 400 West Hastings Street Film Production 815 West Hastings Street Writing for Film & Television 1248 Franklin Street Makeup Design for Film & Television VFS MEDIA CONTACT If you are a journalist and need information about VFS, please contact our Public Relations Department. We’ll be happy to help you. Naomi Thomas E. naomit@vfs.com T. +1 604.631.3053 F. +1 604.685.5830 TF. 1.800.661.4101 (within North America) Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Program Descriptions Vancouver Film School (VFS) offers 14 production-oriented programs in all areas of film, media, and design. Here is a brief overview of what students can expect in our programs. All programs are one year in duration unless otherwise noted. 3D ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS 3D students learn that computer animation is an instrument for classical forms of storytelling. They study motion, life drawing, composition, character design, sculpture, storyboarding, lighting, and art direction in order to create a compelling animation, modeling, or visual effects demo reel. CLASSICAL ANIMATION Students learn the entire animation process from concept development to finished product, including the cornerstones of animation technique – drawing, storyboarding, layout, background and character design. DIGITAL CHARACTER ANIMATION In this six-month program for experienced classical animators, students broaden their repertoire by combining cinematic storytelling skills, classical animation technique, and digital operating environments. Students develop a short film to showcase their abilities. HOUDINI™ CERTIFICATION Film production facilities rely on Houdini™ to help them create stunning feature film effects and character animation. In this intensive program, students train and become certified in this cutting-edge software. ACTING FOR FILM & TELEVISION Acting students prepare for a professional acting career by studying in a studio environment how to perform in front of a camera. Students learn how to interpret stories, refine the use of their voices, and see their bodies as instruments of self expression. DIGITAL DESIGN Digital Design students work with live video, Flash, animation, print, and all the other essential tools that drive today’s entertainment and media projects. Students use typography, colour, composition, motion, interactivity, and sound to build truly compelling user experiences. ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MANAGEMENT EBM equips students to handle the business affairs of artists and entertainers by combining the study of economics, law, and communications. Students work with artists from film and television, music, video games, and interactive media. FILM PRODUCTION Film students learn the disciplines of directing, producing, cinematography, art direction, and editing as they collaborate on dramatic and documentary film projects in both studio and location environments. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Program Descriptions GAME DESIGN Students train to be part of any video game development team by learning all aspects of game design, from visual storytelling, to level design principles, to the production process, ultimately creating playable games themselves. MAKEUP DESIGN FOR FILM & TELEVISION Makeup students learn everything from set etiquette, script breakdown, and film terminology, to a thorough study of celebrity makeup, film and television makeup, and special effects makeup, so they are prepared to be part of any production team upon graduation. SOUND DESIGN FOR VISUAL MEDIA Sound Design students learn to unite sound and image by using producing, editing, and engineering skills to create sound effects, ambient noises, and music to match images in film, animation, and video games. WRITING FOR FILM & TELEVISION Writing students learn the screenwriter’s role in the film industry by writing, workshopping, and collaborating on a variety of storytelling forms, including feature and short film screenplays, episodic TV scripts and pilots, sketch comedy, and documentaries. FOUNDATION VISUAL ART & DESIGN Foundation combines traditional theories of arts education with training in modern visual media, such as film, animation, and digital technologies. Students learn how to work with new mediums and grow as artists while preparing for other VFS production programs. ACTING ESSENTIALS Created for beginners, this four-month course prepares students to enter the Acting program. Students learn how to interpret stories creatively and how to use body and voice to communicate with other actors and with an audience. VFS MEDIA CONTACT If you are a journalist and need information about VFS, please contact our Public Relations Department. We’ll be happy to help you. Naomi Thomas E. naomit@vfs.com T. +1 604.631.3053 F. +1 604.685.5830 TF. 1.800.661.4101 (within North America) Vancouver Film School | Where Results Matter Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Alumni Stories Vancouver Film School (VFS) graduates work for leading companies worldwide, win awards for their projects, and have their films screened at international film festivals. Here are a few achievements by alumni pursuing their dream careers. AWARDS Chad Moffitt, Digital Character Animation grad, won an Academy Award for helping animate characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Daniel Osaki, a graduate of the 3D program, was nominated for an Emmy for modeling and designing spaceships, robots, and props for the current Battlestar Galactica TV series. 3D graduate Mark Shirra’s short film A Great Big Robot from Outer Space Ate My Homework was an official selection at Siggraph, won Best Student Production at the Leo Awards, and, most impressively, got him hired at Pixar. Digital Design graduate Cesar Montero’s commercial Sex and the Socket won Gold in the Best Student Marketing category at the prestigious MI6 Advertising Awards. FILM & TV 3D graduate Neill Blomkamp has directed awardwinning TV ads for Nike and Citroen, and directed a series of high-profile shorts used in the promotion of Halo 3. After Janelle Henderson graduated from the Makeup program at VFS, she returned to her island home, Dominica, and worked as a makeup artist on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest . After graduating from Sound Design, Scott Westley was hired by California sound studio Digital Dreams. Since then, he’s worked on the sound mix on almost twenty feature films, and has acted as sound designer for films as diverse as Shanghai Red, What the Bleep?!: Down the Rabbit Hole, and National Lampoon’s Pledge This! Tara Spencer-Nairn attended VFS’s Acting program. She starred in the Genie Awardnominated film New Waterford Girl. Now she has a lead role on the Gemini Award-winning television show Corner Gas. Film Production grad Neil Kopp won a 2008 Independent Spirit Award for producing Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park as well as the acclaimed 2006 film Old Joy. As a lighter in the visual effects department at Rhythm and Hues, 3D graduate Kristen Sedore was part of the lighting team on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. She’s also worked on the science-fiction miniseries Earthsea. Aruna Inversin, a graduate of the 3D program, has worked as a digital compositor for Tippett Studio and Digital Domain on many films, including The Golden Compass, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Hellboy, and The Matrix Revolutions. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Alumni Stories Writing graduate Jason Young’s short film How to Disappear Completely was produced by Coffee Films in Britain and later screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Megan Majewski, a graduate of the 3D program, works for Atmosphere as a Previsualisation artist. She’s worked on I, Robot, Kingdom Hospital, Stargate: Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. Jeremy Bowker and Jessica Lemes da Silva, were both hired by Skywalker Sound straight out of the Sound Design program. Jeremy was on the Oscar-nominated sound team for Ratatouille and worked on the hit Disney musical Enchanted. Scott Weber, a graduate of Film Production, has directed short films, commercials, music videos, and industrial films, and most recently made his feature debut with the thriller Desolation Sound, starring Jennifer Beals and Ed Begley, Jr. Liam MacNamara, Acting graduate, was in Gus Van Sant’s Love, Sex, and the IRS and Beach Girls starring Rob Lowe and Julia Ormond. David Luce, a graduate of the Writing program, develops documentaries and reality TV series for Fremantle Media in Los Angeles. VISUAL MEDIA Immediately after graduation, Digital Design alumnus Mark Miller was hired at New York’s Firstborn Multimedia, whose clients have included Fila, Victoria’s Secret, and The Beatles. A motion design project by Digital Design graduates Ryan Uhrich and Marcos "Boca" Ceravolo spread like wildfire on the internet, won a PopVox Award, and screened at the Art of Digital show in San Diego. They've both been hired by Thank You Motion Graphics in Copenhagen, Denmark. After graduation from the Digital Design program, Andrea Garcia Tovar returned to her home of Venezuela and was promptly hired by HBO Latin America’s graphic design department. The award-winning marketing and design firm Blast Radius was founded by VFS graduates Gurval Caer, Lee Feldman, and Steve Harmer. The company’s clients include BMW, Heineken, Nike and Nintendo. VFS measures its success by the accomplishments of its students. We’re proud to have been a part of a life-changing experience for alumni the world over. GAMES Within a month of graduation, 8 of VFS’s first Game Design grads were working for game companies in Vancouver including: Tara Mustapha and Kyle Mohammed at Backbone Entertainment; Charles Lavigne, Yoni Rabinowitz, and Chris Klein at Electronic Arts; and Peter Gahn and Paul Parsons at Propaganda Games. Sound Design grad Tony Prescesky works for Ubisoft Entertainment as a game sound designer. He recently worked on Splinter Cell: Essentials for Sony PSP. VFS MEDIA CONTACT If you are a journalist and need information about VFS, please contact our Public Relations Department. We’ll be happy to help you. Naomi Thomas E. naomit@vfs.com T. +1 604.631.3053 F. +1 604.685.5830 TF. 1.800.661.4101 (within North America) Vancouver Film School | Where Results Matter Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Inter-Departmental Collaborations At Vancouver Film School (VFS), there’s always dozens of productions in the works at a given time – films, TV pilots, commercials, games, demo reels – and all of them can benefit from collaboration. Here are some examples of students at VFS combining forces: FOUNDATION – SOUND DESIGN The Foundation program requires students to develop a final project in the field of their choice. Foundation students who choose to do animations, films, or multimedia websites are paired with a sound designer with whom they build their project’s audio component. The sound designer must discern the Foundation student’s creative desires. WRITING – FILM PRODUCTION Throughout the year, both alumni and current students of the Writing program generate short film scripts which, in turn, can be used by a Film student for one of their main projects. This relationship mimics the way directors, producers, and screenwriters collaborate in the industry. FILM PRODUCTION – ACTING This 4-day mini-production is the students’ first opportunity for collaboration. Students audition, cast, and direct actors from the Acting program, building a foundation for interaction with actors that informs mid and final-term film projects. CLASSICAL ANIMATION – SOUND DESIGN – ACTING Classical Animation students who require voice audio for their final films are paired with a Sound Design student during the recording of “prelay,” an audio schematic that enables the artist to animate a character’s lip motion. In addition, students from the Acting program are frequently called upon to perform the dialogue. DIGITAL DESIGN – FILM PRODUCTION Film students work closely with VFS Digital Designers to make films festival-ready. Teams of digital designers conceptualize, develop, pitch, and produce high-quality festival press kits. These kits dramatically increase a film’s likelihood of being screened at festivals. WRITING – ACTING – MAKEUP In the Portfolio Shorts course, Writing students write 3-4 minute short films that are then directed by respected local directors and star VFS alumni and professional actors from the Vancouver film community. Students from the Makeup program frequently collaborate on shoot day. GAME DESIGN – SOUND DESIGN Game Design teams bring their major project – a playable game – to Sound Design students for a game sound mix, bringing the games up to professionallevel quality. ALL DEPARTMENTS All programs collaborate with the VFS Marketing department to pitch advertising campaigns and product commercials. FILM PRODUCTION – ACTING In this very early collaboration, Film Production students get a chance to work with real actors on a semi-improvised scene, which Actors block out and the Film Production directors perfect. Film Production students learn how to give direction while Acting students learn how to receive it. MULTI-DEPARTMENT Mid-term and final films comprise the bulk of Film students’ portfolios. Talent from all over the school – including sound designers, actors, makeup artists, and screenwriters – is called upon to create these projects, resulting in truly collaborative efforts. Sound Design students, in particular, contribute to these films, providing spotting, pre-mix and final mix sessions, incorporating music, ADR, and Foley. MAKEUP – ACTING In collaboration with the Acting department, students serve as makeup artists during the shooting of a short film. The scripts used are written in-house – often involving a fantastical or mythical creature – specifically to showcase the artistic talent of Makeup students, while Acting students experience the rigors of a makeup-heavy production. This experience makes for a unique and engaging portfolio addition for both Makeup and Acting students. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Inter-Departmental Collaborations DIGITAL DESIGN – WRITING Design students create professional quality opening title sequences for Writing students’ Portfolio Shorts films. FOUNDATION – WRITING In Documentary class, writing students hear documentary idea pitches from Foundation Visual Art & Design students. The writers select a documentary to work on, and, together with the Foundation student director, research and write a treatment for the doc. The most promising projects are produced by the Foundation class. WRITING – ACTING Sketch Comedy class guides the students in the creation of a “variety show” packed with comedy sketches. A director from the community guides the writers through casting and rehearsal and employs students and alumni from the Acting Department. Believe it or not, these are only examples of collaboration between departments at VFS. New collaborations are constantly being added to the curriculum, and informal collaborations are strongly encouraged. This can lead to, for example, a 3D animator working with a writer, or a game designer bringing in an actor to perform voice over. VFS students know they’ve got an amazing pool of talent and expertise to draw from, and they regularly form their own collaborations so everyone graduates with a) the best portfolios possible, and b) an extended network of potential future collaborators. ACTING – WRITING In Writer/Director/Actor Lab, Writing students select one scene from anything they’ve written to be cast, performed, and then re-written based on feedback by a respected local director. Acting students get a chance to interact with writers in a simple, intimate setting. 3D – GAME DESIGN Using Softimage XSI (a prominent 3D software package) Game Design students and 3D Animation students collaborate on the design of a 3D set and a cast of characters which are ready for use in a game environment. This collaboration encourages networking between these two closely related fields. VFS MEDIA CONTACT If you are a journalist and need information about VFS, please contact our Public Relations Department. We’ll be happy to help you. Naomi Thomas E. naomit@vfs.com T. +1 604.631.3053 F. +1 604.685.5830 TF. 1.800.661.4101 (within North America) Vancouver Film School | Where Results Matter DIGITAL DESIGN – ALL DEPARTMENTS VFS regularly hosts industry bigwigs who hear pitches from VFS students, faculty, and alumni. Most recently, VFS welcomed production executives from Lions Gate Studios, one of the world’s largest independent film studios, as well as David Warden, a Hollywood agent. For these occasions, Digital Designers are called upon to assist with the design of eye-catching, one-page plot synopses. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT Did You Know? There are all sorts of amazing things about Vancouver Film School (VFS) you may not know. Here are just a few reasons why VFS is head of the class. THE SCHOOL Over a thousand students graduate from VFS every year. VFS has green screens for Animators to do motion capture; a Dolby 5.1 theatre for Sound Design; multiple computer labs and industry-standard software for all students; editing suites and HD cameras for Film; and two movie theatres. The cost of tuition at VFS is a clear savings over a four-year program offering a similar education. VFS is always On Location, visiting cities across the globe in countries like Brazil, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, United States, and across Canada. In early 2008, VFS was named the top school in Canada and fifth worldwide in 3D World Magazine's 'Ivy League' ranking of animation schools. VFS has the top school channel on YouTube (youtube.com/vancouverfilmschool), with more than 17,000 subscribers. The VFS student films shown on YouTube have combined for over 14 million views. Vancouver is the perfect place to study media, arts, and entertainment. We’ve been home to productions like X-Men and Battlestar Galactica and game companies like Electronic Arts and Propaganda Games. Students study just blocks away from major film and television production companies, casting agents, game developers, web developers, animation houses, and post production houses. VFS regularly holds focus groups with students and graduates to ensure future students get the best education possible. VFS student projects are submitted to national and international competitions and festivals at no cost to the student. The VFS website, vfs.com, has a free job board that any graduate of the school can access for hot job prospects. THE PEOPLE VFS graduates have worked on the popular family films Ratatouille, The Ant Bully, Chicken Little, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ice Age 2, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Robots, Shrek the Third, and Alvin & the Chipmunks. VFS instructors don’t just teach – they’re active in their fields, working on TV series, films, advertising and branding, and video games. LucasArts, Pixar, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Electronic Arts, Dreamworks SKG, Blast Radius, Oddworld Games, and many other major companies are members of our esteemed advisory board. Kevin Smith attended the Film Production program at VFS. He didn’t graduate, but it was at VFS that Kevin met his longtime producer, Scott Mosier. And there’s MUCH more to know! Got questions about VFS? Just ask. VFS MEDIA CONTACT If you are a journalist and need information about VFS, please contact our Public Relations Department. We’ll be happy to help you. Naomi Thomas E. naomit@vfs.com T. +1 604.631.3053 F. +1 604.685.5830 TF. 1.800.661.4101 (within North America) Vancouver Film School | Where Results Matter Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Testimonials At VFS, we measure the success of our programs by what our students, alumni, and respected members of the industry have to say about us. Here’s a sample of what people are saying about the VFS experience. INDUSTRY TESTIMONIALS “To be a respected makeup artist in today’s film world requires more than a standard makeup education; it requires attending the VFS Makeup Design program and learning from the best.” — Howard Berger, Academy Award-Winning Makeup Artist, The Chronicles of Narnia, Kill Bill “Because I make independent films, I need to see the complete picture from beginning to end. That’s what VFS has taught me.” — Bertrand Norman, Award-Winning Documentarian [Film Production] “Dave [Warfield] has done a wonderful job of establishing and running the Game Design program at VFS. His years of development experience show not only in the program’s curriculum but in the quality of the students that they are graduating into the gaming field. The graduates I’ve hired from VFS all have a solid base of skills, a strong knowledge of game design, and a firm grasp of the development process.” — Chuck Osieja, Studio VP / Executive Producer, Electronic Arts “I just remember telling myself to erase everything I had ever learned and to open up and absorb everything that was given to me… It was one of the best years of my life to date. I learned so much. I can’t even begin to explain it. Because of VFS, I get to live my dream.” — Jovanna Huguet, Actor on Supernatural, Blade: The Series [Acting for Film & Television] “This school has a reputation for creating high quality work. One of the reasons we’ve come here is that we realized there’s been a lot of diversity and versatility in the work that’s coming out of the school. It’s really opened our eyes.” — Matt Omernick, Art Director, LucasArts “One of the hardest things for visual effects students to do is rein in our imaginations. Because I was already familiar with the right computer programs, I was able to get to work without wasting a lot of time training, and even help out other people that were there. I found that in the industry your workload can ebb and flow slightly but long hours are more the rule than the exception. You need to be able to deal with sustained periods of long hours and hard work, so VFS really prepared me.” — Chad Moffitt, Academy-Award Winning Animator on Lord of the Rings [Digital Character Animation] ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS “They had to apply mud to the Caribs, natives of the central and the northern parts of South America, and most didn’t know how. Once I told them I was a graduate from VFS, I was in.” — Janelle Henderson, Makeup for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest [Makeup for Film & Television] "It’s a school that really helps open a lot of doors, the teachers are amazing, and it is literally boot camp for your creative soul and tech skills." — Caitlin Kaposhilin, Pump Audio [Sound Design] “There was a screening of our class’s work and someone attending the screening noticed my name on 12 projects. She went home afterwards and mentioned me to her boyfriend, who was a Producer/Director at a local commercial/music video production house. He came into work the next day and found my resume on his desk. He called me in, took a look at my reel, and hired me right away.” — Scott Weber, Director of the feature film Desolation Sound [Film Production] “The first word that comes to mind when I think of VFS is ‘progressive’. They are constantly evolving the program to better suit the career objectives of its participants.” — Miles Nurse, Producer, Riptown [Digital Media] Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Testimonials “VFS was the door to another world in every way. It was in another country, in a new culture, and of course, it offered new knowledge. All that I know about video and audio production and post-production I learned at VFS. I loved everything about VFS – the people, the teachers, the environment, and the fact that we had access to the equipment and the campus 24/7.” — Ivan Mosquera, Senior Editor, MuchMusic Bogota [Digital Design] “At VFS, you live and breathe a production environment. Now that I’m working at DNA, I can see how every step I followed in the production of my student reel was very similar to the process of making a feature film in a studio.” — Ernesto Bottger, Character Animator for The Ant Bully [3D Animation & Visual Effects] “I came in looking at it as a year-long job interview, and I got my job because I worked my butt off in one particular teacher’s class who then said ‘we have to hire this person’. You can’t think of this as school. This is industry experience. If you go into the program and you think of it that way, you will get a job in the industry because you are working with people from the industry.” — Paul Parsons, Assistant Game Designer, Propaganda Games [Game Design] “There were a lot of reasons why I chose VFS: The first being the faculty and the second being the glorious city of Vancouver. It was the first time in my life I ever felt like I was somewhere I belonged.” — Tamara Knoss, Lead Animator at Amaze Entertainment [Classical Animation] “I wanted to get more out of my education than just recording arts. VFS Sound Design was the perfect opportunity to couple my learning experience with visual media.” — Jaidene Veda, Award-Winning Musician and Sound Designer [Sound Design] “Foundation was boot camp. Try to imagine doing back flips with one arm, only three fingers, and a constant yearning to sleep, while taking notes in a lecture. It was a lot to take in, but it was worth it.” — Chris Abbas, Designer, Lightroom FX [Foundation Visual Art & Design, Digital Design] “The immersive nature of the writing program at VFS was critical to my identity as a burgeoning writer.” — Angelo Eidse, Screenwriter/Filmmaker in L.A. [Writing for Film & Television] “My VFS experience prepared me for this move by making me certain about who I was. I wouldn’t have come here if I were not extremely sure of what I was about.” — David Luce, Development, Documentary/Reality TV company in L.A. [Writing for Film & Television] VFS MEDIA CONTACT If you are a journalist and need information about VFS, please contact our Public Relations Department. We’ll be happy to help you. Naomi Thomas E. naomit@vfs.com T. +1 604.631.3053 F. +1 604.685.5830 TF. 1.800.661.4101 (within North America) Vancouver Film School | Where Results Matter “It was intensive and there would be lots of young actors who I could share my experience with. Also, they gave me a DVD of the work I had done that I could show to potential agents.” — Clifton Murray, Co-star of She’s the Man [Acting for Film & Television] Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Heads of Departments Vancouver Film School (VFS) Heads of Department are established professionals who have achieved excellence in their fields. Their dedication to education stems from their creative passion and their desire to give something back to the community. larry bafia HEAD OF ANIMATION An animator who works with numerous media, Larry started his career in stop motion and claymation before moving into CGI. During his seven year tenure as Commercial Animation Director at PDI/Dreamworks, Larry directed commercials for many top clients including Coca-Cola, Sega, Intel, Kraft, Circle K, and Saturn. While with PDI/Dreamworks, Larry was also Sequence Lead Animator on several hit films including Antz, Batman & Robin, A Simple Wish, and was a Sequence Animation Supervisor for Mission Impossible II. In addition, Larry served as Animation Supervisor for the Stop Motion Division on Tim Burton’s feature Mars Attacks. In 2002, Larry founded his own CGI company Blam! Animation. As the company’s Creative Director, Larry continues to develop commercials with animated characters. bill marchant HEAD OF ACTING FOR FILM & TELEVISION AND ACTING ESSENTIALS An actor, director, and writer, Bill's feature film Everyone won Best Canadian Film at the Montreal World Film Festival and played to sold-out houses at over thirty festivals around the world. Nominated for four Leo awards, the film was also released in the United States and Britain. Bill's most recent short film, By The Hour, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Bill played the recurring role of Don Marcos on the popular Canadian television show Da Vinci's Inquest and previously had a recurring role as Adrian Conrad on the sci-fi series Stargate SG-1. He was one of the leads alongside Adam Arkin and Amy Madigan in Murder on Pleasant Drive, had a role in Mount Pleasant, and in the last few years has appeared on Intelligence, Blood Ties, Painkiller Jane, The 4400, and The Dead Zone. He has written and directed numerous short films and plays, including Clown Elections, A Cure for Happiness, and his latest - the epic family drama Ashes. In addition to filmmaking, Bill is an accomplished musician. In 1999 he co-released the album Odlum, songs from which have played on FOX’s Higher Ground, Queer as Folk, CBC, and the feature film Suspicious River. As a fiction writer, Marchant has published several short stories and numerous poems. 2005 saw the release of his first book of poetry entitled Auguries. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Heads of Departments sebastien de castell HEAD OF DIGITAL DESIGN Conceiving at an early age that one’s career should be crafted by their ambitions rather than established conventions, Sebastien has embraced a variety of interests: he’s a certified PMI Project Management Professional, a licensed fencing instructor, and an award-winning fight choreographer. He played the lead role in a 2006 feature film, Harvest Project. Sebastien has also worked as a development consultant and project lead in the IT sector since 1986. His clients have included such high profile organizations as the BC Government, Finning Canada, and Prospera Metals, while others have engaged him to provide project management and development solutions for mission-critical projects. In 1993 Sebastien worked with Apple's Research Partnership Program, a joint venture between Apple Canada and BC universities, to foster innovative interactive projects in the academic context. His creative solutions for teaching difficult material eventually propelled Sebastien to join the VFS Digital Design program, which he has helped to shape since its inception. During that time, Sebastien pioneered the Client Group Project and improved the Project Management curriculum. The guiding principle behind Sebastien’s vision for the Digital Design program is his conviction that “design” transcends simple graphic design and is, instead, a method for world reconfiguration. ken ashdown HEAD OF ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MANAGEMENT As a former music journalist, musician, indie label entrepreneur and major label VP, Ken has worked some of the music industry's biggest stars including Shania Twain, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, Dire Straits, New Order, David Bowie, the Pixies and U2. He remains the only Canadian senior executive to have held senior management positions at a major label and a core MP3 technology company. Ken has served as Vice President at PolyGram Group Canada (Mercury/Polydor division) and at QDesign Corporation, a leading provider of advanced digital audio compression technologies. As a guest lecturer he has spoken at colleges across Canada and in the U.K. His national and international media appearances include the CBC, MuchMusic, and the Globe and Mail. An award-winning, certified adult educator, Ken has been described as a “master teacher” and holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Music Business Management from the University of Westminster in London, England. His book, Music Marketing in Canada, is being edited while he prepares for the relaunch of his independent label, Waste Island Records. Ken is an associate of Action Dialogue, Inc., an Ottawa-based conflict management and organization development consulting firm, and is a committed environmentalist. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Heads of Departments david hauka HEAD OF FILM PRODUCTION David has been making films for over twenty years. His first feature Impolite earned him a nomination as Best Director of a First Feature Film from the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television in 1993. Other directing credits include the award-winning half hour film Solus and music videos for artists Sarah McLachlan, Hilt, Consolidated, and Lava Hay. Producing credits include Whale Music – which opened both the Vancouver and Toronto International Film Festivals in 1994 – and The Fisherman and his Wife. David has worked in production for Miramax, Disney, Universal, ABC, CBS and MGM. His latest short film, Dream, is competing in this year’s Arhus Festival of the Arts in Denmark. ted jones HEAD OF FOUNDATION VISUAL ART & DESIGN Ted began his career in television 25 years ago while working as a weather personality, promotions manager, and as voice over talent for CHAT Television, a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) affiliate in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Ted moved on to become a successful assistant director, director, and production manager. By 1985, he was hired as an assistant director by Access Network, where he quickly acquired directing and production manager roles. In 1990, Ted directed the Access Network documentary Petroleum: River of Energy, which received the coveted Prix de Lausanne at the International Film Festival on Energy in Lausanne, Switzerland. Ted has continued to work as a director and production manager on numerous award-winning television productions. After teaching TV production for eight years, Ted moved to Los Angeles and founded E.G. Communications, a digital multimedia production company. In 2000, Ted received recognition from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for his directorial abilities in the motion picture and television industry. Ted is a voting member of The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in the Television Director Division. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Heads of Departments dave warfield HEAD OF GAME DESIGN A game designer who has worked in the industry for fifteen years, Dave comes to VFS directly from Electronic Arts, one of the most successful video game companies in the world. As a senior producer for EA, Dave helped produce and design NHL 2005. In addition to NHL 2005, he has worked on 24 published video game titles including EA’s NBA Live and Skitchin’, Konami’s NFL, Mission: Impossible, Top Gun: Danger Zone, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and NEC’s Champions Forever Boxing. Before starting his career in gaming, Dave educated himself for over a decade in the arcades of Vancouver cutting his teeth on such classics as Asteroids, Zaxxon, and Space Invaders. He worked four years selling games and computers just as Nintendo and Sega were revolutionizing the video game industry, and his knowledge of every game on the market led to his being noticed and hired by Distinctive Software (now EA). Having worked his way from retail through production, Dave is intimately familiar with all the dimensions of video game production. His experience with project planning, competitive analysis, sound design, quality assurance, legal issues, and developing working relationships with leagues and players gives him the perspective needed to direct the multidisciplinary VFS Game Design program. charles porlier HEAD OF MAKEUP DESIGN FOR FILM & TELEVISION An award-winning artist, Charles received an Emmy for his prosthetic makeup work on actor William H. Macy in TNT’s Door to Door, and was nominated in the same category for the Spielberg/DreamWorks mini-series Taken. He also won an Emmy for his work on TNT’s Kissinger and Nixon, received a 2003 Canadian Network of Makeup Artists award for Door to Door, and was nominated for Best Makeup in the feature film category for his work on Tim Allen in The Santa Clause 2. In 2000, Charles received a Saturn award nomination (Science Fiction Academy Award) for his work on The Sixth Day. In his 25 year career, Charles has played a key role in makeup departments for numerous box office hits like Thirteen Ghosts, Mission to Mars, Double Jeopardy, Jumanji, and the recent Universal picture Connie and Carla Do L.A. As Key Makeup Effects Artist on X-Men II, he helped create the unforgettable character Night Crawler, played by Alan Cumming. Charles is a regular guest lecturer at schools and conventions, and is a contributor to Flare and Makeup Artist Magazine. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL | MEDIA KIT VFS Heads of Departments robert grieve HEAD OF SOUND DESIGN FOR VISUAL MEDIA An award-winning motion picture soundtrack designer, Robert earned an Emmy for his work on the HBO film 61*, a Genie for The Changeling, two Golden Reel awards for Wolfen and Wyatt Earp, and an Oscar Nomination for Best Sound on Silverado. He has also received three Golden Reel nominations, for Dreamcatcher, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and just recently, Walk Hard. Bob has worked with virtually every major Hollywood studio, including Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Paramount, Sony and MGM. Over his 25-year career, Robert's work as Supervising Sound Editor has appeared in many modern film classics, including Body Heat, The Big Chill, The Big Easy, Broadcast News, Zoolander, Pretty in Pink, The Accidental Tourist, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Robert recently finished work on Walk Hard and Drillbit Taylor. maria jacquemetton HEAD OF WRITING FOR FILM & TELEVISION After earning an M.S. in Film Production from Boston University College of Communication, Maria worked in broadcast television and documentary filmmaking in the Boston market before pursuing a screenwriting career in Los Angeles. Maria has worked at major Hollywood studios including Paramount, Universal, and Sony as well as in the independent film community. She has written on-staff, as a freelancer, has developed original television pilots, and has won numerous screenwriting competitions including the ABC/Walt Disney Company Writing Fellowship. Her screenplay, Billboard Dad, was the first Fellowship project ever produced. With her writing partner, André Jacquemetton, Maria has written for some of the most well known television shows in history, including Star Trek: Enterprise, Baywatch, Relic Hunter, and Highlander. Maria is currently writing for the new AMC drama series Mad Men. Vancouver Film School 200 - 198 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 1H2 Phone: 604.685.5808 or Toll free in North America: 1.800.661.4101 vfs.com/pressroom