Right now, something amazing is happening on the VFS Entertainment Business Management campus: a groundbreaking, truly unprecedented cross-discipline project that’s tapping the expertise of students and alumni from programs across VFS. Visual effects artists, actors, makeup artists, designers… they’re all bringing their talents to bear on a project guided by EBM students.
It’s called The Interactive Lovecraft, affectionately known by the internal codename Project Space Squid, and it’s bringing new life to the work of legendary sci-fi/horror writer HP Lovecraft, whose tales of insanity, monsters, cults, and impossibly old gods, are hugely influential to this day.
Teams of VFS students and alumni are creating a cutting-edge transmedia interactive magazine experience for the tablet marketplace, and laying the foundations of a model that future students will be able to experience with other public domain work as part of the Entertainment Business Management program. The end result – incorporating text, video, and games – will include adaptations of five seminal Lovecraft stories: The Call of C’Thulhu, Dagon, The Dunwich Horror, The Rats in the Walls, and The Music of Erich Zann.
Here is an excellent teaser video they’ve put together, explaining the project’s development and showing a lot of the progress so far.
The Interactive Lovecraft will be available to the public in the fall, and, in the spirit of public domain and open source, all proceeds from its sales will go to the Wikimedia Foundation.
In the meantime, the students and grads are keeping an active development blog, where you can find all the latest and get real insight into what goes into creating a project of this magnitude.
As we posted last week, The Hurt Locker‘s Academy Award-winning Sound Mixer Ray Beckettis at VFS all week starting today, where he’ll be meeting with students and sharing his experiences. We are, in a word, excited. We’re so glad our students will have the chance to learn from him.
But if you’re not a student, what does it all mean for you? Well, we’ve found some time in his busy schedule to sit down for a video interview – and we want your questions! Wondering about how he got his start? The life of a sound mixer? His experiences on The Hurt Locker? Where he keeps his Oscar?
Ask away, either right here in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter! We’ll compile them and he’ll answer on camera! You only have until Wednesday to submit, though, so don’t take too much time to think up some good ones!
At the time, his screenplay “Hanna” was attracting a lot of attention from Hollywood gatekeepers like the management company Circle of Confusion and the William Morris Agency. The script then landed in the enviable top 10 of the Black List — “an industry popularity contest of the most liked screenplays,” Seth explained back in 2007.
Hannahas now taken a giant step toward meeting its reported release date target of April 8, 2011. IMDB lists numerous shooting locations throughout Europe, and big-name stars such as Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana have added their talents to the La Femme Nikita-inspired tale of a 14-year-old assassin (played by Saoirse Ronan) who is sent out on a killing mission by her ex-CIA operative father.
Even with a big name director like Joe Wright (Atonement), there are many industry hoops Hanna must still jump through to make its way to theatres, but considering these positive developments — and all of our crossed fingers — we’ll all hopefully be lining up to see it next spring!
Saturday, May 8th is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, a day to encourage action toward finding solutions for some of our world’s most startling challenges to human rights and dignity. We’ve seen plenty of examples of positive global action for change in the face of severe disasters, such as the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami or this year’s earthquake in Haiti.
But there are many problems that we can’t see, like violent conflicts with deep and complex roots that aren’t as media friendly. Those “Invisible Wars” pose a tough question: how can you help if you’re not aware of the problem?
They came out in droves, they packed the Biltmore nightclub, and they celebrated an incredible diversity of talent from VFS. In every way, the Spring 2010 VFS Impact Awards were a massive hit!
The VFS Impact Awards are an event created and carried out by Entertainment Business Management students as part of their one-year curriculum. But they’re also a chance to fête an amazing array of white-hot student work from all 13 programs.
Highlighted by an array of multicultural entertainment and a ridiculously awesome buffet, the event saw winners in 12 categories. Without further adieu, here they are! Congrats to all!
The More Than The Sum Of Its Parts Award An exceptional project that incorporates multiple media to produce a resulting experience that is more impactful than any one element of the property Curtis Churn and Yu Hsin Feng, Sound Design for Visual Media, Noise
The Difference Maker Award A project with demonstrated significant social impact Raylene McEachern, Film Production, Hide No More
The Outstanding Performance Award An exceptional performance in a project, whether acting, dancing, fighting, singing, speaking, playing music or simply performing super human feats Dave Lennon, Acting for Film & Television, Appealing to Women
The Outstanding Character Design Award For envisioning and giving life to a new character that is especially inspiring, beautiful or simply very unique Scott Sawchuk, Acting for Film & Television, Phil
The Zero-To-Sixty Award An exceptional project created by a student or team with no prior knowledge of associated software, equipment, or methodologies Calder Archinuk, Jeffrey Cheng, Jonathan Hudson, Nathaniel Sinn, and Jordan Whitlock, Game Design, Eat ‘Em Up
The Public Enlightenment Award An exceptional project that makes simple a complex subject, makes common obscure knowledge, or provides a new and unique way of looking at something previously considered mundane Ana Mendez, Ezra Istiroti, Jordan Scott, and Ehab Kamal, Digital Design, Terms & Conditions
The Emotional Impact Award An exceptional project which creates an emotional connection between the audience and the content Arielle Tuliao, Jared Paul Abrahamson, Rachel Wegener, Whitney Underwood, Devon Copico, and Kyle Cossairt, Acting For Film & Television, Come Home Soon
The Outstanding Setting Design Award For envisioning and giving life to a new world/setting that is especially inspiring, beautiful or simply very unique Mario Brioschi, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Maybe One Morning
The Friend of VFS Industry Award Industry professionals, organizations, and companies that have gone above and beyond the call of duty in providing opportunities for VFS students Next Level Games
The Technical Achievement Award Outstanding display of technical prowess in the student’s field as demonstrated through exceptional project execution Meena Ibrahim, Digital Character Animation, Change
The Storyteller Award An exceptional project that takes us on a creative journey and leaves a lasting impression Katelynn Dey, Writing for Film & Television, Red Light Go
The Mission Impossible Award They said it couldn’t be done… exceptionally ambitious or complex project scope that was successfully pulled off in the end Jeffrey Cheng, Patrick Donaghy, Russ Ding, Garrett Schram, and John Brunkhart, Game Design, Pollen Nation
And finally, here’s a sweet photo gallery from the evening, telling the story better than we ever could!
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like inside a full-time VFS program, we’ve got just the thing for you.
The 2010 Summer Intensive Programs, beginning in July, give you the chance to spend 5 days with us, learning from our top instructors, in one of 9 intense and fun programs. Each Summer Intensive’s curriculum is carefully designed to give you a valuable educational experience, and Summer Intensive fees can be applied toward your VFS tuition if you choose to pursue a full-time program.
Week-long programs include Acting, Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Design, Film Production, Foundation Visual Art & Design, Game Design, Makeup Design, Sound Design, and Writing.
Last year’s Summer Intensives were a huge hit, attracting students from 18 countries around the world. It was a great time, and participants forged lasting connections while getting an exclusive sneak peek at what VFS is all about.
Seats are very limited! (Our Film Production Intensive has already sold out, but if you’re hoping to join us for that program, we highly recommend signing up to the waiting list – more on that soon.) Find out more about the 2010 VFS Summer Intensives and register now at vfs.com/summer2010.
Extra! We’re giving one Twitter user a chance to join us for our Digital Design Intensive for free! To find out more about our Tweet for a Seat competition, visit vfs.com/tweet!
He’s worked closely with Canadian actor-writer-director Don McKeller on a number of occasions, but most recently on the “rockudrama” This Movie is Broken, which blends live concert footage of Broken Social Scene with a fictional storyline weaved throughout. The project was conceived and executed on a whim — illustrating just how well-connected Niv Fichman is in Canada.
According to Niv, This Movie is Broken was dreamt up on a Wednesday, when Don McKeller and Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew were in a bar chatting about how fun it would be to shoot a film using live footage from one of the band’s concerts. That night Don called Niv – who was in Rome at the time – and asked if he could help get this project made.
“When are you shooting it?” Niv asked.
“Saturday,” Don said.
Niv started making calls and, by the week’s end, he and the rest of the team had raised almost half a million dollars for the film. [Amazing!]
While that feature came together at breakneck speed, Niv admits they’re not all so easy. He spent 4 years fundraising for Passchendale.
“We have a very particular limit on the level of money you can raise in this country, which you have to live with,” Niv explained. Though that’s not to suggest he’d ever consider working just for the money somewhere else. “I’m a Canadian and I don’t want to betray that,” he said. “I like to think I’m a person of the world, but I’m deeply Canada-centric.”
With experience producing films in many Canadian cities, small and large, Niv explained to students that they could make Canadian films without plastering maple leafs and hockey sticks all over the place. Right now in his career, he’s mainly concerned with making accessible films audiences want to see — something he says the younger generation of filmmakers are getting better at all the time.
Vancouver Film School is hitting the road this May! We’ll be visiting Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary, before one last event back home here in Vancouver.
At each stop, you’ll get an inside look at how VFS prepares students for the kind of successes we’ve seen recently from our alumni, from contributing to 9 of the 10 highest grossing films of 2009 – including Avatar, Up, and Star Trek – to designing the signature visuals of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, and serving in key roles on huge game releases like Mass Effect 2.
It’s no secret our grads are at the top of their game. But how did they get there?
Find out when we visit your city. You’ll be able to learn more about whether VFS is right for you, the variety of one-year (or less) programs we offer, and how you can apply. Our Director of Admissions Benjamin Colling will be at every stop to offer valuable advice and answer any questions you might have.
Along with many millions of viewers just like you, we watched the Oscars last night. Many incredible (and some underappreciated) films were honoured, and it was a real source of pride for us to see all the love for District 9. Though it didn’t win, it brought some deservedly renewed attention to this sci-fi gem.
So we’d like to take this moment to join in the applause for our nominated graduates, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, as well as the many other alumni – especially those behind the film’s beautifully integrated visual effects – who made District 9 Oscar-worthy. And make no mistake – it was Oscar-worthy!
For Neill and Terri, especially, it’s a high point in what will surely be a long career. We haven’t seen the last of them on the red carpet!
We’re very pleased to announce an official partnership between Vancouver Film School and 5 Alarm Music, America’s largest independent production music library for film, television, radio, and commercials.
5 Alarm has contributed music to such productions as Transformers, A Christmas Carol, and HBO’s True Blood – and that’s just a tiny selection.
“VFS partnerships are very important to the student experience,” explains VFS Managing Director Marty Hasselbach. “5 Alarm Music is great example of an opportunity for students to have access to a phenomenal music library which truly enhances the work they create while they’re here. It also becomes the perfect go-to resource after they’ve graduated and enter their own production world.”
Cassie Lord, General Manager at 5 Alarm Music, tells us: “We’re excited to partner with VFS and believe that providing professional tools to students is a valuable asset to their education. Understanding music rights can be cumbersome and we want to aid their understanding of music licensing and gain an appreciation for production music.”
Everyone here at VFS is very proud to make this partnership official, and we look forward to seeing the results in action!
Not sure what these are?
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.
It’s been almost three years since 
The afternoon before his newest film, 
Along with many millions of viewers just like you, we watched the Oscars last night. Many incredible (and some underappreciated) films were honoured, and it was a real source of pride for us to see all the love for 
We’re very pleased to announce an official partnership between Vancouver Film School and