Vancouver Film School

Vancouver Film School

Type	Private
Established	1987 (1987)
President	James Griffin
Location	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Website	Vancouver Film School

Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition.^[1] The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver and comprises six buildings.^[2] As part of the school's 20th anniversary in 2007, in August 2006 one million dollars was set aside in scholarships for new students.^[3] In March, 2008, Vancouver Film School and YouTube launched a competition for three full-tuition scholarships for the creators of the three videos submitted and voted as favorites by the YouTube community.^[4]

History

VFS opened in January 1987 with a single class of six film students^[5] and has steadily expanded since. Recent milestones in the school's history include hosting the annual Game Design Expo in Vancouver, which began in January 2007,^[6] and partnering with YouTube to launch a 2008 scholarship competition for the creators of three videos submitted and voted upon by the YouTube community.^[4]

Programs

VFS offers one-year, hands-on production programs,^[7] including Film Production, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Acting for Film & Television, Digital Design, Entertainment Business Management, Foundation Visual Art & Design, Game Design, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, and Writing for Film & Television. The school also runs a four-month Acting Essentials course and a 6-month Digital Character Animation program.^[8]

Notable faculty

• Michael S. Baser, Head of Writing for Film & Television - writer/producer whose credits include Good Times, Three's Company, The Jeffersons, and Maude (TV series).
• Mark Busse, Instructor - Founder & Managing Director of Industrial Brand, Founder & Host of CreativeMornings in Vancouver, author of "Design School Didn't Tell You..." column in Design Edge Magazine.
• Stan Edmonds, Head of Makeup Design for Film & Television - Key Makeup Artist on The Butterfly Effect, Get Carter, and Scary Movie, and Makeup Department Head on I, Robot.
• Marv Newland, Instructor - Animator of the 1969 short Bambi Meets Godzilla.

Notable alumni

• Magda Apanowicz – actor known for her roles as Andy Jensen on the TV series Kyle XY and Lacy Rand on Caprica.
• Shakun Batra - Bollywood director of Kapoor & Sons" and "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu".
• Neill Blomkamp - Oscar nominated screenwriter and director of District 9.
• Anugrah Bohrey - writer of Best of Luck (2012 film) and Himmat Singh.
• Sara Canning - Series regular (Seasons 1 and 2) on the television series The Vampire Diaries as well as numerous film and television credits.
• Jonathan Cherry - actor in House of the Dead, Final Destination 2, and many other television and film productions.
• Colin Cunningham - actor in television and film on both sides of the border.
• Colin Davies - VFX Supervisor and partner and SPIN VFX in Toronto.
• Garth Dyke - actor, writer, director, and award-winning producer with Tellies and Promax awards to his credit
• Clint Eland - Founder & President of Mercury Filmworks, Canada's largest privately owned animation production studio.
• David Gratton - Founder and CEO of digital agency Work At Play.
• Hanna Hall - She is most known for her roles in Forrest Gump, The Virgin Suicides and the 2007 remake of Halloween.
• Dave Klein - cinematographer, best known for work with Kevin Smith.
• Neil Kopp - producer of Old Joy and director Gus Van Sant's 2007 film Paranoid Park for which Kopp won a 2008 Independent Spirit Award.^[9]
• John G. Lenic – TV producer and production manager best known for his work on Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe.
• Seth Lochhead - writer of Hanna.
• Alec McClymont^[10] - lead CGI artist and animator who shared a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects - Series on Battlestar Galactica. (2004 TV series)
• Niall Matter - actor, best known for Primeval: New World and Eureka.
• Jim Meier^[11] - Entertainment Executive.
• Chad Moffitt^[12] - Academy Award–winning animator on The Lord of the Rings^[13]
• Lon Molnar - co-founder, CEO, and senior visual effects supervisor at Toronto-based visual effects studio Intelligent Creatures.
• Scott Mosier - film producer, editor, and cameo actor who produced the Academy Award nominated documentary Salim Baba. He met Kevin Smith and cinematographer Dave Klein at VFS, and since graduating, the three have collaborated on the films in the View Askewniverse.^[14]
• Andrew Overtoom - Animation Director on SpongeBob SquarePants, for which he was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2004 and 2007.
• Emily Bett Rickards - Actress best known for her role as Felicity Smoak on Arrow.
• Kevin Smith - director of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl and Clerks II; Smith dropped out in 1993^[15] and was presented with an honorary diploma in 2005.^[16]
• Tara Spencer-Nairn - actor in Corner Gas.
• Jewel Staite - Canadian-born actress famous for her work on Joss Whedon's Firefly, and Stargate: Atlantis.
• Emilie Ullerup - actor in Sanctuary.
• James Wootton - Co-Director of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

See also

• Higher education in British Columbia

References

External links

Media related to Vancouver Film School at Wikimedia Commons

• Vancouver Film School
• The Canadian Film Centre Website
• The Worldwide Short Film Festival Website
• GIFTS indie film school official site

Universities in British Columbia
Public universities	British Columbia Capilano Emily Carr of Art and Design Fraser Valley Kwantlen Polytechnic Northern British Columbia Royal Roads Simon Fraser Thompson Rivers Vancouver Island Victoria
Private universities	Adler Canada West Fairleigh Dickinson Quest Trinity Western