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Vancouver Film School

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Vancouver Film School
File:Vfs logo small.jpg
Established1987
PresidentJames Griffin
Location
Vancouver
,
British Columbia
,
Canada
WebsiteVancouver Film School

Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition.[1]

20th anniversary

As part of the school's upcoming 20th anniversary in 2007, in August 2006 over a million dollars was set aside in scholarships for new students.[1]

VFS Campuses

Vancouver Film School has six campuses located in the downtown core of Vancouver[2]:

198 West Hastings Street

Administration, Admissions, Acting for Film & Television and Makeup Design for Film & Television

420 Homer Street

Student Services, Digital Design, Game Design and the VFS Café

  • Homer Street Campus
    Homer Street Campus

400 West Hastings Street

Film Production

815 West Hastings Street

Writing for Film, TV & Interactive Media

1380 Burrard Street

3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Digital Character Animation, Sound Design for Visual Media, and Foundation Visual Art & Design

The City of Vancouver

Vancouver is surrounded by a natural landscape formed by the meeting of the Pacific Ocean and the coastal mountains of British Columbia. The city is at once the northern tip of the Pacific Northwest, the western border of the transcontinental highway, the North American port-of-entry for the Pacific Rim, and the last urban outpost before the polar frontier. Bordered by some of the last remaining temperate wilderness in the world, Vancouver's health consciousness, multiculturalism, beaches, vibrant nightlife, and thriving arts culture contribute to a unique environment for learning.

Weather

The climate of Vancouver is mild since the city is situated in the temperate rainforest region of the Pacific Northwest. In summer, the days are generally long, warm and sunny, with relatively low humidity (people in Vancouver often use fans instead of air conditioning to keep cool in summer time). Summer nights tend to be mild and clear.

Being part of the rainforest region means Vancouver sees its share of rain, particularly between November and April, though the rain is usually gentle. In winter time, people dress warmly and keep a raincoat and umbrella handy. The benefit to all this rain is that the city remains lush and green all year round. While the mountains around Vancouver get snow throughout the winter, the city itself rarely gets snowfall for more than a couple days each winter.

Average Daytime Temperatures

Spring 14C/57F Summer 22C/72F Fall 14C/57F Winter 6C/43F

Neighbourhoods

There are housing options in the vicinity of VFS. Students often work long and unusual hours at VFS, so it is suggested they try to find accommodation within walking distance of the school in a neighbourhood such as Strathcona, Yaletown, or in the West End. Other areas that are nearby and accessible by public transportation include: Mount Pleasant , East Vancouver and Kitsilano.


History

VFS opened its doors in April, 1987 to a class of six film students. Twenty years later, the school now graduates over 1100 students a year.

Timeline

  • April 1987: VFS launches the Film Production program
  • February 1994: Classical Animation program launches
  • February 1995: 3D Animation & Visual Effects launches
  • June 1998: Digital Character Animation launches
  • May 1999: Writing for Film, TV & Interactive Media launches
  • January 2000: Makeup Design for Film & Television launches
  • April 2002: Sound Design for Visual Media launches
  • May 2003: Foundation Visual Art & Design launches
  • August 2004: Digital Design launches
  • October 2004: Game Design launches
  • May 2005: Acting for Film & Television launches
  • February 2006: Entertainment Business Management program and Houdini™ Certification programs launch
  • August 2006: the VFS $1 Million Scholarship launch


Programs

Vancouver Film School offers fourteen full-time, one year programs for the entertainment arts. The programs incorporate theoretical instruction and hands-on production. Students finish a program with a demo reel, short animated or live-action film, or a professional portfolio of their work.

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 the studio and on location.
Makeup Design for Film & TV
Makeup students learn set etiquette, script breakdown, and film terminology, and a study of celebrity makeup, film and television makeup, and special effects makeup.
Digital Design
Digital Design students work with live video, Flash, animation, graphic design, and numerous digital tools. Students use typography, colour, composition, motion, interactivity, and sound to build user experiences.
Game Design
Students train to be game designers, learning visual storytelling, to level design principles, to the production process, ultimately creating playable games themselves.
Writing for Film, TV, and Interactive Media
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.
Acting for Film & TV
Acting students study 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.
Acting Essentials
Intended for beginners, this four month course prepares students to enter the full time 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.
3D Animation & Visual Effects
3D Animation students learn classical forms of storytelling through a study of motion, life drawing, composition, character design, sculpture, storyboarding, lighting, and art direction in order to create a short animated movie, a modeling reel, or visual effects demo reel.
Digital Character Animation
This is a six month program for experienced classical animators, whereby students broaden their skill set by combining cinematic storytelling, classical animation techniques, and digital operating environments to create compelling 3D animated characters
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.
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.
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 develop as artists as they prepare for other VFS production programs.
Entertainment Business Management
Entertainment Business Management equips students to handle the business affairs of artists and entertainers by combining the study of economics, law, and communications. As part of the education, students work with professional artists from film & television, music, video games, and interactive media.
Houdini Certification
Film production facilities rely on Houdini to help them create feature film effects and character animation. In this intensive program, students train and become certified in this industry-standard software.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ http://www.multimedia.edu/thisisvfs.php?section=press_room&news_id=488
  2. ^ http://www.vfs.com/lifeatvfs.php?section=campuses


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