Classical Animation grad Jacob Medjuck is either completely mad or a genius. With a devoted crew that included talented VFS alumni from Film Production, Sound Design, Foundation, and Digital Design, he wrote, directed, and co-starred in his first feature film Summerhood.

Jacob recently gave a special screening of the film and shared some war stories with current VFS students from Film Production, Digital Character Animation, Classical Animation, Acting, and Entertainment Business Management.

Everyone who attended would likely agree that the shooting of Summerhood was not without its drama.

After only two weeks of pre-production, Jacob’s team began to shoot a 140-page script with a large cast of child actors, all of whom had very limited work schedules and “hands-on” entourages. The impending winter weather threatened their filmic illusion of summertime. They were missing a lead actor, which meant Jacob had to step in and direct from in front of the camera. And then, to top it all off, their budget fell apart — coming out of pre-production, they only had a few grand with which to pay everyone.

“Every Monday we had $0, and every Friday we paid our cast,” Jacob explained. While shooting, he spent many lunch hours dialing for dollars, raising money to keep moving forward on his dream project.

In the end, he had a four-hour film that made no sense. It took another couple of years’ worth of re-editing footage before they finally had a film ready for audiences. Then came the challenge of finding distribution — the field to which Jacob now devotes much of his energy.

Not surprisingly, he’s got some interesting plans for the future…

You can read our recent VFS Blog interview with Jacob here or see more images from his talk on VFS’s flickr page here.

Following up on the success of Battlestar Galactica, series creator, writer, and producer (and all-around sci-fi guru) Ronald D. Moore launched the series pilot of Caprica last year, which featured Acting for Film & Television grad Magda Apanowicz.

This Friday, Caprica viewers will see Magda’s return when the series kicks off its first season on SPACE in Canada (airing on Syfy in the US).  It’s a huge milestone in Magda’s career and we couldn’t be more proud.

She recently offered her thoughts on her character in Caprica, her career, and how ill-timed dental work can threaten a crucial audition.

Hi, Magda. Thanks for answering a few questions for the blog. Could you start off by talking about what first drew you to acting?

Magda: I’ve never known the “for sure” answer of when acting started to draw me in, but I do remember the day I said it to myself. I was 10 years old, watching this movie over and over and over again, and don’t know if I said it to my mom or myself — “I want to do what they’re doing! I don’t know what it is but I want to do that!”.

At that age I didn’t know people got to do that. I didn’t know it was a job. I didn’t know that it was an option for people like me. Until I was about 13 or so I thought music and movies came with life, that they were staples; you’re born and it comes with movies and music (oh, young naïve Magda).

Although you already had a couple of smaller film credits to your name at the time, you came to VFS’s Acting for Film & Television program? Why?

Magda: Truth be told, I was lost. I started to panic! I was beginning to choke up in auditions. My stage fright was getting to me and I didn’t think I was good enough or deserved to be in the industry. I loved it SO MUCH but I knew I had to walk away from it for a while, figure out who I was what I had to offer, and acquire some tools. I needed to practice in a not-so-high-stakes environment. School was exactly what I needed, a place where I could make mistakes and the whole world wouldn’t see.

Has there been a “breakthrough moment” for you? A time when you felt you were truly on the right path?

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We previously blogged about Foundation Visual Art & Design grad Ryan Copple’s current web series project Riese. A lot has happened since then, including some great media coverage:

In a front page cover story, The Westender described Riese as “an answer to an industry-wide contraction, in that it embodies everything Vancouver has become in its quest for production work — and it utilizes to the fullest the local industry’s unique attributes.”

The series has been further profiled by huge media outlets like The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, and The Vancouver Sun, as well as sci-fi genre websites like scifitalk.com and gateworld.net (the main fansite of the Stargate franchise).

“We’ve been extremely pleased with the amount of coverage we’ve received, both locally and internationally,” Ryan says. “Exposure-wise, it’s certainly helped to put our show on the map, as well as helping us reach audiences we wouldn’t normally have access to. Production-wise, it made us really feel like we had to step up our game, as it felt like everyone was watching. I believe our team was able to do so, which will be evident in the next episodes airing in February.”

With a creative team that also includes Writing grads Miguel Valdez Lopez and Alyssa Cicarelli, four episodes have been posted so far. The final episode of Chapter One goes live on January 4, 2010, followed by a Chapter Two launch in February.

“In these new episodes [6 - 10], we really begin to delve into the characters of Riese, in addition to the political and moral strife that riddles the fictional nation of Eleysia,” Ryan explains. “Speaking of characters, our new cast members include Ryan Robbins (Sanctuary), [VFS Acting grad] Emilie Ullerup (Sanctuary, jPod), Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Gallactica), and Allison Mack (Smallville).”

You’d think all this would keep their hands full, but according to Ryan, there’s a lot more going on:

“We also have an iPhone game being released in February as well, which will serve both as a strategy-card game and a means to tell other aspects of the story. It’s all part of our transmedia storytelling strategy, that’s become essential with new media franchises – telling the story on multiple platforms. We’re also working on the next set of scripts, as well as possible comic and book tie-ins. The world of Riese is constantly expanding, and I think we’ll be seeing it stretch beyond just the Internet.”

Congratulations Ryan, Miguel, Alyssa, and Emilie — and everyone else on the Riese team. Definitely a great way to end the year!

Stay tuned for new episodes at riesetheseries.com and check out the Riese blog for updates. Also, you can currently nominate Riese for a number of categories in The Streamy Awards (which celebrate the best in web television).

If you come here often, you know the kind of year 2009 was for VFS. ”Banner year” doesn’t begin to describe it.

We’re proud – proud of what our students and alumni accomplished in 2009, proud of their incredible talent, proud of the profound effect they had on the global entertainment industry and beyond.

It’s not easy to pick favourite moments of the year. Was it District 9, which truly cemented the VFS community as a creative force to be reckoned with?

Or was it those moments that truly inspired us – students shedding light on unrest in Iran, or young women breaking down barriers in the game industry, or emerging filmmakers making a difference in Uganda?

2009. It was big.

So big, in fact, that it couldn’t be contained in a blog post. So we’ve put together a page for you: Vancouver Film School in 2009: A Restrospective. It’s a month-by-month celebration of this incredible year – videos we loved, stories and interviews that defined our year, plus alumni credits, trivia… you name it.

Check it out: vfs.com/2009

The VFS Blog Team and all of us here at Vancouver Film School wish you and yours a happy, safe holiday season and a very Happy New Year. We’ll still be posting over the holidays, so stay tuned!

Roland Emmerich knows how to destroy the world better than anyone working in Hollywood, and 2012, starring John Cusack, promises to top his previous efforts to build the perfect ridiculously-over-the-top spectacle. 2012 was shot in Vancouver, and VFSers are all over the credits. For one, you might remember that Head of Animation & Visual Effects Alastair Macleod consulted on the film, and took a group of students onto the set for a day in late 2008.

Quite a few 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni worked on the film as well, including Compositor Jessica Alcorn, Texture Artist Jamie Bowers, Previz Supervisor Zeke Norton, Technical Director Anuj Patil, and Compositor Christine Peterson.

On top of that, Acting for Film & Television grad (and longtime faculty member) Andrew Moxham plays a cop, and Film Production’s Gary Hawes served as an assistant director. When we caught up with Gary in September, he called 2012 “the most ambitious movie I have ever worked on,” and had a dose of perspective when it came to the oft-maligned Emmerich: “Love his movies or hate them, Roland knows the type of movie he is making and doesn’t apologize for that.”

It’s tough to argue. 2012 hits theatres this Friday.

After graduating from VFS’s Acting for Film & Television program, Krystal Meadows forged a professional career in voice acting, finding work on series like Grossology and Clang Invasion. Some of her most recent work is featured in Kids WB’s World of Quest, where she plays “Anna Maht”, a sorceress-in-training.

If that didn’t keep her busy enough, she also applies her voice acting talents to commercials, and works as a live theatre and on-camera actor too.

Considering Krystal’s recent Gemini award nomination for “Best Ensemble Performance in an Animated Series” for her work in Grossology, there’s no doubt her future’s looking bright.

Hi, Krystal. The last time we spoke with you, you explained what it’s like to work on an animated series like Grossology. Now that you’ve had a few more years of experience under your belt, is there anything you’ve learned in your recent work that you didn’t know when starting out?

Krystal: I’ve learned the power of subtle shifts with tone of voice, and to have a greater understanding of rhythms from one scene to the next.  I’ve also learned to recognize my own personal rhythm and not let that be the character’s go-to rhythm. Because of this, I find that I have a fuller variety of voices in my tool box.  I feel that I’ve had time to sharpen my comedic timing as well.

You’ve recently started voice acting for more adult-oriented Teletoon series, such as your recurring role on The Dating Guy. What was the transition like in moving toward more mature language and subject matter?

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Trick ‘r Treat has been in the can for a couple of years now and it’s finally seen the light of day, courtesy of Warner Bros. With four intertwined stories in its 90 minutes, it’s a bit like an installment of The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror, except live-action and not quite as over-the-top.

In fact, it’s pretty good, and the horror genre press are loving it. Bloody Disgusting, for one, calls it an “instant cult classic.”

Trick ‘r Treat was shot in and around Vancouver, and boasts quite a few VFS grads in the credits – and faculty, too. Acting for Film & Television grad Matt Anderson plays a hapless clerk at a costume shop while Shelly Devuyst was a stunt performer. 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni Juliana Wade (rotoscope and matchmove coordinator) and Matthias Lowry (visual effects artist) worked on the VFX. Sound Design for Visual Media grad Glen Noseworthy (ADR mixer) and Todd Mason (sound effects recordist) are credited, while Film’s Glen Dickson was a camera op and Shauna Bryan the senior visual effects producer.

On top of all that, Makeup Design for Film & Television instructors Shauna Magrath, Bruce Houston, and Michelle Lemieux all worked in the film’s makeup department.

Trick ‘r Treat is available on DVD and Blu-Ray in your fine brick-and-mortar and online retailers.

Acting for Film & Television grad Sara Canning, who we interviewed this summer leading up to her recurring role in The Vampire Diaries, was written up by The Province this weekend. Check it out for more about her young career and her other recent role: in the feature film Black Field, which recently premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Writing for Film & Television, Film Production, and Acting for Film & Television students were treated last week to a visit from District 9 co-writer and Writing alum Terri Tatchell.

Hosted by VFS Writing instructor Kat Montagu, the two chatted about Terri’s pre- and post-VFS career, as well as her contributions to one of the biggest films in recent sci-fi cinema.

“I was always terrified of the third act,” Terri said of her struggle co-writing the film’s climax. “I didn’t want to write action or see people explode.”

She graciously acknowledged Director/Co-Writer/3D grad Neill Blomkamp’s talents for creating the “wow” factor, explaining that she instead focused on crafting the heart of the story. Her favourite contribution to the screenplay was adding – and staunchly defending – the character of “Little CJ”, who was completely computer-generated, and whose movements were partially based on Neill and Terri’s dog.

Terri covered everything from gathering the courage to contribute her ideas in a writing room with the same creative team that crafted The Lord of the Rings trilogy, to juggling life as a mother and in-demand screenwriter. While she couldn’t say whether there will be a sequel to the extremely successful District 9, she did mention her partner Neill is at work on a new original sci-fi concept, something she’s very excited to see.

Many thanks to Terri for sharing her time and experience!

Click here to check out the short film she’s currently adapting into a feature screenplay.

Last week, a handful of students and staff members from 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Foundation Visual Art & Design, and Game Design were invited to show their motion capture skills at Electronic Arts (EA) in Burnaby, BC.

Using the physical performances of Digital Character Animation student Brenda Li and Acting for Film & Television grad Matt Pegues, a visual effects camera team of three 3D students – including Andrej Aleksic, Dan Power, and Caio Sugimoto – showed EA what VFS has taught them about calibrating reference video cameras for motion capture.

“It was a great opportunity for everyone to collaborate and be involved with a working motion capture session,” says Head of Animation & Visual Effects Alastair Macleod.

The following VFS students and staff members shadowed EA staff during the shoot, picking up tips on how a professional motion capture set is run: 3D students Alijan Sesli and Diego Piccinato; 3D Teaching Assistant Ben Case; and Game Design student Kight Neale.

“It was such an incredible experience to see in-person how the professionals at EA take your everyday motions and make them into a not-so-everyday blockbuster game,” says Ben Case. “Nothing comes close to being on set in an actual working environment.”

Many thanks to EA for hosting this event.