Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, the action-comedy-horror romp directed by VFS Film Productiongrad Jon Knautz and produced by fellow grad Patrick White, has won a Saturn Award for Best DVD Release! The Saturn Awards are the celebration of the sci-fi/fantasy genre in film and TV.
When we interviewed Patrick last summer, he told us his biggest hope for the film was DVD longevity – “It’s going to be a great party movie down the road.” A theatrical release, cult buzz, and a Fangoria cover story later, it’s great to see that it’s getting recognition on DVD – and hopefully landing in the libraries of genre fans everywhere.
Saturn Awards were also given out to a laundry list of films that had VFS grads behind the scenes (especially alumni from 3D Animation & Visual Effects and Sound Design), including Best Science Fiction Film Iron Man, Best Fantasy Film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Best Horror Film Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Best Action/Adventure Thriller Film The Dark Knight, and Best Animated Film WALL-E.
In April, we told you about Project Uganda, a fantastic initiative by Opportunitas Aequa aimed at building community and fostering youth through the power of soccer. To help show our support, VFS sent two Film Production grads, Angela Buhr and Mohamed Soliman, to Uganda with OA. They’ve been documenting the project – you can see some of the video diary entries at youtube.com/oafilms.
A short video covering the project will appear on Saturday, June 20 on the CBC for “Soccer Day in Canada”, so tune in! Project Uganda – and Angela – were also recently featured in a segment on Shaw TV’s The Express! Here it is in full:
Can not see this video? Please upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Flash.
Charlie Bewley, who will appear in the upcoming Twilight sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, can also be seen in a VFS Film Production short called Stuffed- a whimsical film written and directed by Shane Tanny and produced by Michael W. Penny. Best of all, the Twilight fan community has caught on – notably Twilight Lexicon – which has led to a sudden rise in attention for their little short.
We caught up with Shane and Michael to talk about the Stuffed and all the new attention – and praise – it’s been getting.
How did Stuffed come about? What was the genesis of the idea?
Shane: The inspiration for Stuffed came from the idea that even one little flaw can cause grief for the most perfect of people. Originally, the concept involved a practically perfect but thumb-sucking adult, but after realizing a similar story had once been told, I drew into my own past, and chose to write about a stuffed animal that my father had bought for me the day before I was born.
Michael: This was actually the second film Shane and I had worked on together. After completing our first documentary, Shane pitched me very early on about his idea. I thought it would make a great little piece, especially with the inherent implication that even the best of us are never perfect. I was happy to come aboard as his producer and help make this picture everything he wanted to achieve his first time out as a director.
No matter what school they’re from, a lot of student films are pretty serious. What made you choose to make one that was more funny and sweet than dark and brooding?
Shane: I wanted to make one that would be set apart. So I chose to make a film that still had an important message about acceptance and judgment, but could also be a fun, memorable, and original experience for the audience. With so many pretentious and preachy student films out there, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to make something that everyone, even the most casual of moviegoers, could appreciate.
Stuffed producer Michael W. Penny, writer/director Shane Tanny, and casting director Ryan Radchenko
Michael: I actually like pretentious and preachy student films, and would later go on to make one of my own. (laughs) But yeah, we just saw this as an opportunity to do something different and cute. A lot of people thought it would be silly at first, but upon seeing the final picture, also thought it was a great little film. I think it’s very difficult to do comedy, and to do it well is even harder. Everything just kind of fell into place on this show. We’re very proud of the entire cast and crew.
What’s it like seeing the film’s renewed life from the sudden Bewley-related buzz?
Shane: Having this much buzz surrounding the film has been a great experience. Being able to reach thousands of people with a sweet and simple message was the goal of this film, and thanks to the success of the very talented Mr. Bewley, we have recently been able to accomplish just that. We have been grateful to have had this much attention drawn to our little film due to the unlimited potential of Charlie’s rising star.
Michael: Charlie himself was actually the one who sent me an email mentioning the explosion of the film earlier this week. We had no idea that Twilight: New Moon fans had found the show, but it seems those fans the world over have been clamouring to find anything they could about Charlie, and when they found it, they latched onto this picture. It’s a terrific feeling to be involved in something that takes off with such force.
What’s the story on Charlie getting cast? And how was he to work with?
We’re about a month away from the VFS 2009 Summer Intensives! Due to the high demand, extra dates have been added for the Writing for Film & Television, Film Production, Acting for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, and Animation & Visual Effects Intensives.
The Game Design Intensive and the 2nd date for the Writing for Film & Television Intensive are almost sold out! Don’t miss your chance!
As announced in March, these 5-day creative boot camps put those who are considering attending Vancouver Film School in the trenches of their chosen program, where they’ll gain hands-on experience under the guidance of VFS’s staff of industry professionals.
Raylene McEachern had a hard time choosing between her passions when she was enrolling at VFS: film, film, or film? But despite already knowing where she wanted to end up, she started off in the Foundation Visual Art & Design program to better prepare herself for the demands of the Film Production program and life as an aspiring entertainment industry professional.
Raylene recently explained to us where her passion for film came from, and what she’s learned so far from two VFS programs. Here’s what she said:
Q: Hi, Raylene. Could you start off by describing your background before you took Foundation Visual Art & Design? What drew you to this field?
A: I was a high school student at Rutland Senior Secondary and a major jock – no thought about film at all. Then a teacher (Mr. Applegath) brought me into the Video Production program, and I was hooked right from the beginning. I became very involved in the program, and I went on to be a Teacher’s Assistant in grade 11. In grade 12, I worked as one of the top editors for our school news broadcast program, as well as working on the valedictorian video. I was in love with anything to do with film or photography.
VFS visited my school every year and I had them as an option right from grade 10, and once in my grade 12 year, VFS was the only school I applied to. I never had a second guess as to whether I should go into the film industry.
Q: When it came time for you to choose your “stream” in Foundation, why did you choose to pursue film (instead of Animation or Design)? Read the rest of this story »
Two short documentaries directed by VFS Film Production grads will screen at this year’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival. Terry Stone’s Virtuoso and Eric Morrison’sLe Parkour (which is nearing 600,000 views on YouTube!) are part of The Art of the Short Documentary program this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Vancity Theatre. You can buy your tickets here. Both Terry and Eric will be in attendance to answer questions about their work, so don’t miss it! DOXA kicks off tomorrow.
Trevor Cameron did a little bit of everything after he graduated from VFS’s Film Production program. He worked in a coffee plant, a fish plant, did some counter top assembly, and also spent some time as a longshoreman.
“I refer to that as the Bukowski phase,” Trevor jokes.
But it was his decision to move to Alberta for an intern position at the Banff Centre that re-inspired Trevor’s passion for film and television.
“That’s where I met the producers of Wapos Bay[a popular stop-motion animated series for kids on APTN]. I sweet-talked my way into writing an episode. Actually, I offered to write it for free if they didn’t like it, otherwise pay me normally. They liked it and, strangely, that was the episode that got me my first GeminiAwards nomination.”
With professional experience as an actor, writer, director, and stand-up comedian, Trevor was a shoe-in for the National Screen Institute’s Storyteller Program, in which he helped develop CashingIn, APTN’s biggest series to date. It will also air on Showcase and Global. Trevor was hired as the first season’s Story Editor, a position that is typically responsible for maintaining a show’s “voice.” That meant a lot of heavy-lifting.
“That was really working under the gun. There was no story department at that point, and I was rewriting on set, getting notes from the broadcaster the morning of the shoot.”
So what’s he up to next? Trevor is almost finished working on this season of Wapos Bay, after which he’ll be dedicating this summer to story editing and writing on APTN’s supernatural drama series, Rabbit Fall.
We’re pleased to announce Jonathan Wacks, renowned filmmaker and educator, is the new Head of Film Production. His notable film credits include Powwow Highway, a feature comedy that won the 1989 Sundance Film Festival Filmmaker’s Trophy and picked up four Independent Spirit Award nominations. His first film, Crossroads/South Africa, received an Academy Award in the documentary category (student), and was followed by the acclaimed cult hit Repo Man, which he produced.
Jonathan’s worked with some pretty big names in his career, from Emilio Estevez in Repo Man to Ethan Hawke in Mystery Date, Steve Buscemi in Ed and His Dead Mother, and a young Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street. Behind the scenes, he’s been Vice President of Production at the Samuel Goldwyn Company, and the Director of Garson Studios, a 65,000-square-foot studio facility in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His most recent position was as the Professor and Chair of the Moving Image Arts Department at the College of Santa Fe.
“It is with tremendous enthusiasm that I take up the position as Head of the Film Department at VFS,” Jonathan says. “The school has an outstanding, global reputation as a high-quality, professional institution. I am very excited to work with the faculty, staff, and students to continue to advance that reputation.”
Welcome, Jonathan! We look forward to watching how you’ll shape the future of Film at VFS.
Since we’re only two hours away from one of the best mountain resorts on this side of the world, it’s no wonder our grads develop some serious skiing and snowboarding skills. But who knew there was so much singing in Whistler?
A team of Film Production grads, lead by Jonathan Fleet and including Kelvin Tseng, Pat Henry, Naim Sutherland, Devin Schule, David Jevons, and David Roncin, recently created a musical (yes, a musical) about Whistler’s ski bums for the TELUS 72hr Filmmaker Showdown. The fact that they even completed a film in that time is reason enough for congrats, but they actually won first place! Check out the write-up they got in The Province.
Beating out over 40 teams for a prize of $5,750, Fleet and company had their film screened to a crowd of almost 2,000 people in the Whistler Conference Centre.
“I think, with projects like this, you really are reminded why you make movies in the first place,” says David Roncin, who was an actor, production assistant, and camera operator on the film. “No one’s sleeping or eating as much as they’d like… But you’re working with people you respect, and everyone’s moving towards a common goal of telling a story that we’re proud to have our names on.”
Thanks, David. And congrats to the whole team!
You can catch their award-winning musical, The Staff: A Ski Bum Musicalhere.
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, the action-comedy-horror romp directed by VFS Film Production grad Jon Knautz and produced by fellow grad Patrick White, has won a Saturn Award for Best DVD Release! The Saturn Awards are the celebration of the sci-fi/fantasy genre in film and TV.
We’re about a month away from the 
Raylene McEachern had a hard time choosing between her passions when she was enrolling at VFS: film, film, or film? But despite already knowing where she wanted to end up, she started off in the 
Two short documentaries directed by VFS 
We’re pleased to announce 
Since we’re only two hours away from one of the best mountain resorts on this side of the world, it’s no wonder our grads develop some serious skiing and snowboarding skills. But who knew there was so much singing in Whistler?