It was only three years after Thomas Cantley graduated from VFS’s Film Production program that he heard some shocking news that would irrevocably change his life and burgeoning career as a filmmaker/photographer: he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
In an amazing display of courage, Thomas responded to this life-threatening disease by filming his experiences for a documentary he could then share with the world — all in an effort to help create an open dialogue about testicular cancer.
Thomas is currently anticipating the completion and release of this feature-length film, appropriately titled “Ballsy”, which will also feature interviews with other men affected by this disease. He recently answered a few questions for us about what drove him to take on such an ambitious and personal project.
Can you talk a bit about the early stages of development on this project? When were you originally diagnosed with testicular cancer and how long was it before you started filming your experiences?
Thomas: I was living in New York City when I was first misdiagnosed on September 15,2009 with a bacterial infection in my left testicle. As my testicle became more swollen and extremely painful – even after taking the prescribed medication – I was then diagnosed with testicular cancer on October 1, 2009. I had my first surgery a week later to remove my left testicle.
I then found out the cancer had spread to my lymphoids. It was then that I made the decision to capture what I was going through on film. I wanted to share my story, but I also knew it was a way to keep going when I wanted to give up. Having a camera and filming my toughest moments is the most therapeutic way for me to cope as a filmmaker.
I also had to make the decision to move back to Canada when I found out the next step of treatment for my cancer: I was told it would be best to skip chemotherapy and to have a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (commonly referred to as RPLND), which is a procedure to remove abdominal lymph nodes to treat testicular cancer. The surgery took place on November 16,2009. I started filming a few weeks before, documenting the preparation and establishing what my life was like before cancer.
Why did you feel compelled to capture such a personal experience on camera?
Thomas: When I started doing research, I felt that there was no information out there. When I was in the hospital back home in Nova Scotia, I met a young guy who was only 17 and was going through the same battle I was. We quickly became friends. He felt alone too — it’s hard for young guys to speak up if they notice something irregular about their balls. I want there to be a platform for men to talk easily about it. This is why I am bringing awareness to a sensitive subject.
What is the biggest misconception about testicular cancer you’ve encountered while shooting this film?
Thomas: The age. People do not realize how early this disease can affect them. The most common age to be diagnosed with testicular cancer is anywhere between 15 to 35. If it’s not caught in the early stages it can spread so fast, like it did with me. Three years ago, 8,000 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer, and about 390 men die of this disease each year. Now-a-days, 40,000 men are diagnosed and 8,000 die each year. It’s a staggering and frightening statistic.
One of the trailers for Ballsy highlights the fact that most men ignore the early warning signs, as you did in the past. What are those early warning signs you’re referring to?
Thomas: Loss of sex drive, and slight enlargement and firmness in the testicle. For months I ignored these signs because there was no pain. It was only when I started experiencing pain that I went to the doctor’s office.
Where do you go from here, both personally and in your filmmaking career?
Thomas: I plan to do more documentary work. It’s my passion and love. Personally, I have grown a lot from this experience, which the documentary will show. I had a different mentality before I was diagnosed. I feel humbled because of this disease.
Thanks for sharing your story, Thomas. We look forward to seeing the film!
The 2006 VFS Film Production alum, born and raised in Hyderabad, has carved out a career in India – but that film industry’s propensity for shooting in all kinds of locales around the world has, in turn, led to a globetrotting lifestyle for the producer and director.
At VFS, he produced two well-regarded shorts directed by fellow student Paul St. Amand – Grover’s Mill and One Last Thing. After graduation, he began working as a co-director and producer in the Indian industry, on features likeAegan, Godava, and Kasko. His most recent work is on a high-profile feature that he’s still tight-lipped about.
It’s a life he welcomes. ”I would like to be the proverbial gypsy,” he says, “chasing film ideas all over the world and stopping by to do interesting films, wherever these are made!”
“Hollywood or Bollywood, it matters little.”
He found time in his schedule recently to discuss his career, from India to Switzerland to Thailand.
You graduated from VFS in 2006 and seemed to quickly jump into the professional arena. How did that come about?
Vikas: Right after VFS, I was offered to produce a music video for a local Canadian artist, after which I went back home. Home is Hyderabad, India.
In Hyderabad, I started meeting a few people from the industry. Among them was Mr. Kodandarami Reddy, a Tollywood and Bollywood veteran who then had 93 feature films to his directing credits. In less than two hours we spent together in our second meeting, Mr. Reddy invited me to work with him on a film he was directing and producing. He looked after me like a father figure, consulted me constantly, and respected my opinions, and more importantly, quickly discovered that I had it in me to help him co-direct his movie. This was my first feature film. [ed. 2007's Godava]
It was a heady feeling working for that film. At just 22 years of age, I was in charge of script supervision, managing business affairs, scheduling the entire production, and even handling production finances. Despite feeling somewhat over-awed by the responsibility, I realized I was doing everything necessary to run a production, yet just drawing a salary for it. And a thought occurred: ‘Why not run my own productions?’
Vikas Mathur was a co-producer on Kasko, directed by G. Nageswara Reddy
What about that producer/director divide? Do you lean particularly strongly one way or the other, or is it just about where the opportunities are? We all understand the appeal of directing, but what kind of rewards can you find as a producer?
Vikas: I have co-directed two feature films and just lately finished co-producing my first feature. To deny the producer/director divide is foolish. Slipping into both shoes has been extremely helpful, at least in my experience. Today, I find it easier to understand and appreciate opposing perspectives on merit.
Running a film crew is never easy and does require strong doses of merciless objectivity. Sets are expensive, time is money, and creative egos are larger than life. I am nothing without the people I work with. For me, getting the team to work together is like knitting a lot of egos. The flip side is playing the blame game. It delays or shelves a film. That’s unaffordable. Actually, to stand still in the motion picture trade is like walking backwards.
What drew you to this industry in the first place?
Vikas: Growing up in India, I saw the joy films gave people from all walks of life. I would see students skip classes, people even skipping a meal or something to spend money watching a movie. “First day first show” holds a special fascination! In India, virtually everyone sings film songs, recites popular film dialogue, dresses and tries to ape the hairstyles and mannerisms of their favourite actors. That’s the kind of impact films have on people in India – young and old, men and women – alike! Film stars in South India have fan clubs that run into thousands. Stars have also launched political parties with great success.
I looked through the lens of a camera at the age of seven. It left me absolutely awestruck. That feeling reappears every time I peep through the camera lens even today. Everyone depends on films for entertainment. Films make people laugh, cry, think, dream, inspire, love, despair, hate… Making films is absolutely the most vital motivational force of my existence. I just love it! When I’m on set, I’m happiest. It gives me great sense of fulfillment!
It took a lot of effort to persuade folks at home to allow me to study design in Singapore and film at VFS. Looking back, I feel all that was worthwhile.
Vikas Mathur on location in Switzerland to shoot Kasko
Your work has a strong international bent – shooting everywhere from Thailand to Switzerland to Hong Kong to New York and, of course, India. What kinds of challenges are there in making these productions happen on an international scale?
Vikas: The film industry in India is rather globalized. Indians have been shooting part of their films at foreign locales for decades, especially the all-important songs. I love to travel and my association with the production and directing teams of the Indian film industry took me to different parts of the world.
Logistically, there is a lot more planning and work that goes into making schedules and travel arrangements for the cast and the entire crew and I often find myself as a “bridge” between Indian and foreign crews when we shoot abroad. The arrangement seems to be working seamlessly. So, that’s fine by me.
And it helps me re-bond with VFS alumni who I work with on my films abroad. Recently I worked with Film grads Alex Joho in Switzerland, Thomas Cantley in New York, and Rohit Sharma in Northern India. Catching up and working with old friends is always enjoyable.
Fundamentally, has working in the industry given you a different perspective on film, and film in India in particular?
Vikas: I would say that films are contextually grounded in cultural niches. Working in different parts of the world has enriched my perspectives considerably. I feel quite comfortable working in North America, Europe, South Asia or the Indian subcontinent! For a filmmaker, India’s diversity is surcharged with ideas that have found expression in mainstream/commercial and artsy/serious streams of filmmaking, each with their own dedicated audiences.
We’re told you worked on a “big banner production” that’ll be coming out this year… What can you tell us about it?
Vikas: Right now, it’s very hush-hush! I’ll be able to talk about it bit later.
In that case, we hope you’ll be in touch when you can. Thanks, Vikas! Anyone interested in finding out more about Vikas’ work and career should visit vikasmathur.com.
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!
From 3D: Character Designer Julianna Kolakis, Previsualization Supervisor Zeke Norton, Lead Layout Artist Jeffrey Burt, Look Development Artist Julien Stuart-Smith, Concept & Creature Artist Ryan Lim, Effects TD James McPhail, Lighting TD Richard Sur, Compositor Aruna Inversin, Roto/Prep Artists Cesar Rodriguez Bautista and Cynthia Rodriguez del Castillo, and Animator Anthony Di Ninno
From Classical Animation: Animator Dave Mah
From Film Production: Art Department Assistant Eli Best
Our students ooze passion. While doggedly pursuing their career dreams over an intense year at VFS, many of them turn their attention to more — how do you say — romantic pursuits in their film and animation projects. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve compiled a few of these videos from our YouTube channel for all the lovers… and the lovelorn too.
In A Trick of the Wind, Classical Animationgrad Jae Hyun Lee shows Mother Nature can’t stand by and wait for true love to happen on its own.
Saloon from Digital Character Animation grad Thiago Martins proves cowboy-style antics can still get the girl.
In writing the script for The Morning After, Writing for Film & Television grad Yang Hu re-envisioned how a familiar awkward situation could play out.
Sound Design for Visual Media grad Todd LeBlanc brought a whole new life to the prehistoric domestic woesof a caveman in the following short, In The Rough, through his work on its soundtrack. (All visual media generously provided by Blur Studio.)
Film Production grad Jee-Won Sul evokes a story of unrequited love in a wartime setting in The Shortest Dream.
And, finally, Swing from Classical Animation grad Esteban Azuela defies simple description; without saying a word, he’s somehow able to show us the power of long-lasting love.
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…
There’s no doubt Avatar is huge. Like, Titanic huge.
Even before James Cameron’s mainstream masterpiece was released, the buzz was hard to ignore. Everything was top secret, from the characters to the world designs and — probably — the exact shade of Na’vi blue.
In the lead up to the hard release date of Ubisoft’s James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game, Film Productiongrad Kevin Shortt took the reins as Lead Scriptwriter, charged with delivering a storyline that would satisfy what would soon be a legion of Avatar fans.
Kevin graciously made some time to answer our questions about the demands of writing the game adaptation of one of the biggest films in recent history.
Could you start off by talking about what you currently do at Ubisoft?
Kevin: I’m a scriptwriter and story designer at Ubisoft Montreal. I’ve been with the company for over three and a half years. I started as the Lead Scriptwriter on Lost: Via Domus, then I wrote for Far Cry 2. And now I’ve just completed James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game.
What was your role on the game adaptation? Can you explain how you collaborated with Cameron’s team on this project?
When BioWare’s Mass Effecthit shelves in late ‘07, it was with a great deal of anticipation. And although the game wasn’t without its flaws, it’s also very fondly remembered – all in all, a great kickoff for an original IP.
Which explains the buzz surrounding Mass Effect 2, due tomorrow. ME2 promises a giant leap in interactive narrative, while ironing out the kinks of the first game.
Game Design grad and ME2 Lead Cinematic Designer Armando Troisi was interviewed by ND Net recently. Choice quote: “Overall, this title propels the cinematic design from ME1 forward an entire generation and I’m excited to see the reactions from the public.” (Here’s our own interview with Armando from the time of the first game’s release.)
We can also tell you, by way of a VFS Blog exclusive preview, that Armando will be joining us at Game Design Expo 2010 (April 10-11) with a talk titled Get Your Game Out Of My Movie! Interactive Narrative Design in Mass Effect 2. More announcements – and ticket sales – coming soon! Visit gamedesignexpo.com for the latest.
Also, stay tuned for more ME2 talk right here on the blog tomorrow.
Full list of VFS grads on Mass Effect 2 after the jump:
Not long ago, in our interview with Makeup Design for Film & Television alum Michael Nickiforek, we mentioned that one of his recent gigs was on the Dwayne Johnson vehicle Tooth Fairy as “Fairy Wing Fabricator.” And he wasn’t the only grad on the show. Tooth Fairy, which comes out today, also features the handiwork of Film Production grad Shauna Bryan (Executive Visual Effects Producer) and 3D Animation & Visual Effects grads Jessica Wan (Roto Lead) and Noel Wright (Digital Compositing Artist).
In other winged news, the angels-run-amok thriller Legion also hits theatres, with 3D grad Ryan Clarke behind the scenes as Visual Effects Artist. To the skies!
The Wild Hunt, the first feature by Film Production grad Alexandre Franchi, is riding success at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival all the way to Slamdance.
The film, which Alexandre directed and co-wrote, sets up a good-natured look at LARPers (live-action roleplayers) inside a medieval fantasy world of their own creation before suddenly turning everything on its ear after a young man follows his girlfriend into the game.
The film drew praise from critics, with Variety saying that “first-time feature director Alexandre Franchi deserves mainstream cred for his own cheeky role-play — initially impersonating a benign satirist of the rubber sword-swinging set when his ultimate goal is a good deal more savage.”
Making Slamdance, the well-known Sundance alternative, is another big notch in an incredibly successful run for an indie feature. The Wild Hunt is screening twice, on January 24 and January 26, at the festival. Check out the film’s official website here.
Not sure what these are?
It was only three years after Thomas Cantley graduated from VFS’s Film Production program that he heard some shocking news that would irrevocably change his life and burgeoning career as a filmmaker/photographer: he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Thomas: When I started doing research, I felt that there was no information out there. When I was in the hospital back home in Nova Scotia, I met a young guy who was only 17 and was going through the same battle I was. We quickly became friends. He felt alone too — it’s hard for young guys to speak up if they notice something irregular about their balls. I want there to be a platform for men to talk easily about it. This is why I am bringing awareness to a sensitive subject.
We’re very pleased to announce an official partnership between Vancouver Film School and 
On the heels of 
There’s no doubt Avatar is huge. Like, Titanic huge.
When BioWare’s Mass Effect hit shelves in late ‘07, it was with a great deal of anticipation. And although the game wasn’t without its flaws, it’s also very fondly remembered – all in all, a great kickoff for an original IP.
Not long ago, in 
The Wild Hunt, the first feature by