Leave it to BioWare to do an expansion right. Following on the massive critical success of Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, the Edmonton developer is releasing Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, a full expansion in an industry often preoccupied with fast, cheap downloadable add-ons.

Awakening comes out tomorrow, and, like the main game, features the work of a whole bunch of VFS grads. Among them, 3D Animation & Visual Effects grad Nathan Zufelt, who, as he explains on his blog, was the cinematic animator on the expansion:

It’s quite rare these days to be given a script on a large project that you get to storyboard, animate and even light and composite. Bioware is one of the few big studios where an animator can actually take his own shots entirely from script to screen.

Game Design grad Mark Barazzuol, who we interviewed at the time of Dragon Age: Origins‘ release, was also in the mix.

A lot of VFS grads work at Relic, to put it mildly. There were about a dozen on DOWII (check out our interview with one of them, Game Design grad Francois Chaput), and Chaos Rising is no different.

Right now, we can confirm two – Art Director Ian Cumming (3D Animation & Visual Effects) and Animator Jefferson Takahashi (Classical Animation and Digital Character Animation). Congrats on the release, guys, and to everyone at Relic!

Entertainment Business Management

We’ll be revealing all the details about how — in one year — EBM students learn to develop better film, TV, game, and music properties, get the most buzz, and build bigger audiences.

Don’t miss your chance to discover how EBM provides a new kind of business education inside a world-leading entertainment school.

Entertainment Business Management
Open House
Thursday, April 8 at 6pm
Vancouver Film School
420 Homer Street (at Hastings)

- Learn about our one-year Entertainment Business Management program
- Find out how you graduate from EBM with a portfolio of real accomplishments
- Meet our faculty of respected entertainment industry pros, along with students and alumni
- Discover how EBM gets you ready to be a force in the entertainment industry

Register for this Open House at vfs.com/ebmopenhouse or call 604.631.3591

To many, the event became known simply as Stand Out – a chance for students to learn from our faculty right inside our programs. While our full-time students were off enjoying their break week between terms, this group managed to put their stamp on VFS in a very short time. Amazing!

When we first launched this initiative, we were looking for the best – and, believe us, that’s what we got. They came from around Greater Vancouver and way beyond, from across Canada, the U.S., and even all the way from Suriname! They really wowed us with their talent and drive… and their karaoke skills, too.

When it was over, one attendee left a comment on our YouTube channel that read: “It was two of the best days of my life.” And all we can say is, ditto! (You can see some of the result of his two days in this video.)

We’d like to thank all of the students who came out and made this event so incredibly exciting and fun for everybody. Best of luck to you all, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Check out this slideshow for a taste of what students experienced!

Want to find out more about the programs that were offered? Visit vfs.com/standout.

Christopher’s Term 3 title sequence, Ladybird, is both gorgeous and incredibly unsettling. It’s also a finalist in the South by Southwest Title Design Competition, alongside such films as Up in the Air, Where the Wild Things Are, and Zombieland. Here’s the New York Times’ take on the competition, which specifically makes reference to Christopher’s work.

In their third of six terms, Digital Design students create title sequences for a film that doesn’t exist… yet. In short, it’s a chance to create something by combining the skills and experience they’ve picked up so far in their year. Often, it’s when students really get to cut loose creatively. (One of Christopher’s fellow YouTube Scholarship winners got to go to Beijing on the strength of his. And the two sequences could not be more different.)

The award, selected by a jury that includes the founders of the amazing The Art of the Title Sequence, will be handed out on Tuesday, March 16th. Watch Ladybird below, then head over to Christopher’s site for a brief but interesting case study on its creation!

A few years on, Jesse and Jon wanted something a little different. They wanted chances to work on smaller, more diverse projects – to build their own relationships with clients and see their work all the way through from concept to completion.

That resulted in the founding of Blatant Studios, a new Vancouver-based production studio specializing in animation and motion graphics. Jesse and Jon form two-thirds of the operation. “Blatant began as a way to brand our after-hours commercial work,” Jesse says. “Eventually, it became a full-time company.”

Blatant now boasts a splashy website and a nice track record of pro work, and, as Jon explains, it’s not the kind of thing you start on a whim. “Starting a studio is not an overnight venture. It takes years of networking, knowledge of production, and building a client base. It’s a 24/7 commitment.”

The two are putting their full range of animation, directing, and producing skills to use on an array of interesting projects – like this spot for Sprint/NASCAR, produced in collaboration with San Francisco’s Gunshop. Even more recently, they were approached by Tribal DDB to produce two videos for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Winter Olympic Games. They had about 3 weeks. Like a lot of homegrown talent involved in the many facets of the Games, it brought a whole new level of exposure. “The thought of having millions of people see our work definitely energized us to do what was needed to see the project realized,” says Jesse. The second of the two videos was projected on the floor of B.C. Place during the Closing Ceremonies.

We’ll leave you with a video for the Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan that Blatant did. It was released earlier this year, and it’s pretty awesome.

To see all their latest work, check out the Blatant Studios website at blatantstudios.com.

The Women in Games Scholarship covers the full tuition for the one-year Game Design program at VFS.

“The Game Design program at VFS has been a very rewarding and enjoyable experience thus far,” last year’s winner, Shannon Lee, told us. “Applying for the scholarship was the best decision I’ve ever made and I’m sure that the next recipient will feel the same.” Shannon started in the program in late October.

The scholarship is a big part of our ongoing initiative to support women who aspire to be professional game designers. It’s about giving women opportunities to excel – and, as we’ve seen with our past female graduates, we believe our Game Design program is a great launchpad for just that.

The 2010 Women in Games Scholarship will be officially unveiled with full details at the Open House on Sunday, April 11!

So we’d like to take this moment to join in the applause for our nominated graduates, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, as well as the many other alumni – especially those behind the film’s beautifully integrated visual effects – who made District 9 Oscar-worthy. And make no mistake – it was Oscar-worthy!

For Neill and Terri, especially, it’s a high point in what will surely be a long career. We haven’t seen the last of them on the red carpet!

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!

Click here to watch the Ballsy trailer on YouTube or visit The Canadian Testicular Cancer Association’s website to learn more about this disease.

To celebrate their nomination, we’ve put together a special prize package of District 9 swag that has all been autographed by both Neil and Terri, including a D9 mini-poster, the D9 DVD, and a copy of VFS In Focus Magazine’s special District 9 issue.

For your chance to win, leave a comment on this blog post — not on Facebook or Twitter — with a prediction for the Oscars: pick a nominee you think will win on Sunday night (doesn’t have to be District 9-related) and be sure to fill in your name and email address in the boxes below.

This contest is closed. We’ll soon be notifying our randomly-selected winner.

Thanks for entering!