“You can have a bad day and [complain] about it, but that can’t be your mantra” Freeman said. She opened up about the times when she felt her lowest — during a botched audition for a Don Cheadle film — and the better moments, like when she ignored the advice of everyone around her in LA and took a part in the New York play that landed her a manager and a very bright future in acting.
Lillard, as always, encouraged actors to own their craft and know who they are intimately. That way, when they’re working on set, they won’t have any nagging worries about whether they have a right to be there.
“Part of this program is that you walk out with a sense of who you are, and that you’re an actor,” he said. “You have a conviction of who you are and that validation allows you to feel strong in that environment [on set].”
Lillard also explained how his own career lately epitomizes those same ups and downs Freeman described. This year was the first in many that he didn’t land a part in a TV pilot. But before that could sink in, he was cast by Alexander Payne (Sideways) for a feature film where he’ll play the lover of George Clooney’s character’s wife.
“It’s a big thing for me,” he said, emphasizing how things change all the time in this industry. Life as an actor is tough, but that’s also what makes it so rewarding.
Lillard carried that same spirit to the recent VFS Acting Alumni Reunion, where grads from the program got together to share their experiences and have some fun. Check out the flickr photos from that night.
What a weekend it was! Here’s the story of Game Design Expo 2010, told in photos from both Saturday’s memorable Industry Speaker Day and Sunday’s Open House at VFS.
(When viewing the slideshow in full screen, hit “Show Info” at the top for more info about each photo!)
Incidentally, although we didn’t make a huge deal about it on the day, the weekend featured on-stage appearances by three VFS Game Design grads - Mass Effect 2 Lead Cinematic Designer Armando Troisi (there to talk interactive narrative), Saints Row 2 Game Designer David Bowring (who sat on the panel), and Punch-Out!! Game Designer Matt McTavish, who accepted an award for Outstanding Educational Contribution on behalf of his employer, Next Level Games.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, the latest in Ubisoft’s long-running Sam Fisher series, officially hits stores today. Great reviews so far, and a nice plug yesterday by Tycho of Penny Arcade, a Splinter Cell fan of some repute.
So, we’re going to do that thing now where we list a few of the VFS grads who worked on it. Two 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni, in particular, contributed to Splinter Cell: Conviction out of Ubisoft Montreal – Level Artist and Modeler Stan Siebert and Level Artist Matthew Massier.
Now that we can all actually play the game, it’s a little late to be thinking about trailers – but for the record, a whole bunch of VFS grads also worked on that for Conviction via Rainmaker, including Film Production grad and Editor Mischa Hrziwnatzki, and 3D grads Eric Wong and Ivy Ho (both Lighting Artists), Carolyn Wong (Senior Creature Technical Director), Ken Beauchamp (Effects Artist), and Maritza Louis (Modeling Lead).
We’ve still got lots of exclusive stuff from Game Design Expo 2010 to share with you – seriously, hang on to your hats – but for now, here’s a little taste of some of the scenes from Saturday’s Industry Speaker Day.
Dave Warfield, Head of Game Design at VFS, introduces the day’s slate of speakers and panelists on a brilliantly sunny Saturday morning.
Even first thing in the morning, the atrium at the Vancity Theatre was buzzing. Here, attendees enjoy some hands-on preview time with United Front Games’ urban-vinyl-influenced racer ModNation Racers, due in stories in May.
“Failure is not inherently bad,” says Obsidian Entertainment’s Matt MacLean – his talk, Crafting the Perfect Challenge, explored questions of failure, learning curves, and finding the sweet spot between impossibly difficult and… rewardingly difficult. (He’s growing a playoff beard – he’ll only shave once Obsidian’s espionage RPG Alpha Protocol ships!)
The Future of Gaming Panel: Moderator Scott Jones (co-host of Reviews on the Run), David Bowring (Volition, Saints Row 2), Josh Bridge (Blue Castle Games, Dead Rising 2), Ted Nugent (Genius Factor Games), Trent Shumay (Finger Food Studios), and Jay Balmer (BigPark). Not pictured: Jason Leigh (Blue Castle, Dead Rising 2).
The first-ever VFS Impact Awards are coming May 3, 2010!
The awards represent a VFS-wide celebration of student achievement, taking place at the funky Biltmore Cabaret in East Van. It’s a showcase of an incredible array of crazy-hot talent from around our 13 programs, crossing disciplines and shining a spotlight on the uniqueness of VFS talent – in short, this is not your mama’s awards show.
An urban edge, cultural diversity, and spirit of technical collaboration – that’s what the evening’s all about. Ticketholders can look forward to a smorgasbord piled high with delicious fare from around the world, a variety of energetic, international entertainers throughout the evening, and professional photo portraits.
VFS Impact Award tickets are available to VFS students and their guests – and what better way to start a new term than with a party? So save the date to enjoy a fun-filled night of celebration.
Tickets are $10 and will go on sale soon – Entertainment Business Management students, who are making the event happen, will be visiting your floor and classrooms starting April 19.
VFS Impact Awards May 3, doors open 7pm Biltmore Cabaret
You’ll be hearing lots more about the VFS Impact Awards very soon. Stay tuned!
We’ve rung the closing bell on Game Design Expo 2010! What a pleasure to host another successful, fun, and educational event – for the fourth year running – in sunny Vancouver.
Saturday’s Industry Speaker Day was a day of learning and connecting with the industry around us, beginning, appropriately, with a talk by United Front Games’ William Ho about user-generated content and the upcoming ModNation Racers – a game where the game designer and the gamer intersect. “Make a game for someone you love,” he told the audience, stressing the power and reach of the entire medium. Fun is ubiquitous.
Dave Warfield, Head of Game Design at VFS, introduced things at the beginning of the day: “It looks to be a great day.” And he was right – the Vancity Theatre was buzzing all day long.
Other highlights included a long live demo of Dead Rising 2, set to hit store shelves August 31st. We got to see this highly-anticipated sequel in action, with a special emphasis on weapon combinations like the electric rake, chainsaws duct-taped to a kayak paddle, and an unforgettable lawnmower move. Having Armando Troisi lift the cover off Mass Effect 2′s approach to interactive narrative and cinematics was also a treat.
The day concluded with a panel hosted by Reviews on the Run‘s Scott Jones. The subject: The Future of Gaming. The diverse group of designers and producers explored subjects like mobile games, distribution, innovation in controls (panel consensus – thought-controlled games are not where it’s at) and a question on the minds of anyone involved in the industry: Is Farmville the future?
On Sunday, we threw open the doors of VFS for the Game Design Open House, inviting everyone to come by for a day of sample classes, arcades of student- and alumni-created games, and other assorted good times. Best of all, we announced all the details on our 2010 Women In Games Scholarship, as well as three other Game Design Expo Scholarships – you’ll be able to find all the details and apply starting Monday right here.
Thanks to all of our sponsors, speakers, panelists, and everyone who came out over the course of the weekend!
We’re going to have lots more for you coming up, including photo highlights, a rundown of the action at 2010 event, and more! Stay tuned to gamedesignexpo.com.
We are, to say the least, a little bit excited. We can’t wait to get together with the game designers and game enthusiasts in attendance for what we promise will be an excellent day.
To whet your appetite – our friends at The Electric Playground put together a nice, quick segment on the event, which aired yesterday.
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Last week, he returned to VFS to speak to an audience of students. “I had a lot of good experiences here attending talks by other people,” he explained. “If anything, I want to leave you guys tonight with motivation.”
In his words, he wouldn’t so much be holding a formal presentation as “musing” – and muse he did. He gave students a brief overview of his career so far – his first job was modeling creatures for Journey to the Center of the Earth, including the razorfish and the plesiosaur (choice quote: “Sometimes you need to transform a ham into a fish”) and he would later work on G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and District 9, on which he was responsible for modeling lead alien Christopher Johnson’s tattered shirt and pants.
Then Jelmer jumped into an extended modeling tutorial. He walked through the techniques and tricks he used in a personal work-in-progress, a character model of a satyr, in both Maya and Pixologic ZBrush, which has recently become an even bigger part of the 3D curriculum.
In fact, Jelmer is a longtime ZBrush evangelist, and pushed for its use on the Journey to the Center of the Earth. “This program is amazing and I think we should give it a go,” he suggested to his supervisor at the time.
In the end, Jelmer stressed the importance of being more than a technician – for example, making those most of Life Drawing classes in the 3D program. “As an artist, you’re really hired for your eye,” he said. “You only have such a small amount of time. The thing you can show [over more experienced people] is you are an artist and can think like an artist.”
See more of Jelmer’s work at his website, jelmerboskma.com. And check out his VFS reel below!
Global TV recently took a close look at the current state and future of BC’s post-recession game industry. The forecast? Sunny skies.
In case you missed their in-depth report, check out the video below.
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While the positive outlook for the game industry is one of the factors drawing gamers, industry insiders, and aspiring game designers to the fourth-annual Game Design Expo this weekend, attendees of Saturday’s Industry Speaker Day at the Vancouver International Film Centre will also be excited to learn that they’ll have an exclusive opportunity to play United Front Games’ ModNation Racers before it’s released to the general public next month.
For anyone who can’t make it this weekend, you can stay tuned to Game Design Expo’s Twitter feed where we’ll be live tweeting all the excitement as it happens. Keep an eye out for the hashtag #GDExpo.
Ever wanted to be the one pushing an entertainment property or project forward and realizing every last ounce of its potential? Ever considered adding some serious business chops to your creative arsenal? Ever wondered how you can stop waiting for calls and start making them?
There’s no better place to get your questions answered than our Entertainment Business Management Open House. It’s happening tomorrow (April 8 at 6pm sharp), so it’s your last chance to register. You’ll see right inside our one-year EBM program, you’ll hear perspectives on its innovative curriculum that you won’t get anywhere else, and you’ll meet Head of Department Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, who can illuminate EBM better than we ever could.
Not sure what these are?
The VFS Main Theatre was packed to the walls with Acting for Film & Television students recently, and for good reason. The Acting program’s Advisory Board Member (and special guest instructor) Matthew Lillard was in conversation with Smallville star Cassidy Freeman, delving into topics like how to deal with the ups and downs of battling it out in LA for acting gigs.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, the latest in Ubisoft’s long-running Sam Fisher series, officially hits stores today. Great reviews so far, and 
The first-ever VFS Impact Awards are coming May 3, 2010!
Last summer, Jelmer Boskma was one of the many VFS alumni who participated in 
Then Jelmer jumped into an extended modeling tutorial. He walked through the techniques and tricks he used in a personal work-in-progress, a character model of a satyr, in both Maya and Pixologic ZBrush, 