VFS Summer Intensives open eyes to careers

THIS ARTICLE IS SPONSORED BY VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL

Just over two years ago, Moises Lucero was a Winnipeg high school student pondering whether to go into film production or animation. Because he has a keen interest in digital media, he decided to enroll in one of Vancouver Film School’s Summer Intensives. These instructional programs offer an introduction to a wide range of media arts in daylong sessions lasting for a week.

“It made me a lot more passionate about the things that I can do in animation,” Lucero said.

In 2016, he enrolled in the full-time, oneyear animation program at VFS, graduating this year. Earlier this month, Lucero began working as a junior animator at Atomic Cartoons, which produces several popular children’s television shows.

Lucero’s fee for his Summer Intensive was applied to his tuition in the full-time program, so he felt that he had nothing to lose.

“The Summer Intensive for animation runs the gamut,” Lucero declared. “It baptizes you into the course that you want to take or you’re interested in taking.”

VFS offers five areas of specialization within its three animation programs— and students in the Summer Intensives are exposed to all of them, according to Ted Gervan, vice president of education.

“They can learn about the subtle differences between animation, concept art, 3-D animation, visual effects, and classical animation,” he explained.

Open to anyone 16 years and older, VFS Summer Intensives offer a wide range of opportunities in other areas, too. For example, filmproduction students collaborate with others in the acting program in real studios, such as the Hotel Griffin, inside the school’s spectacular 155,000-square foot Gastown campus.

“They’re going to be using our post lab, our theatre, and our production design classroom,” Gervan said.

He emphasized that these programs offer everything students need to hone their skills and prepare for advanced study and careers in the film, TV, game, and mobile industries.

“Participants have the opportunity to explore VFS’S premier full-time programs and career opportunities in B.C.’S creative economy in a fun, interactive, low-risk, and lowcost format,” he stated.

He described some Summer Intensives, such as Game Design, as “more of a deep dive”. In this program, students learn some programming and how to design levels in Unity. They also make a prototype 2-D game with characters.

Gervan said the immersive model enables students to accomplish all of that in just a single week.

“Students take the intensives for all kinds of reasons,” he added. “Some are casually interested in film and media, and are looking for something to explore further. Others have made a strong commitment to learning a trade, getting their first job, and in many cases our intensives attract those seeking a career change. For some students, the intensives are the first step in a life-changing journey.”

He characterized the instructional as “ensemble teaching”.

“It’s not one teacher in a classroom in each of these programs,” Gervan said. “They’re working as a team.”

VFS faculty and program department heads have an enormous amount of industry experience that they can share. For example, the instructional team for the Summer Intensives in Acting for Film + Television 1 and 2 includes Kurt Evans, who has roles in The Man in the High Castle, Rogue, and izombie. VFS’S head of sound design, Leo Award winner Shane Rees, is an instructor in the Summer Intensive in Introduction to Film, Animation + Design.

There’s also an opportunity for students to make friends and network in VFS’S state-ofthe-art Gastown campus.

“I always tell students who are pursuing postsecondary training options to learn as

Shakshuka (eggs in spiced tomato sauce) is a popular North African Jewish dish and is an example of the diversity of local Jewish cuisine. Thanushi Eagalle photo.