Vancouver Film School 2010 Retrospective
2010 School of the Year2010
Highlights Of Our Year
At Vancouver Film School, we believe that a single year offers endless possibilities. Why? Because in our 23 years, we've seen it again and again.
In one year, our students achieve the seemingly impossible, and in 2010, our graduates amassed incredible professional accomplishments. They earned recognition everywhere from the Oscars to the Guggenheim, innovated new kinds of entertainment, and shaped the very world we live in. Together, they keep us inspired every day, every week, and every month. We hope you enjoy their stories just as much as we do.
Click each month to look back at some of the many milestones of 2010.
May 2010
The Future of Business
Did you know?
VFS grads worked on all 10 of the highest grossing films of the year (worldwide), including Toy Story 3, Inception, Shrek Forever After, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
VFS grads worked on about half of the 100 highest grossing films of the year.
VFS grads worked on many of 2010's best-selling 360, PS3, and PC games, including Red Dead Redemption, Starcraft II, God of War III, Kinect Adventures, and Mass Effect 2.
Well over 300 stories and interviews were posted on the VFS Blog in 2010.
Three VFS student films passed major milestones for views on YouTube in 2010, including The Switch (2 million), The Room (1 million), and Le Parkour (1 million).
Since premiering on the VFS YouTube channel in Summer 2010, Mauricio Dal Poggetto's 3D film The History of Greed has racked up nearly 200,000 views.
At any given time, you would have found about 1,100 students across our 13 programs this year.
Over 8,000 students have studied at VFS since 1997.
Students have access to over 400 game titles in the VFS Game Design library.
2010 saw the first-ever third-party sale for a game created by Game Design students: the browser platformer Tide Turner.
Four Makeup Design graduates owned the podium at the internationally renowned IMATS competitions in 2010.
In Their Words
“My favorite sound in the game was the shopping cart," he explains. "Kyle actually beat up an old shopping cart. It sounds great.”
Robbie Elias
Sound Design for Visual Media grad
Crackdown 2
“Writing has always been a love but when I discovered dramatic writing, screenwriting just clicked. I remember reading the script for Reservoir Dogs and just understanding how dialogue worked. It was very powerful.”
Claire Wilson
Writing for Film & Television grad
“I remember I wasn't too sure if I was up for going to an audition, because I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled two days from then and was so paralyzed by fear I didn't even want to leave the house.”
Magda Apanowicz
Acting for Film & Television grad
Caprica
“Watching the reviews come in and watching the excitement grow on the forums over the months is awesome. It's a very rewarding experience to be able to be part of something like this.”
Jordan Ivey
Sound Design for Visual Media grad
Mass Effect 2
“The reason I chose to pursue [live gaming events] full-time is that I believe in the power of the community that I see in Vancouver and beyond. ”
Brian Vidovic
Game Design grad
“Honestly, it's all very surreal. I remember being at Comic-Con last year and thinking, 'Wouldn't it be funny if people actually watched our show?'”
Ryan Copple
Foundation Visual Art & Design grad
Riese
“It isn't enough to make a great film and understand how to manage all aspects of its production. Before the shutter opens, before a pixel hits the screen, you must also have a rock solid strategy for how you are going to make an audience care about your great film.”
Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin: Head of
Entertainment Business Management
“I tripped over a stand and ended up in Tom Cruises's lap. He was very surprized, to say the least.”
Linda Gill-Crone
Makeup Design for Film & Television
Instructor, Makeup Technique
“Students that are coming out of [Digital Design] are showing great work… and we're always looking for people on the cutting edge.”
Marty Yaskowich
Digital at Tribal DDB Canada
Managing Director
“The short film is our short film, so it's different. It's more exciting. You have more responsibility.”
Diana Garcia Mendez. Entertainment Business Management grad
“A computer can't give you good composition. It can't give you good design. It can't give you good animation. It can't give you good story. You have to know how to do all those things… and the best way to learn all those things is through pencil and paper.”
Dieter Mueller
Classical Animation instructor
“Blowing up buildings or tearing down the street shooting a car chase is a pretty rad way to earn a living.”
Kingslea Bueltel
Film Production grad
The Good Guys
“We just hope people enjoy it, and that our lonely monsters will get a date. And for it to be remade into a 3D feature with James Cameron for ridiculous money.”
Amy Doherty
Writing for Film & Television grad
“The successes I've been a part of really come down to people, their stories, and inspiring collaborations – much of that started at VFS for me.”
Peter Jin Hong (Google)
Digital Design grad & Advisory Board Member
What the media had to say
Makeup Design makes waves on Halloween
(CTV News and Urban Rush)
VFS to award Women in Games grant 
