It seems like this year, 3D grads have worked on all kinds of huge films. Some have been working their way up in the industry for many years, and are now in TD and senior positions. And then there’s the other kind of grad: talented, hard-working, and recruited right out of VFS to work on the big animated movies of the year. Case in point: Space Chimps!

By our count, at least 40 recent grads worked as animators on Space Chimps, the latest family flick to hit the screens this summer. The animation studio leading the charge on the movie was Vanguard, a Vancouver-based company. When it came time to recruit animators, CG Recruiter Barb Dawson, who has taught Production Management in the 3D program, knew exactly where to go first.

Barb says, “Space Chimps needed to crew top-quality local talent, but also needed to keep a strict budget in order to complete the film. We planned for 1/3 of our crew to be artists with loads of talent and potential but very little experience. Because of my connection with VFS, I knew that it was the place to look for up-and-coming talent, and starting hiring recent grads in the first few moths of production. Many students started in entry level roles and progressed to full artist positions by the end of the film by learning on the job. Though some students were hired from other schools, most came from VFS, as it was the school with the highest level of graduates by far, and those students had the best success rate in production.”

Can’t argue with the woman who does the hiring! Congrats to all those who launched their career this year by launching monkeys into space.