Jumanji, Bates Motel, Riverdale, Prison Break, Juno, Man of Steel — what do all these films or TV shows have in common? They were all filmed in Vancouver, Canada. And what about The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Angry Birds Movie, Star Trek Beyond, X-Men Apocalypse, The Little Prince, Suicide Squad, Zootopia, Supernatural, and Deadpool ? They all involved one or more graduates of the Vancouver Film School (VFS). And that long list barely scratches the surface. With such a hopping silver and small screen presence, you wouldn’t be wrong to want to launch your entertainment career at this ‘Hollywood North’, as Vancouver is sometimes referred to.
VFS, which just reached the 30-year mark this year, offers 13 diploma programmes (complete list below) running the gamut of the entertainment, technology, and gaming industries — domains from ideating, script-writing, and coding, to makeup, set and game design, culminating in post-production and entertainment business management. Dr. Ted Gervan, VP of Education, Educational Administration, compares it to “an incubator” for these industries.
While the film production and animation campuses, located in the historic and charmingly quirky Gastown, form the majority of VFS’ space, they are only two of eight such facilities spread across downtown Vancouver, which cater to the variety of programmes offered. “We started with film, but we’ve evolved into a much more comprehensive school, also offering programmes on the science and technology side,” says Ted.
3D Animation - Behind the Scenes. Photo: Special Arrangement
Intensive study
All programmes are intense and immersive, requiring a full-time commitment. “This isn’t for everyone; you need to have a lot of resilience, and passion either towards your chosen subject or towards discovering what you like,” says Ranjani Prasad, Film Production, Class of 2016.
Benhur Bosco, Writing for Film & Television, Class of 2015, agrees: “This was one of the toughest things I’ve done — coming up with a feature, a TV series, and an animated series, all in the span of one year. I was working part-time as well. It was crazy.”
But as Samarth Chandola, Entertainment Business Management, Class of 2013, recounts, the hard work is worth it. “VFS provides you with plenty of opportunities, either through the curriculum, or the students and teachers that you’ll meet, and later work with. I got my first job because the head of my department connected me to her old business partner. I had a job offer a week before I graduated,” he says. Samarth now runs V2 Games, a mobile gaming company based in Vancouver; Ranjani and Benhur work with director, producer and screenwriter Vic Sarin, who is also based in the city.
Hands-on A class in progress. Photo: Special Arrangement
The application processes for each of the programmes are distinct, but what they have in common is the flexibility of applying to one of the multiple intakes year-round (as opposed to just a fall intake, like most schools); each round accepts only about 30-40 students per department. Most applications also require some examples of your past work, in the form of a portfolio, or in the case of gaming and programming related diplomas, your coding samples. The work doesn’t necessarily have to be recognised, or published.
For film production, students usually aspire to be either directors, cinematographers, producers, or work in post-production. There isn’t always a demonstrable way to show your experience in these areas. “In these cases, it depends on interviews, essays, and applicants’ goals, presented through vision statements,” says Michael Baser, Head of Film Production, and Writing for Film & Television.
Head of Game Design, and Programming for Games, Web & Mobile, Peter Walsh, says, “If someone wants to come into my department just because they play a lot of games, they’re probably not the right fit. Someone who might be a better fit has been doing art, writing or coding for games since they were a teenager. We want to see examples of that.”
For students without any prior learning in related disciplines, there are two preparatory programmes: one year of visual design fundamentals, and four months of acting essentials. Some students have joined VFS straight out of high school; others, even after graduate school, but they all share the singular goal of breaking into the industry. Once everyone has been brought up to speed, the deep dive begins.
As Michael puts it, “We’re not a graduate programme or for hobbyists; we’re a programme for people who want to be in the industry.” VFS alumni have gone on to work at companies such as Google, HBO, Lucasfilm, Nickelodeon, Disney, Ubisoft, Paramount Pictures, and Dolby Digital.
Fee and scholarships
Tuition fees vary greatly depending on the programme, since the equipment and material requirements differ. On the lower end of the spectrum, it could be around CAD 10,500 for the short Acting Essentials programme. Fees range from about CAD 29,000 (Writing for Film & Television) to CAD 54,000 (Film Production, 3D Animation & Visual Effects) for the full-time offerings (numbers are approximate and specifically for international students).
VFS offers both merit-based scholarships — awarded based on the portfolios provided with the applications — and need-based bursaries.
And for those interested in staying a little closer to home, too, there is something to look forward to: Diwakar Gandhi, Director, International Strategy + Business Development, says that work is in progress for upcoming Mumbai and Hyderabad campuses.
“This industry is exploding now; there are more opportunities than ever before. When I started in Los Angeles at age 19, there were very few outlets for my work. But now, there are opportunities beyond belief! I’m jealous. It’s an exciting time to be here,” concludes Michael.
The writer was in Canada at the invitation of the Canadian High Commission, New Delhi.
Preparatory programmes:
Acting Essentials – 16 weeks
Foundation Visual Art + Design (Animation / Film / Digital Design) – 48 weeks
48-week programmes:
3D Animation & Visual Effects
Animation & Concept Art
Classical Animation
Film Production
Acting for Film & Television
Writing for Film & Television
Digital Design
Game Design
Programming for Games, Web & Mobile
Makeup Design for Film & Television
Sound Design for Visual Media
