The Dark Knight is descending from the rafters on July 18th, with graduate and Double Negative TD generalist Pietro Ponti representing VFS Animation & Visual Effectsin the credits. But there’s another connection, and it’s something a little different.
3D grad Kolby Jukes is a freelance character artist who, since graduating from VFS in 2004, has found a niche in the game and film industries - with a laundry list of clients that includes id, EA, Midway, and Frantic Films - while starting a growing online community for 3D artists called Tweak.
He’s also making a name for himself in collectibles.His work for DC Direct has meant modeling sought-after Batman and Joker statues, busts and the like for a fan base that can’t get enough. And that’s where The Dark Knight comes in.
Let’s talk Dark Knight. The pieces you did for DC Direct, especially on the Joker, are completely jaw-dropping. How did you get into that kind of work?
Early in 2007, an art director at DC Direct, Shawn Knapp, had seen some of my work online and got in contact with me about doing a series of half-scale busts. I eagerly accepted the contract, since I’ve always been a huge Batman fan, reading the comics and playing with the toys as a kid and watching the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini animated series religiously.
Just after finishing my first bust (a Jim Lee inspired Batman bust that was released in April of 2008), I was offered the chance to work on the Dark Knight film merchandise. I ended up sculpting the majority of the line, working on 6 pieces. It was a really great experience, and I’m really happy to have been involved in what looks to be an amazing film.
How is the approach to modeling for busts or statues - real, tangible things - different than for, say, animation?
Faithful blog readers will remember the amazing achievements of VFS graduates at last year’s Air Canada enRoute Student Film Festival — in which numerous VFS films were selected to screen on Air Canada flights, and several were up for (and won) major awards.
Well, it’s that time again! This summer’s enRoute selections include Filmgrad Jared Stepp’s The Last Planet, fellow Film graduate Terry Stone’s documentary Virtuoso, and Classical Animation grad Tammy Dubinsky’s Hold the Mustard. Congratulations to all 3 for being screened at 30,000 feet… and here are a few words with Jared, on this success for The Last Planet…
How does it feel to know your film is screening on flights across the country?
The short answer: Awesome.
I feel this is a great honour for the cast, crew, and I to get our hard work out there for people to see all across Canada. Our goal is to entertain and to do that on a national level is a great opportunity. If we can transport you to another time and place, and make you smile, I feel we have done our job.
Many Film Production films lean toward drama. What was the development process like for you, in writing - and pitching - this comedy?
I’ve always been a geek in general, and leaned towards Sci-Fi as a focus for my nerdy ways. I knew I wanted to make a film about those great serials of the 1940s, and how that genre is lost today. I thought more on it, not only the genre, but the actual actors and professionals who focused much of their careers and are unknown to most people. So I thought, I like that genre of film a lot, why not try to make an episode of a fictional 1940s serial? And touch on the themes of what happens when things age and become forgotten.
The pitch was a challenge. Like I said, this genre of film is unknown to most people. I had to convince a lot of people about the story, what I was trying to accomplish, and the tone of the piece. But with my strong vision and perseverance, I was chosen to make the movie and I feel I accomplished my goals.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the look of the film. It was achieved by the hard work of my Director of Photography Sumeet Vats, and our wonderfully imaginitive art team of Devin Coppens and Kristine George. We researched and discussed things thoroughly to achieve a look similar to the actual serials of the 1940s. We also had a great help through the Digital Intermediate process at Technicolor.
A long stretch of unfavourable weather meant that the team couldn’t summit the 8,091-metre peak, but Dan’s video is awe-inspiring nonetheless. (No wonder: As Dan put it to us originally, the team leader “wanted to put a little more of a cinematic look on the footage.”)
That means we can finally report what 3D Animation & Visual Effects grad and Blizzard cinematic artist Alvaro Buendia was working on when he told us back in April, “I can say with confidence that all the stuff we are doing is definitely raising the bar.”
Alvaro’s handiwork, and that of fellow 3D grad Steven Chen, is apparently all over the gorgeous Diablo III teaser. See it for yourself:
Join us on July 23, 2008 to experience a behind-the-scenes look inside all 13 of Vancouver Film School’s programs: an unparalleled introduction to a one-year education in every dimension of film, TV, games, and design, all under one roof.
This evening is not to be missed.
At this unique VFS Open House you will:
- Hear about our 13 programs: 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Digital Character Animation, Acting for Film & Television, Acting Essentials, Digital Design, Entertainment Business Management, Film Production, Game Design, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, Writing for Film & Television, and Foundation Visual Art & Design
- Meet our award-winning leaders, including the producers, writers, sound designers, makeup artists, and execs behind Zoolander, Three’s Company, The Butterfly Effect, Whale Music, EA’s NHL video games, and countless others
- See amazing examples of student films, reels, and portfolios from all of our programs, including incredible never-before-seen work
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
6pm – 8pm VFS Café
390 West Hastings Street
To register for this Open House, email openhouse@vfs.com or call 604.631.3590.
We began the Vancouver Film School channel on YouTube less than 2 years ago as a way to share our students’ incredible work with the world. In that time, we’ve posted 424 videos, picked up 22,000 faithful subscribers, and seen a number of bonafide hits emerge.
Today, the combined views for all the videos on our channel passed 20 million.
We’re pretty proud of that fact, and so should our graduates whose work has touched a nerve the world over.
Father Fred, a Portfolio Short by Writing for Film & Television graduate Zach Roe, was in the Shorts Nonstop festival last fall — and it’s now screening as part of the National Screen Institute (NSI) Film Festival online. Check it out! There’s even a nifty podcast with the director, Nicholas Humphries, explaining the Port Shorts process. Listen to the podcast here. And congrats, everyone!
“Generally, Digital Design students are given assets to work with to make a small book,” says Print Design and Typography Instructor Robin Mitchell. “In the past, we have worked with local award-winning publisher Simply Read Books. Simply Read Books has allowed us to use professionally prepared images and text for children’s books.”
“[This class] did a special version of the project,” she says: The ABCs of Typography.
The “special version of the project” spanned classes and even terms - the students created the basic assets of The ABCs of Typography in Typography class, and in the next term’s Print Design class, they all drew from that pool of assets to create the books, which were printed at school and bound professionally.
The results are simply stunning. In Robin’s words, they “did an exceptional job of sharing ideas and assets and produced a great array of well-designed books.”
“I think the most important lesson was that we can always learn from each other,” says former student – now grad – Andrea de Mattos Quaresma, “And different styles can always make you see your work in a different way.”
The challenge of housing such a diverse set of designs is one that most designers will face at some point, and the students tackled it head-on. “It wasn’t easy to find a way to relate such variety of styles in one single book,” says Andrea, “But it was fun to find solutions for each page and see how we could make them work together.”
And the students did have some room to breathe. According to Andrea’s classmate Everardo Iñiguez, “We had the option of changing aspects of each other’s work as long as the core concept remained.”
“My book was titled Typographique Abecedarium,” he says of his project, which became part of his semi-finalist entry in this year’s Adobe Design Achievement Awards. “[It] was designed so it could fit every asset without overshadowing the visual importance of each piece, but giving you enough information and a cohesive sense of collection.”
So, what did the students ultimately take away from this term-bridging project, apart from some really beautiful books?
EBMwas proud to have guest speaker Inga McLaughlin visit the Show Production and Touring class last week. Inga has been Production Manager for touring shows like Some Like it Hot, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Starlight Express.
A native Vancouverite, Inga told the story of her entry into the world of touring: she was originally a dancer who proceeded to work her way up in stage management. Her lesson? “I got in by being there, and wanting it.”
Inga was generous enough to provide the class with samples of detailed docs such as tour schedules, loading schedules, and tech riders (including the meat and cheese plate that must be in Tony Curtis’s dressing room!). She also entertained with stories of life on tour, including how one gets 36 elephants with the Ringling Brothers Circus across Manhattan to the setup site. (The answer? On foot, through the Lincoln Tunnel, at 2 AM.)
It was clear to everyone in the room how grueling life on the road can be, and how the logistics and management must be top-notch, or thousands — millions — of dollars (not to mention the well-being of elephants) could be at stake.
VFS students and graduates are known for grabbing at any opportunity to create (and build their reels), so we shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that so many VFSers participated in this past weekend’s Diesel Film Racing Tour. Teams were challenged to create an original short in just 24 hours.
A full six teams were led by VFS students and graduates, including:
–”Taking It” by Borrowtime (Darren Borrowman, Filmgrad)
–”The Rock That Looks Like Elvis” by The Incorrigibles (k. Arie Bird, current Writingstudent)
–”A Nutty Dilemna” by The Battery Eaters (Steve Stransman, recent Film grad)
–”Drip” by Firing Squad Productions (Diana Donaldson, Writing grad)
–”Pitching a Tent” by OD Films (Miguel Valdez-Lopez, recent Writing grad)
–”Robogreed” by Patrick Henry and friends (Patrick Henry, Film grad)
Want to go see the results of their weekend? The films are screening tonight at The Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus St., Vancouver - 9pm, for $9.
Congratulations to all the teams for finishing! And thank you to the “OD Films” team for providing some pics from the shoot… this team was chock-full of Writing grads including Valdez-Lopez, Keith Opatovsky, Kurt Hoffman, Rosely Cortes Bolio, Paul Ellington (also a graduate of Film), and Alyssa Ciccarelli, and featured the talents of Actinggrads Nathan Geoblette, Derek Bedry, Sydney Cochrane, Justine Percy, and Mesha Toor.
![DC Direct 10-inch Joker Statue](http://www.vfs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/jukes_jokerstatue_final.jpg "DC Direct 10\")
The Dark Knight is descending from the rafters on July 18th, with graduate and Double Negative TD generalist Pietro Ponti representing VFS Animation & Visual Effects in the credits. But there’s another connection, and it’s something a little different.
Faithful blog readers will remember the amazing achievements of VFS graduates at 
Dan Baas, the 
A chance like this doesn’t come along every day.
We’ve seen what happens when our 
“I think the most important lesson was that we can always learn from each other,” says former student – now grad – Andrea de Mattos Quaresma, “And different styles can always make you see your work in a different way.”
