The entertainment industry has, over the last decade, developed an insatiable appetite for young, capable, diversely-talented artists. As such, Megan Majewski – an accomplished 3D animator, classical animator, and painter – has had a lot on her plate lately.

“I don’t just specialize in animation,” she says. Her work ranges from CG animation to lighting to rendering special effects. “I’m trying a bit of everything until I figure out what I enjoy best.”

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There are very few well-known Film Editors in the world. You have Walter Murch and… well… there’s Walter Murch. Get ready to add a new name to that list: VFS Film Production grad Georgia Milroy.

In high school, Georgia dabbled in film - but nothing caught her interest until the day she got to “cut.” “It felt right,” she says of her first editing experience. Even so, Georgia didn’t consider film editing a career option until she met a VFS representative at her school. “He made me really excited about the industry. It was then that I knew I wanted to work in film.”

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The International Makeup Artists Trade Show in Pasadena, California, has been hailed as the largest gathering of artists and makeup enthusiasts in the world. While the show hosts numerous events, none are more hotly anticipated than the invitation-only IMATS Character Competition. Daniele Berardi, recent graduate of the Makeup for Film and Television program, was one of only eight students invited to compete in this prestigious contest.

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The VFS Makeup Design for Film & Television program welcomes Oscar-winning Makeup and Special Effects Artist, Howard Berger, co-founder of KNB EFX Group, Los Angeles, for a special presentation this Saturday, May 27th, 2006.

Howard Berger is the 2006 Academy Award Winner for Best Achievement in Makeup for his work in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ and was the special makeup effects supervisor for Frank Miller’s Sin City and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volumes 1&2.

Please join us this Saturday at 1:30 PM for a screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, then immediately following, an intimate audience with one of Hollywood’s most dynamic personalities - Howard Berger!

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When Ecstatic Designs went looking for designers to bolster their presentation at this year’s Project SNO, they didn’t have to look far; VFS was right around the corner.

Project SNO is a not-for-profit fashion show spun-off from BC Fashion Week – but, rather than a bustiers-and-bustles gala, Project SNO glorifies winter athletic fashions from numerous BC outerwear designers, including Arson, Sapient Snowboards, Olive Skateboards, NFA Outerwear, and O’Neill.

Prior to the main runway event, Ecstatic Designs wanted to screen a high-energy video to get the crowd excited. Chrystale Thompson, Creative Director at Ecstatic and creator of Project SNO, wanted the video to be graphically intense, so she contacted Sebastien de Castel, Head of the VFS Digital Design program, and asked him if the Digital Design students would be capable of creating such visuals.

The students – led by Motion Graphics and Video Production Instructor Ron Serna – rose to the challenge, creating a variety of interconnecting video “bumpers” that introduce each of the film’s acts. Serna developed the project so that it resembled an industry-standard, agency-client relationship.

The Project SNO creators and attendees received the final film with enthusiasm, validating the project’s success. “[The students] were all really great to work with,” says Thompson. “They all did a really great job at taking the project and following it through on the short timeline we gave them. They did really fantastic work.”

“And you guys rule,” she added.

Razer TV’s 969 – a Vancouver-based, youth-oriented TV show – recently joined graduate Steven Stark for a tour through the Classical Animation program and the making of his animated student film.

969 is a long-running and extremely successful show that focuses on talented youth. The one hour show frequently goes “behind the scenes,” giving its audience an inside look at the people, processes, and industries that youth are interested and involved in.

Steve Stark, a recent graduate of the Classical Animation program, showed the hosts of 969 how VFS students make their amazing animated films, detailing all of the industry-standard animation steps, including storyboards, layouts, leicas, rough and clean animations, DIP (digital ink & paint), editing, and sound design.

The episode aired on April 10th at 4pm and 8pm Pacific and will be re-run continuously (check local listings for air times in your area). Razer TV is available on the following television providers: Bell ExpressVu (channel 577), Cogeco Cable (channel 172), MTS (channel 324), Rogers Cable (channel 706), Telus (channel 254), Shaw Cable (channel 98), Star Choice (channel 590), and Videotron (channel 163).