Check out our new homepage feature — click on any one of the twelve languages and see an entire description of the campus, the faculty, the programs, and the student experience. A significant proportion of VFS students are from countries outside Canada where English is not the national language. As VFS.com evolves, we are continuing to look for new ways to make an international student’s transition that much smoother, and the multilingual homepage is a part of that objective. As they say in Moscow: “Ostokhuitel’no!”

If you’ve never been to the famous Elbow Room in Vancouver (celeb sightings galore), here’s what you’re missing. ‘Room for Rudeness’ is a terrific short film created by James Caine through the VFS Film Production program. Owner, Patrick Savoie has the best lines, like: “Most of the time we do get the clientele who expect to be mistreated.”

Earlier this week we mentioned how Ori-Ben Shabat’s short film Piece of Mind made it to the top ten in YouTube’s “Most Creative” award category. Not only that, but in the fall of 2006, the soundtrack composer for the film, Colin Janz, won “Best Original Score” at the Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (CAEAA). Preview and download the track here and you’ll see why he won: The music works seamlessly with the film, and it’s a complete mind-blower on its own.

Download MP3 File

We also asked Colin to describe how he made the track, and his answers appear after the fold.

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VFS Alumni and renowned cinematographer David Klein has generously offered to wake up early on a Saturday to visit the school and screen and discuss his work with VFS students, faculty and graduates. Nice deal! But we need a minimum twenty students to make this happen. Klein will visit VFS this Saturday, March 31 at 12:00 PM in the Main Theatre 420 Homer Street only if there is enough interest.

Word is, David is shooting late on Friday, March 30 to complete Kevin Smith’s new TV pilot Reaper – so if we don’t get at least 20 people signed up, we’ll let this hard-working man sleep in. This is a terrific chance to hear from an industry pro. Don’t let him rest!

David Klein has worked on over two dozen films including his many projects with director (and former VFSer) Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Clerks II). Klein is an artist committed to working on productions ranging from ultra-low budget indies to studio-funded productions, so he’s pretty much the perfect guy to ask questions about the challenges that face new filmmakers. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity!

Please sign up in the Film Program Office by noon Friday, March 30.

Out of town? email us at hemery@vfs.com to confirm your attendance.

Tell all your friends. Let’s learn from and support this successful alum!

Listen up, art lovers: we just found out that Foundation grad Kyla Harris has a new photography exhibit showing in her own gallery on Main St. here in Vancouver.

The exhibit – Access-Sex — deals with sexuality and, for lack of a better word, accessibility (Harris is a young woman who uses a wheelchair). Check out the exhibit, and the gallery’s address — but be warned, the link may not be appropriate for workplace viewing!

YouTube has announced the shortlist and winners of their Video Awards for 2006, and “Piece of Mind” by Ori-Ben Shabat placed 9th in the Top Ten of the “Most Creative” category! Congrats, Ori!!

Q: What should we do to celebrate when his movie reaches a million viewers?

Over 5,000 channel subscribers. Nearly two million unique views. Closing in on two hundred original student works posted. Two homepage features. And counting. VFS is part of the YouTube community in a big way.

Thanks to YouTube our students are discovering a passionate audience to match their own commitment to entertain, impress, and push the creative envelope. Most everyone who watches VFS on YouTube knows about the huge popularity of Ori-Ben Shabat’s Piece of Mind. With over 600,000 unique views, over 1,400 comments, favorited close to 4,000 times, and a complimentary making of video, it’s already a classic. But there’s so many other jewels on our channel to browse. There’s the unbelievable transformation of Vancouver into a warzone in Teh-Wei Yeh’s 3D Animation piece. Gotta love the fizzy electro style of Andrea Garcia Tovar’s Digital Design reel (she holds down a sexy website, too). Also visually splendid is Marcelo Ortiz’s strange journey into famous works of modern art.

And yesterday we posted this spooky-cool new short film made in our Acting Department. The film is about two young women who rent a haunted apartment from the most apathetic (if not demonically-possessed) landlord on Earth. There’s a chilling, David Lynch-y/Hideo Nakata feel to the story that we like a lot. “June, put down the knife!”

Ever fantasized seriously considered spending a year of your life learning to make films?

For those not-yet-VFS-folks thinking of applying to the Film Production program, you should know – Moviemaker Magazine and VFS are sending some lucky soul to film school for free! There’s a full-year scholarship to Film up for grabs.

Tell all your friends, tell the whole bunch.

Deadline’s end of April, so get on it.

EBM program had its first graduation a few weeks ago – and it looks like the world noticed. Recently radio station News 1130 interviewed EBM Head of Department Jeff Young for their Business Report.

If you want a sense of what’s studied in EBM – but you’re a busy person with only one minute and forty-one seconds to spare – boy, is this the interview for you!

VFS Makeup instructor Rebeccah Delchambre was interviewed on the CBC the other week about her work as Lead Makeup Artist for the new dark comedy FIDO. As we’ve mentioned, Delchambre was charged with transforming Billy Connolly into a pet zombie for this Canadian satire of retro suburban social life. The results of her work are stupendous, funny, gruesome, and great (just like the movie). Listen to this very entertaining CBC interview recorded right here at VFS, and then check out some behind-the-scenes photos of Delchambre undeadening Connolly.