So it comes as no surprise that the new Ghostbusters video game — written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and featuring the voices of all 4 original ‘busters — is so hotly anticipated. The trailer’s out (check it out at the bottom of this post) and already it’s been #1 on Digg.

Right in the thick of the action is Film grad Mischa Hrziwnatzki, who, in his editing position at Rainmaker Animation, got to work extensively on the cinematics (for non-gamers, they’re the prerendered animated scenes after a big boss battle or new level).

We had to know how Mischa’s filmmaking background comes into play in his work now, so we caught up with him to ask him a few questions…

Tell us about your official role at Rainmaker — what’s your title, and what does the job entail?

My Producer calls me their Senior Editor, but the website only says Editor. I prefer Creative Editor, what can you do?

Daily duties here for me as an Editor at Rainmaker include a myriad of things to do, but it kinda depends on what part of the cycle we are in. The 6 stages of our cycle are:

1 - Development, Pitches, and Ripomatics

During this stage I am in meetings with the Producer, the Executive Producer, and a Director about whatever game/trailer is open for bidding. We are bouncing concepts around until we come up with a list of ideas, which I will then use as a map create a Rip-o-matic to support the concept.

A ripomatic pre-vis / reference edit (taken from the advertising world) is where the editor will take a bunch of clips from movies and re-edit them to set the emotional tone and pacing of the piece we intend to lace over the finished product we are pitching. I make ripomatics all the time, and it’s one of the most radical things to do (usually this is because you only have a day or so to make one, and it takes a super powerful computer to rip through all of that footage in a timely manner). It’s here that I get a lot of input as a creative editor to express the timing and scale of the trailer using high-end movies for easy reference. The clients will receive the ripomatic amongst other visual materials and scripts during the pitch and will have a strong idea of what type of trailer we are going to make before they spend any money.

2. Storyboarding, Board Edits, and Reference Gathering

This is super straightforward board editing. The director and the board artist will be producing story panels during the first few weeks of the show. Here is where the editor is scanning the pages, cropping the images, importing to Avid, and editing them to dialogue or scratch dialogue (fake dialogue that will be replaced when the real material comes in) and setting the pace of the show (duration of shots, camera moves, and temp sound effects). Every day a new version of the edit is uploaded to the crew so they will know what sorts of shots will be coming their way and plan accordingly.

Also, the board edits will be sent to the client to ensure that everything is pre-planned according to their designs/contracts. At the same time, any references from films that are suggested get ripped and delivered to the crew so they can prepare elements and ideas for their shots.

3. Animation

Animation is in full swing and the editor at this point is replacing shots with new versions and making sure that frame counts, file names, and lip sync are correct with the animators. We could go over a shot many times. Sometimes we get as many as 20 versions of a shot being redone before it is approved.

During this time, I find that any suggestions to make a shot special are welcome and find their way into the show. This part remains awesome throughout, as working with the animators is one of the most fun things in the world to imagine.

Everyone I’ve worked with is both charming and creative and loves what they do.

4. LGT CMP and Audio

LGT and CMP (Lighting and Compositing) have been working laterally and will be submitting tests they’ve been developing since the beginning. This is the most expensive part of the show in that it takes the most computing power to export a frame that is fully lit and comped. This is why exact frame counts are hyper-important to the editors’ relationship with the crew: every shot missing a frame is many hours of wasted time. As soon as the animation is approved, it is shot tested (confirmed all elements needed for LGT are present) and then sent to the lighters. They work their delicious magic with lights and then pass it on to the compers. Comp adds their special ingredients and effects to the shot and then send back to me, to place over top of the approved animation. Slowly but surely, all shots move from grey shaded animation to fully lit and beautiful shots. Here is where lighting continuity must be observed and communicated with the LGT/CMP leads.

During this time, exports of the show are sent to the sound department where they replace all the temp sound I laid in with their wicked sound effects libraries. Funny enough, when a sound edit comes back, it makes the show look a thousand times better than it did before.

5. Final Export

Finals are the tough spot for an editor in that usually stuff is being changed well past the last minute before deadline. For GB I was awake for a full 36 hours before the final file was copied to a drive and sent through the mail to the client. Files are huge and must be perfect, with review copies also prepared and equally as pristine. This is where knowledge of compression codecs and filters is very important. The clients need both huge files for their production team/archives, and versions that they can watch on their iPhones or laptops, or however they would like to watch it.

6. Smoke Break

Afterwards I have a smoke break and drink some beers. This is my favourite part.

We know that you have a deep, lifelong love for Ghostbusters, which is partly why this gig was so exciting for you. What is it about GB that keeps people coming back?

Ghostbusters is great because it’s really just a story about a group of young men ascending to the peak of their careers while trying to kiss some girls. Who doesn’t wanna laugh and be scared when thinking about work and women? It’s also a special effects masterpiece. And it’s well written. And it has Bill Murray in it.

And it’s written really good.

Has anything been particularly challenging or exciting for you?

What’s been challenging for me is finding better ways of communicating.

Also, the magic of this position is the convergence between the mediums. Basically, we are marketing using computer animation for a video game based on a film. Advertising, animation, video games, and film? The best of all worlds!! You couldn’t ask for a better job.

In what ways did your VFS education prepare you for this work?

The respect for the hierarchy of production. How to work as a team. And how to enjoy work.

Thanks so much, Mischa! We’ll think of you when the game hits the stores!

Here’s the trailer to keep everyone stoked:

And from pretty much the moment it started doing the rounds, it’s been a hit on the festival circuit, prompting additional screenings, rave reviews, and audience awards - including Best Feature at the 2008 San Diego Film Festival.

Other VFS connections, incidentally, include Film grad Peter Eliuk doing Post Sound (he produced Paul’s documentary Siblings at VFS) as well as Sound Design’s Jeremy Elzinga (Sound Engineer) and Foundation/Digital Design’s Chris Abbas (Digital Effects Artist).

We leave you with an interview conducted with Jacob at AFI Dallas in early November:

But don’t fret! We’ve got lots to keep you busy.

There’s a year’s worth of Vancouver Film School In Focus magazines, and all 6 issues are available for download in PDF format.

Plus, you could easily spend a week browsing through our acclaimed YouTube channel. It’s the number one school channel on YouTube for a reason.

While we look forward to 2009, it’s also a good time to look back on 2008… and what a year it was! We’ve blogged well over 300 times since January 1st - including a 48-post April. (We’re still not sure how we managed that.) In June, we got to debut a new look for VFS.com (and the improvements keep coming!) and just this month, we launched the VFS Store.

It’s impossible to choose favourites - we love ‘em all - but here are a few highlights from another great year of alumni success stories, interviews, guest speakers, and events on the VFS Blog.

January
Another Side of Game Design Expo
We take a look at how Game Design students benefit from VFS hosting the annual Game Design Expo.

February
Getting the Independent Spirit
Film Production grad and producer Neil Kopp does us all proud by winning a prestigious Independent Spirit Award.

March
The Man Behind The Switch
With his Digital Character Animation film cracking a million views on YouTube (now up to 1.8 million!), we get the goods straight from the source - grad Zack Mathew.

April
Acting Grad’s Round Trip
Acting graduate Felipe de Lara talks about forging his acting career in Mexico, highlighted by a small role in Carlos Cuarón’s Rudo y Cursi and a much larger one in Viaje Redondo.

May
Makeup FX on Smallville, Reaper
Makeup Design grad Michael Nickiforeck talks about being a sculptor/mold maker/jack-of-all-trades on these two TV series.

June
Better Living Through Animation
Classical Animation’s Pedro Eboli tells a tale that will inspire anyone looking to change careers: his journey from copywriter in Brazil to animation student in Vancouver.

July
Modeling the Dark Knight
The biggest movie of the year, and we had a bit of a different spin: a profile of 3D alum Kolby Jukes, who modeled Batman and the Joker for DC Direct’s line of Dark Knight collectibles.

August
Sound Grad on Gears 2, Fable 2
Sound Design for Visual Media’s Kyle Fraser shares his experiences working on two of the year’s higher-profile games: Gears of War 2 and Fable II.

September
Writing Grad’s ‘Mexicans’ Premieres
On the eve of his short film’s premiere, Writing for Film & Television grad Miguel Valdez-Lopez shares - in his own words - what went into its making.

October
Interning for the NHL’s Oilers
Sure, they’re our division rivals here in Vancouver, but we’re still proud of Entertainment Business Management grad Kevin Murray for interning with the storied Edmonton Oilers.

November
Iran + Blogging = Motionographer
Few - if any - VFS student pieces got as much attention in 2008 as this Digital Design infographic. Check out the pingbacks in the original post to track this video’s journey around the globe!

December
Making Up a Disaster
Makeup Design students create realistic casualties for an elaborate emergency exercise. Good thing we were there to capture it! Incredibly cool.

And that brings us to the end of another great year for the VFS Blog. We’d like to thank you for reading, commenting, and watching our students’ films and reels. We’ve got lots more in store, so stay tuned!

We wish you all a peaceful season and a Happy New Year. See you in 2009!

At the heart of the film’s success? Well, the old adage “write what you know” holds true for documentaries, too; just ask Film grads Bruce Oothout, Ssstutter’s director, and Youssef El-Khoury, its producer. They both had a personal history with stuttering.

But above all, Ssstutter works because of its simple, direct approach: find the perfect subject in 16-year-old Hannah Seaman and let her speak for herself.

After VFS, Oothout settled in Portland, Oregon, while El-Khoury is based in Atlantic Canada. We asked them about how the film came together and what they thought about the reaction it’s been getting.

What was the original genesis of the film? What made you want to cover the topic of stuttering in the first place?

Oothout: I myself am a fellow stutterer. Although pretty fluent now, when I was younger it was much more pronounced. This had a deep, profound impact on my personality and the way I viewed the world around me. For this reason, from the outset I told Youssef that I did not want the piece to become about me, even in an indirect way. But I felt, thought, hoped, that it was an important subject, one that the general populace just might find as fascinating and compelling as I do.

Youssef, what drew you to the subject?

El-Khoury: We came upon the idea of stuttering when Bruce mentioned his experiences as a stutterer as a young boy. This brought me back to my own experiences as a stutterer when I was president of the student council in high school, when I had to make speeches in front of the whole student body. It was at this point that we decided to choose the topic of stuttering for our documentary.

Having a subject matter that we could both draw personal familiarity with was the first step in making a great documentary. Not only that, I knew that the struggles that we had lived through as stutterers would motivate us to do the best that we could to share with the world how could someone turn stuttering into a positive. Furthermore, the idea of having an encouraging message made it possible to have an arc. Knowing that storytelling is the most powerful way to relay a message to an individual, I did not just want to present facts. As a documentary filmmaker, I wanted to tell a story.

Where did you find Hannah? Was she always going to be at the centre of the film?

Oothout: The film, as per most documentaries, changed radically from conception to final edit. The initial idea was to feature three subjects at three distinct places on the stuttering continuum. We would have an acute stutterer, one that was in the middle of therapy, and one that had been through therapy, either personal or professional, and was pretty much 100% fluent.

Then, mostly because of time constraints - the film had to clock in at ten minutes or less - we opted to just go with two main subjects. So we worked really hard with the speech therapy community in Vancouver, which proved to be very helpful and supportive, and finally found a small pool of potential subjects.

El-Khoury: We learned about the British Columbia Association of People Who Stutter (BCAPS). We contacted the President, Mia Austinson, and she shared with us the contact info of many stutterers in the city of Vancouver.

We found many stutterers willing to participate in the documentary. Yet, none had the all the characteristics we were looking for. We were forced to reassess the situation. Since our shooting date was fast approaching, we decided that it would be best to continue searching for the ideal subject while constructing a story around our current potential subjects as a backup plan.

We returned to speak with Sandi Bojm, a speech pathologist that we formed a strong relationship with. After some reflection, she remembered of a teenager named Hannah whom Sandi said matched what we were looking for. She gave us her number after contacting her parents and we went on to call her.

Oothout: We were on the phone, trying to make an arrangement for a time that we could come out to her home and film her, and hopefully her parents. Hannah’s mother, Francine, informed us that they were leaving on a lengthy vacation is just two days.

El-Khoury: We asked our instructor if we could shoot early. After making a case of the importance of this interview they allowed our crew to shoot the interview at an earlier date. We finally got in touch with Hannah’s parents the day before the interview to confirm the time. The date was set.

Oothout: We frantically went out to their home and filmed for a good five hours. It was intense and hectic. Then we filmed our other subject, Brett, who would subsequently be dropped from the final edit. We also filmed an amazingly sweet and knowledgeable speech pathologist named Sandi, who you see in the short.

When we got to the editing room, and watched all the footage, it became blatantly obvious that the film should be entirely about Hannah. The effect that the footage of her had on pretty much everyone who viewed it was something to see. People were riveted, moved, amazed, by Hannah. Her courage, her character, her will; it was hard not to be both deeply impressed and somewhat in awe of her as a person. So we went with that. And we think the film is much more powerful for it.

What is it about this film that’s made it strike a chord?

Oothout: When you witness someone firsthand who is dealing with an affliction, in almost real time, it can’t help but tap into a plethora of immediate psychological and emotional reactions. I also think that the educational value or aspect of the short is a big component.

The fact is that stuttering is not something that the general populace seems to know a lot, if anything, about. And what they do know is usually gleaned from exploitative, low-brow pop culture caricatures.

El-Khoury: The reason why I think Ssstutter has struck a chord with viewers is because it speaks to something everyone can relate to.

No matter where you are from, when you are born, or how rich or poor you are, we have all struggled at one point or another. We wanted to convey that even with struggles one could rise above the hurdles

Essentially, this documentary is about hope. That’s something everybody can understand.

Santosh’s role on the film, which was written and directed by Aditya Chopra and came out to packed houses last week - meant directing, shooting, and editing the behind-the-scenes ‘making of’ material. He’s been working with the film’s production company, Yash Raj Films, since 2007, first with the its ad group as associate director, post supervisor, and writer for commercials and music videos, then helping produce DVD bonus material for Bachna Ae Haseeno.

In short, Santosh Kumar has been an incredibly busy guy since graduating from VFS in 2005. We managed to catch him around the time of the cast-and-crew screening of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi to find out more.

Let’s talk the new movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. I know that you shot and edited the ‘making of’ stuff for the DVD and television promotions. What’s challenging about that kind of project? What’s rewarding?

A constant challenge about directing, shooting and editing the making of a film as colossal in scale and perception as Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is that I intended to capture each and every fun, informative and insightful moment of the filmmaking process. These events could possibly occur at any given moment, without any warning whatsoever and could be over in a flash. I had to be on my toes, literally at times, during auditions, look tests, location scouts, set constructions, grooming sessions, photo shoots, interviews, dance rehearsals, music recordings, production meetings, and every single rehearsal and take during filming in order to be able to capture the “gold” that could hopefully be edited into a film that encapsulates and conveys the spirit of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

The rewards however far outweighed the challenges. I got the wonderful opportunity to observe and learn a lot from the ways of some of the most talented individuals of the Indian film industry. Since the ‘making of’ the film granted me unrestricted access to every department of the production, it was as if a veritable spread of cinematic genius was laid out for me to feast upon and needless to say I had more than my fill!

See some of Santosh’s work, the Making of “Dance Pe Chance”, then read on for more!

This is obviously a massive, massive film with a megastar in the cast. What’s it like being involved in a production with such a high profile? Did it have a different feeling compared to your experience with smaller-scale productions?

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is directed by Aditya Chopra, who had earlier directed Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, or DDLJ. As of November 2008, the film has completed over 680 weeks of continuous play in Mumbai theatres and holds the record for the longest-running feature film in the history of Indian cinema. DDLJ, as it’s popularly known, is a cult film of sorts, especially for my generation. And I, personally, am a big fan of both the director and the film.

I do admit that initially it did seem a bit intimidating or even daunting at times, working closely with a director who is known for being a stickler for detail and quality and also someone I had grown up admiring. Add to that the lead actor, a certain Mr. Shahrukh Khan, who is one of the most popular - if not the most popular - megastars on this planet.

That being said, they turned out to be two of the coolest, most professional and fun colleagues I have ever worked with.

As far as the scale of the production is concerned… Well, the most obvious and immediate reaction is, I had never ever seen such an opulent production ever. No expenditure was spared to lend the film the magnificent production values it deserved. Lavish, no-holds-barred sets were created for the song sequences, sometimes up to five for a single song, titled “Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte”. The city of Amritsar was created to scale on the outskirts of Mumbai in order to facilitate hassle-free filming and the attention to detail was mind-boggling.

Your work has spanned a lot of different types of projects - I know you were closely involved in a number of ads and music videos. Of all the different ‘hats’ that you’ve worn - DoP, assistant director, post supervisor, editor, writer, and so on - do you have a favourite?

Filmmaking is probably the only art form where all other forms of art, skills, technology, and media are brought together to create a unique form of art. In its best state, it’s a perfect amalgamation of the organic with the inorganic, of art and science, of the technical and the sensitive. The different ‘hats’ that you mentioned have always been undertaken with a view to inch me closer to my ultimate goal of becoming a feature film director.

If I were to choose one that I enjoy doing most apart from directing, it is definitely camera operation. In my opinion, it is the most immediately satisfying job on a film set. It was a love I discovered at VFS, where I got the wonderful opportunity to shoot two short films, one on the Arri SR II titled Losing Eggs and one on the Sony DSR-570 titled Splinter.

I strongly believe that camera operation opened my eyes to a whole new world of how to use the camera to tell a story. Needless to say, this experience was invaluable in helping me set up my shots, angles, and lenses while directing my Final Project gig, titled Choose Instead at VFS.

And today, when I light and shoot some of the biggest stars of the film industry, I’m proud of the fact that I draw from the wealth of experience I gathered at VFS.

You’re not the first person to come to VFS from India and then head back to forge a career in the Indian film industyr, and you won’t be the last. Knowing what you know now, is there any advice you’d give someone who’s planning on following in your footsteps?

I strongly believe, a passion for cinema is essential for one to draw gold from any film education. Getting a film degree or diploma is definitely cool but if that’s the only reason for doing it, I’d say take up something else. A film school education is only as effective as the effort you put into it. If one’s willing to put in the hours, is respectful to one’s instructors and cordial with one’s fellow students, half the battle is won.

That being said, I would not say that a film school education guarantees you a plush job in the film industry. But the day you get your break, your work will stand out from the pack if you have learned well.

Personally, I feel it was my stint at VFS that helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses and chart my course accordingly. Here I’d like to especially mention the Film History classes conducted by Mr. Bruce Marchfelder as some of the most inspiring classes I ever attended at VFS. Every time I walked out of one of those three-hour doses of Billy Wilder, John Ford, Ingmar Bergman, or Orson Welles, I would be convinced that making films is the most splendid, noblest thing any man can do, and I still feel so!

You were involved in the new media industry before coming to VFS. What made you choose to pursue a film career? Vancouver is a long way to come…

I had actually been working as Flash animator for a couple of years in the internet division of a new media company, and was planning to go to VFS for the 3D Animation course. It was at this point in time that I got this wonderful opportunity to anchor a travel show titled Dream Destinations on television that took me to various parts of India that I never knew existed. Hosting a travel show was like a dream come true, and I ended up anchoring over 26 episodes of the same. Needless to say, by the end of it all, the filmmaking bug had bitten me big time and I decided to take up the Film Production course at VFS as opposed to 3D Animation, and am glad I did so.

As far as Vancouver being a long way from home… Well, my travel show days had taught me that the farther you travel from home, the more you learn about yourself. Moreover, Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been to and I had a hunch that the stint at VFS would be one of the most enriching experiences ever, and rightly so!

Seems like you’re keeping incredibly busy… where do you see your career going from here? And do you ever find time to relax?

Well, I did realize early on that expecting one’s career to flourish according to a plan in an environment as fickle and unpredictable as the film industry was a foolish thing to do. That being said, I consciously tried to take up jobs that would eventually help me prove my skills as a director, and that’s exactly what I intend to do soon: direct a feature film. The changing landscape of Indian cinema is inspiring everyday storytellers. Every director worth his cut and every writer worth his nib is creating something unique and optimistically hoping to see his or her work on celluloid. In these exciting times I see myself reaching my goal of directing in the next two years.

As for relaxing, well, can you honestly tell me something that’s more relaxing than films?

Nope, can’t argue with that. Thanks, Santosh! Anyone interested in see more of his handiwork should head on over to the Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi ‘making of’ material Yash Raj Films has posted on YouTube. Also, check out the Cinema Listings for the film - including the US and Canada!

After graduating in 2006, he returned to India and spent 11 months working for Exigent Game Art as a 3D Artist. After spending some time trying his hand at freelance, he landed his current job.

In this role, he creates high-resolution characters for cinematic game reels, while also working for the game art department. Most recently, he created two characters for the stunning cinematic trailer for Gameloft’s newly released Hero of Sparta. “I did the modeling, sculpting, and texturing for the main character, ‘Hero’, and the ‘Zombie’,” he explained.

We asked Vic about his return to India and what brought him back to Canada.

“I started working with Exigent Game Art in India once I reached home. It was my first job in the 3D industry. Working at Exigent was the real beginning of my career. I quit the job after 11 months and started working from home as a freelance artist, which opened a lot of doors for me. I gained real-world experience working for many clients. I also started working on my personal portfolio during my free time and applied for jobs everywhere.”

“I can still recall those days. It was like the dark hours before dawn. Lots of sleepless nights and hard work went into to reaching my goal.”

“I always wanted to come back to Canada and work in the 3D field. Living and working in Montreal has been a great experience for me, both personally and professionally. Besides that, I love going around Mother Earth. I’d love to explore the planet before I die. I’m especially grateful to Gameloft-Montreal for offering me this rewarding job.”

]]> http://www.vfs.com/blog/2008/12/15/from-india-to-montreal-to-sparta/feed/ http://www.vfs.com/blog/2008/12/12/its-for-your-security/ http://www.vfs.com/blog/2008/12/12/its-for-your-security/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:54:55 +0000 Jeff http://www.vfs.com/blog/?p=3026

Acting for Film & Television grad Colby Johannson is putting the web to work for him, writing and directing a hilarious comedy series called For Your Security, about - what else? - security guards. Naturally, he also stars in the series, with Chris Nowland.

Colby’s worked steadily in film and TV, including recent stints on Reaper and Men in Trees. Battlestar Galactica fans will remember him as Flat Top, the Raptor pilot at the centre of an ill-fated celebration early in season 1. He also starred in the feature Bird Co., written and directed by VFS Film grad Jason Bourque (Shadow Company, The Two Coreys) and shot in India this year.

But all of that begs the question: if Colby is carving out a successful acting career, what’s he doing shooting a comedy series - low on budget but high on funny - in his parking garage and posting it on YouTube?

When Matthew Lillard came by VFS a few months ago, I think a lot of people were inspired by one piece of advice he gave: got nothing to do? Make yourself something to do. Great advice for someone just starting out, but you’ve worked steadily in your career so far. So, why does an actor who’s already working feel the need to take the do-it-yourself route too?

I love creating, I love making things - whatever that may be - and I really love storytelling, so the D-I-Y route is something that I find very satisfying. At times I find it much more fulfilling to create or work on my own projects that I’m really passionate about than to work on something that is not so creatively fulfilling but that I’m getting paid for.

By no means am I saying that For Your Security is the second coming, but I love getting up every day and working on it. In the end, I’m responsible and accountable for it whether it’s crap or not, and that pushes me to learn more and get better at what I’m creating.

Another reason that I wanted to do something like this is that I feel that I have a lot more control over my career now. I get to work every day and I get to decide who I work with, when I work, where I work, and how the end result looks. There could be an enormous payoff in the end or there could be nothing - except the experience and everything that I’ve learned. Which is a lot.

What are your pie-in-the-sky hopes for the series? I mean, after moving it to its own site, hopefully generating some revenue there… What comes next? Do you see it branching out further?

I absolutely see it branching out further. I have huge hopes for this little series that can and the great thing with it is that the possibilities are endless. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what comes next after it’s own site and advertising - I’m figuring out a lot of this as I go. I’ve thought of TV, but I like the idea that it’s a web-based series - one, because it caters to the web generation, and two, because I get to experiment and learn as I go. There’s not as much pressure.

Bird Co.: directed by Jason Bourque, who - in a funny quirk of fate - is another VFS grad. What can you tell us about the film, your role, and the shoot in India?

The film is about an entrepreneur who moves to India to start a company because his ideas and methods are unethical and (maybe) illegal in North America. My role was the entrepreneur.

Being in India was such an eye-opening experience. I found it to be a tragically beautiful place. The divide of money and poverty was so extreme in parts of Mumbai that it was heartbreaking.

Working there was a different but fun experience. The cast members from India were so eager to play, and the crew were quite funny and entertaining because none of them had done a film from the West. For the most part, it was like shooting a film anywhere. There were small differences here and there but nothing that stood out.

Have you found the “VFS network” useful in your career and projects?

Yes. Very useful. My first short out of school I had four or five VFS grads in front of and behind the camera. Things haven’t changed much since - I’m working with VFSer [Acting grad] Aubrey Arnason and, for the first four episodes, Rob Forbes [another Acting grad] was our camera operator. It’s such a great community to be a part of, because everyone comes out of VFS with the experience needed to do great work.

I’m going to embed Episode 1 here for our readers to get their feet wet in the series. Any words of introduction for first-time viewers of For Your Security?

Two underground parking security guard positions are available at the Bentley Building. Five applicants. Only the best will don the ultimate uniform - it’s For Your Security.

Thanks, Colby! And with that, here’s Episode 1:

You can see the rest of For Your Security right here. Don’t miss it.

We last caught up with the Sound Design grad last year to talk about his work as the Audio Lead for Rockstar San Diego on such Next Gen titles as Midnight Club Los Angeles. This time, he gave students an insider’s peek at the burgeoning field of Game Audio.

Nassim gave an overview of the game industry’s company structure and the field of game audio, then showed off an audio demo of Midnight Club Los Angeles. He wrapped up by offering tips on finding work in the industry and taking questions from the audience.

He left students with some useful nuggets of advice: “Selling yourself is the most important thing – it’s half of what it takes to get a job. While you’re at VFS, ask questions non-stop. Everything you learn at VFS is important and relevant to master because it all applies when you leave.”

]]> http://www.vfs.com/blog/2008/12/11/rockstar-audio-lead-talks-game-audio/feed/ http://www.vfs.com/blog/2008/12/10/game-design-expo-industry-day-sold-out/ http://www.vfs.com/blog/2008/12/10/game-design-expo-industry-day-sold-out/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:59:13 +0000 Jeff http://www.vfs.com/blog/?p=2989 Industry Speaker Day at Game Design Expo 2009 has sold out! With speakers and panelists from companies like EA, Epic, Insomniac, Microsoft, Nexon, Radical, Relic, and many more and a keynote from Ubisoft Creative Director Clint Hocking - an outspoken and popular speaker - it’s no surprise that all the tickets to this February 7, 2009 event have been snapped up.

Missed out? Interested in breaking into game design?

Spaces are still available to the VFS Game Design program’s free Open House on Sunday, February 8, 2009, where attendees will be able to:

- Learn about the world-renowned one-year program at VFS
- Hear from Head of Department Dave Warfield, faculty, students, and alumni
- Play student-created games
- Take sample classes like Level Design and Storytelling

And for the first time, we’re offering a special schedule of industry guests speaking on topics sure to fascinate and inspire Open House attendees, including:

My First 90 Days at LucasArts
LucasArts’ Matt Manuel

10 Secrets to Designing Instantly Enjoyable and Addictive Games
Big Fish Games’ Nick Newhard & Jake Birkett

Design Through Prototyping
Vicarious Visions’ Brandon Van Slyke

Women in Games Panel moderated by Big Fish Games Creative Talent Recruiter Noelle Hunt Bennett and featuring Brenda Bailey (Deep Fried Entertainment), Krissie Franco (Women in Games International/Hydrogen Whiskey Studios), Tara Mustapha (EA), and Susannah Skerl (Hothead Games).

You’ll also be among the first to get all the details about a $30,000 Women in Games Scholarship to VFS, and other scholarship opportunities too.

Everyone’s welcome to this free event! It was booked to capacity last year, so register early!

Sound Design for Visual Media grad Joel Green was an instrumental part of the process - so much so that he co-presented with the rest of the team at Open House Day at Game Design Expo last year. Mike Wilson has called him “the sixth member of the group.” He’s at EA Black Box now, and just last month saw the release of his first game - Need for Speed: Undercover.

Like his collaborators from Game Design, we asked Joel to look back on the Bloom experience and catch us up on his career one year later.

How did you come to land at EA Black Box?

The lead Audio Director at Black Box has a pretty close relationship with the VFS Sound Design faculty, and he tends to let them know when Black Box is looking for new recruits. A few months after I finished the program, I was very happy to find out that my instructors had recommended me for an interview. I got the gig, and have now successfully made it through one full game cycle without dying, which I’m fairly proud of.

And how’s the work?

I couldn’t be learning from a more talented group of guys. The audio team at Black Box is one of the best in the business, and over the last year I’ve found out why. They have a very unusual group of people that excel both artistically and technically, combined with a ridiculous work ethic, and a healthy tendency to party hard during finaling.

Looking back, a year on, what do you think you got out of collaborating with the five Game Design students on Bloom?

Video games are a huge part of my life. I’ve been fascinated by the medium since I was old enough to experience it, and when I finally got the chance to help make one, I was very, very excited. Luckily, I happened upon some of the most talented guys to ever go through the program, and they were gracious enough to let me contribute to Bloom in a meaningful way.

What the experience affirmed for me was the importance of attitude and perspective. Believe it or not, Bloom was the only project pitched to our Sound Design class that nobody wanted to work on. It just seemed too wide in scope, too overwhelming, and frankly impossible to pull off in the amount of time they had. I ended up volunteering to work on the project because no one else would.

After subsequent meetings with the team, though, it became clear to me that these guys were incredibly talented, and that they had enough love, passion, and enthusiasm - fueled by a rabid badger named Brian Vidovic - to possibly, maybe, if they were lucky… realize their grand design.

The attitude of positivity was infectious, and I quickly became more excited about Bloom than I was about any other project I worked on. So much, in fact, that I continued working on it long after I was supposed to, and sacrificed some important film projects, and the marks that went with them, to take on a larger role with the team. It was a risky and slightly unpopular decision at the time, but in retrospect, one of the best I’ve ever made.

Have you found that the experience has informed your work in the professional arena at all?

To be honest, I’m not sure that I would even be in the professional arena at all without these guys.

Working on Bloom was the closest thing to real-world game development experience that I could have had, and my extended involvement in it showed the team at Black Box that I had a passion for games, and not just audio.

It gave me a base of knowledge that really helped my confidence starting out, and five good buddies to help calm my nerves when things started getting crunchy.

What advice would you give someone just getting started in Sound Design at VFS who wanted, ultimately, to work in the audio side of games? What about someone just graduating?

Humble yourself, and be willing to take in any experiences that the teachers are offering. They have carefully crafted an effective program that must be delivered in an incredibly short timeframe, and you need to trust them. Things that may seem mundane and irrelevant early in the program are likely foundations that will come into play later on. The “I already know this”, “I know better than this”, and “I don’t need to know this” attitudes are often just disguised laziness or fear.

If you’re interested in Game Audio, you still need to learn the film side of things and vice versa. Having said that, be sure to let the instructors know that games are where your heart is, and see if you can come up with creative ways (in later terms) to adapt the curriculum when you see fit. The class sizes are very small, and you’ll find that the instructors will accommodate your specialization if you earn their trust. A lot of students come and go without truly embracing the experience, so the instructors are always looking for bright eyes who really want to learn. If you energize them by demonstrating your potential, they’ll make sure you succeed.

To the recent grads: Keep an ear out for jobs, and be sure to apply everywhere you can think of, but most importantly, keep the momentum going. You have a skillset that is needed by a lot of indie developers, so go make some games. Make something relevant. Better the world.

Thanks, Joel! You can find out more about the Game Audio curriculum in the Sound Design program at VFS right here, along with Joel’s awesome video post-mortem of his time working with the Bloom team.