Workshop Portfolio
Workshop #1 - Earl Cabuhat
Earl Cabuhat is a senior motion designer that worked at Global News before working for CBC News. He went to school at Red River College and Robertson. He got his first job after graduating from RRC and he does a bit of storytelling, drawing and casual film making.
- Questions -
1. How was the program at RRC?
2. How long does a project take?
3. Did you ever have a hard time with a project?
- Reflection -
The examples of his work shown in the workshop are really eye catching and it really makes you want to see more. I really enjoyed seeing the things he makes for CBC news and learning that something that might take someone an hour or a day to make he can create without a sweat because it’s something that he’s been doing for a long time and it’s his passion. I was really amazed by his motion graphics with the images and typography and it makes me want to learn those skills. It was cool to find out that he got his first job right away because everyone says that it’s quite hard to get a job right away in this industry but his work is amazing and it keeps your eyes on the screen. I now know that RRC has a good enough course but then again it might’ve changed but it’s good to know that he was able to succeed and quickly get a job even if he didn’t go to a fancy school like VFS.
Links to his work: https://www.behance.net/ecabs
https://vimeo.com/ecabuhat
Workshop #2 - Phyllis Laing
Phyllis Laing is the president of Buffalo Gal Pictures which she established in 1994. She has a great passion for storytelling and gave us advice on knowing what makes a good story and what doesn't. She told us the meaning of her company name "Buffalo Gals" which is also a traditional American song. Her company started out with all females in the past when it was first established.
- Questions -
1. What do you think makes a great story?
2. What makes a story stand out the most?
3. Are you ever overwhelmed with your work?
- Reflection -
It was very interesting to hear that such a big production company started out with just females because in the past it would always be males or a mix. With this company it was all females pursuing their dreams and having fun together with wine and a discussion. I enjoyed hearing her opinion on what makes a great story and learning that many people would send their stories and they would have a large stack to look over. I envy how she can handle such a big company every day and still find time for her family, friends and herself. I'm glad I heard what she said about what makes a great story because aside from drawing I love writing and throwing characters into scenarios. Her story from the past to the present is inspirational and when she talks about her company she really showed us the passion she has for it and her passion for storytelling. It is still unbelievable to me that she was able to build up into such a big company by herself because as a child and working on a farm it seems that something like this is impossible to achieve, but her passion led her to her own large movie making company.
Link: https://www.buffalogalpictures.com/
Workshop #3 - Doug Morrow
Doug Morrow is a special effects make-up artist. During the workshop he taught us how to create prosthetic character make-up. An example of his work are the Chucky films.
- Reflection -
Doug Morrow's workshop was incredibly fun and I wish that it was for more than just two days. We were able to see all the materials and process in making a prosthetic and then experiencing it. At the start I was quite confused on how something like that piece of latex on the table could turn into something that looked so real, but when I tried it myself it was insanely fun and I was amazed with everyone's finished work. It was actually quick to make a simple prosthetic when I thought it would take hours. I found that painting it and adding the "blood effect" was the best part because the finished result blew me away and I just couldn't believe that I took part in making something that looked so realistic even though it was my first time. This workshop showed me that even if it's your first time in making a prosthetic, you can go all out and create something amazing and enjoy yourself the entire time and any person can enjoy something like this, because when seeing it in movies you feel like you would never be able to create such a realistic effect but because of this workshop I was able to learn and create it myself.
Doug Morrow's workshop was incredibly fun and I wish that it was for more than just two days. We were able to see all the materials and process in making a prosthetic and then experiencing it. At the start I was quite confused on how something like that piece of latex on the table could turn into something that looked so real, but when I tried it myself it was insanely fun and I was amazed with everyone's finished work. It was actually quick to make a simple prosthetic when I thought it would take hours. I found that painting it and adding the "blood effect" was the best part because the finished result blew me away and I just couldn't believe that I took part in making something that looked so realistic even though it was my first time. This workshop showed me that even if it's your first time in making a prosthetic, you can go all out and create something amazing and enjoy yourself the entire time and any person can enjoy something like this, because when seeing it in movies you feel like you would never be able to create such a realistic effect but because of this workshop I was able to learn and create it myself.
Examples of what I created/helped create (NOT FOR WEAK STOMACHS)
Workshop #4 - Kim Burns
Kim Burns is a concept artist that graduated from VFS and is now working there as a teacher. She is currently working on a project called "Little Miss Priss" which is a children's book. She has had this project in her mind for a while and she is now able to let it come to life with her skills.
- Questions -
1. Would traditional or digital be better to present in a portfolio?
2. How do you come up with ideas for designs when it feels like yours are repeating on a character/background?
3. How many designs do you usually come up for one character?
- Reflection -
I loved the workshop with Kim Burns so much. Having the dream of being a concept artist and then meeting one made me feel so happy because I had plenty of questions to ask her and even though I usually shy away from asking them, I was able to approach with confidence and ask her everything on my mind. Her artwork made me smile and blew me away because the detail she added and the way she placed everything to show what would catch the audience’s eyes gave me a good idea on what I need to learn and improve on for the future. The activities we did with her taught me to get out of my comfort zone in drawing humans and learn how to draw mythical creatures and backgrounds. I asked her plenty of questions about what VFS would like to see in your portfolio and how to get over the problem in where your designs begin to look the same. She also let me know that I don’t have to show finished drawings and that I can have a mix of sketches, traditional art and digital art. The workshop with her excited me, motivated and inspired me to draw, draw, draw, and draw.
Link to her work: https://www.instagram.com/kim.burns05/
(Last three are media created in workshop)
Workshop #5 - Hesham Hammoud
Hesham Hammoud is an actor/vfx artist who graduated from Hillcrest High School in 2006. He took on three jobs to go study in Vancouver and he acquired an internship at Rhythm & Hues Studios. Unfortunately the studio went bankrupt but he was able to find a job working for a Percy Jackson film. He did 20 different productions as an extra in film. He worked for Zoic Studios for 4 years and he has been their compositor for 2 years. He plans to go to LA to pursue acting.
- Questions -
1. How nervous were you during your first film?
2. How tough was it to get into the industry?
3. How would you deal with stage fright during an audition?
- Reflection -
Having a video conference with Hesham Hammoud was interesting, especially since his story had a lot of ups and downs. It was also funny to tell my friend that I connected with someone that starred in a movie he loved. His story really motivates me and gives me more confidence in pursuing what I want to do in the future because he told us about how things went downhill but he was able to get back up on his feet and become someone amazing. He proved himself to people in the studio that he could get the work done even if he wanted to go to an audition. They let him do what he wants because he worked hard and I hope that I can do the same. It was amazing to see his roles in movies and learn about how he was able to pursue both of the things he loved doing. Acting and Visual effects. Both are hard to do and difficult industries to get into but even when he hit a low point he easily got back on his feet and successfully achieved his dream in both areas and it was fun and interesting to connect with someone as passionate as him.
Link to his work: https://vimeo.com/user2084213
Workshop #6 - Melissa Best
Melissa Best, or "Mel", is a visual effects artist that has worked on numerous films such as "Alice Through the Looking Glass", "The Jungle Book" and a personal favorite of mine, "Maleficent". She has worked as a VFX artist since 2001 and the very first film she worked on was the movie "Killer Rats". Melissa Best went to River East Collegiate and graduated from Red River College with a graphic design background. She worked for the "A Channel" after RRC and she had originally wanted to work for Disney.
- Questions -
1. How difficult was it to do vfx in the past?
2. How long do you usually work on a film in a day?
3. Which film did you love working on the most?
The workshop with Melissa Best was really fun and I enjoyed learning a bit on how to work with Nuke. Her story to the industry was interesting and it’s amazing to think that she worked in fast food for 5 years and then jumped all the way to working in the movie industry. That was inspiring to hear because usually people think about just graduating from a top school in VFS and then getting straight into the industry without starting small somewhere. All the movies she’s worked on are all so familiar to me that it was great to meet someone like her that worked on them, especially since she had done the effects that makes the movies amazing. Learning Nuke was confusing at the start when I had opened it up but once I got the hang of how to work things around and understand the basic tools and effects you can do easily I had a lot of fun and it after the workshop I feel like I would love to play around with Nuke some more whenever I have free time. The workshop was informative and it was really cool, I really enjoyed the two day workshop with Melissa Best.
