Testimonials |
Some Letters From Past VMPS GradsJust wanted to email you and let you know how things have been. Shortly after graduation and seeing you in your office I received a phone call from the camera department on the production "Road to Redemption" a MOW that has been shooting in Victoria and the surrounding area. I was hired on as a camera trainee for several days and the cast and crew were very helpful and easy to get along with. It was very different being on a real set than I had anticipated and challenging as well. It was great that my first job in the industry has put me along side the director, DOP, 1st AD, and the action! I was quick to capitalize on this and introduced myself to everyone I could when given the chance. I was told that I caught on quick and had done a great job! I made sure to get contact information and even had the opportunity to meet some of the actors including the lead, Dean Cain (famous for his role as superman in Lois and Clark). Thank you again for helping me develop these contacts and thus giving me a foot into the industry door. Sincerely,
The Victoria Motion Picture School (VMPS) holds the essential tools that you will need in order to better understand and thrive in the film industry. Throughout an eight month program at this school, you will learn how to be extremely efficient in many and diverse situations that will make use of the skills that you have learned: basic lighting, shooting digital video and 16mm film. Script writing and other key jobs that are needed to make a good film are all offered in a well timed and managed fashion that motivates students to progress through this program as various projects are given out to them and that actually complete the students training in order to prepare them for the Motion Picture Industry. This school also offers the students a concrete view of what the film industry is actually like by having certified teachers with notable experience in the field and that have actually been on a real film set and on many special occasions, we have also enjoyed a variety of seminars on what is presently going on in the industry with the help of certified professionals. My experience here at the Victoria Motion Picture School has helped me a lot to getting closer to my dream of making films.
I just wanted to update you guys on how things are going. I am enjoying life in Vancouver and have begun to make my mark on the film industry. Although it is not what you may have thought I'd be doing. Well it's not acting anyway. I have been working on the other side of the camera on a TV show called "REUNION" which is set to start airing this Thursday September 9th on FOX after the OC. I have been with the show for about 4 weeks now and have been promoted to the position of T.A.D Trainee Assistant Director! Crazy Crazy Crazy. Using the experience I gained by attending VMPS I have been able to hold my own with these professionals and command myself on set with confidence. The industry is so busy here right now (35 plus productions) that everyone with any experience is unavailable, perfect timing for me. I have made an unbelievable amount of contacts and most have been in the Industry for over 15 years. It is an American production that has came up from LA so a lot of the people I'm meeting are from there. I am getting to know a lot of great people, the Director Jim Frawley, CO EXEC Producer Mike Katleman, the DOP Dave Moxness "Moxy", Susan who is a Warner Brothers Publicist, all the crew, makeup, costumes, hair, Set Dec, the Gaffers and Grips, the sound guys Lars Ekstrom and Darry! Marko the other ADs Morgan Beggs, Mark Bunting and Sean Osmack everyone is so great to work with. We usually shoot on locations around Vancouver and in Lions Gate Studios, which is unrealistic. The sets we are filming in are so huge. I am enjoying myself so much. The hours are the hard part. Usually 8:00 in the morning (unless it's pushed or pulled) till 12 at night 5 days a week. The lower half of my legs just throb non-stop from standing all day. I have also begun writing a feature. I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything you have taught me and none of this could have been possible had I not attended VMPS. I have to run now; I wish everyone back at VMPS all the best. Take Care.
Since I left Victoria and returned to Regina, Saskatchewan I've been busy working (who'd have thunk!). Believe me, I was being strategic in my return to the prairies! I came here in the end of May. Within a month I was working as a daily P.A. on Corner Gas (great show to be on the resume!) While on that show a feature came to town ("Scarecrow") and I was a daily P.A. on that also. It was tough at first adjusting to the schedules and switching back and forth between shows and not having steady work, but it was paying the bills for the moment. The next thing you know I'm extras wrangling on Corner Gas, sometimes with up to 150 extras! The added responsibility is just what I needed! While on hiatus with Corner Gas I received a phone call from the "September Dawn" office in Calgary, AB where they were shooting their feature. They asked me to come out for the last two weeks of shooting to be a Locations P.A. for them. I Told them I could come out for a week and a half but that I had to return to Corner Gas. So, away I went and had a great time, made some contacts and returned to my work here. I also started extras wrangling on the Moccasin Flats series. We just finished the show today and I'll be working as long as there is work to be had. I also just had an interview to be either a Researcher or a Production Coordinator for a production company out here that creates programs for History Channel and A&E. I'm just waiting for my second interview for that. There are a couple more movies headed my way and I've got my name in for work in Alberta and I'll be applying for jobs in BC also. So, I've been a busy girl!
Since I finished school in September 2002, I have been very fortunate. I have worked on six features plus the first season of Alienated. So far I have been a Grip and a Lamp Op and a Best Boy Twice. I only had to volunteer once on Emile, but later received over $1500 in tips and payment from the Gaffer, the PM and six months later, the producer following post-production when they found they had monies left over. I now have two Gaffers who hire me as their Best Boy - something I would never have imagined one short year ago. I have learned a huge amount since school - about lighting, building movies, coverage, story-telling, maintaining equipment, you name it, I am like a sponge learning all I can. As Best Boy, I have been to the rental houses in Vancouver and started making contacts there. I am building my equipment kit daily. I have collected a healthy amount of gel, ND and assorted goodies from each show. Financially, it has been excellent. I have paid off all my debt, I have a vehicle and everything needed to do my job as a Grip or Lamp Op. I am about to invest in light meters and start building an editing suite in my office. The EI hours rack up quickly in this business, so I even have some stability - amazing! Film school was great for me because I understand the production process from my first day on-set. I received great advice from all the instructors, which I took seriously, and so far they have all been on the mark. I see myself working as a Gaffer in the not-too-distant future. As an ex-coach, I have an affinity for team building and teaching - which has been a great bonus, as I train a crew of newcomers and build my own lighting team. My long-term goal is to evolve as a DoP, so that one day I can shoot and direct my own features. Had I not gone to school, I would have always been a grip. Thanks for your help and support, let me know if I can be of assistance.
I've been a little busy myself! I've been working on the new Will Smith movie "I, Robot" in a permittee in the DGC and am up for a trainee assistant director position in the fall. I need 70 more days then I'm an associate member, just thought I'd update you! I've been working steadily as a prep and location PA on shows like Stargate, Black Sash, Just Cause, MOW Stealing Christmas (with Tony Danza! He's great!) For features I've worked on the new John Woo Movie "Paycheck", "I, Robot" and "The Chronicles of Riddick"! I'm still climbing the ladder but I'm getting there. Thanks a lot for all your help! I am officially "in the biz"! haha I hope everything is well with you!
My name is Shaun Moskie and I attended the "Victoria Motion Picture School" starting in September of 2004, I am a graduate from the Film Production program therein, as of May 2005. I entered the school fairly narrow minded, as I was quite adept in the art of screen writing & directing, but had little interest or aspiration to delve into the many other departments that contribute to the final product on screen. With that said, I attended all of the courses despite my initial disdain and not only grew to understand the many other components involved but discovered that there are many other opportunities and growth contained within them. All of the instructors employed by "V.M.P.S" proved themselves to not only be very knowledgeable in the foundations of the courses they taught, but also possessed a unique understanding of the industry and the "business" that movies are like anything else. In fact their accessibility & brimming enthusiasm spawned new found interest in facets of film I otherwise never would have acknowledged...they truly do make you feel as though they are working toward your success. These courses included but aren't limited to Editing, Sound, Cinematography, Make-Up, Art Direction, Production, Film Study, and Documentary, in addition to my favored Directing and Screen writing classes. It is worth noting in the case of the latter two courses, a unique relationship with the Acting For The Screen program was established that was comprised of various enriching exercises and ultimately the collaboration between the two forms which lead to the creation of several short film projects. Throughout the production of these shorts the faculty at the school lent their one-onone guidance to any specific department as required, which in turn contributed to these projects escaping any shortfalls that usually plague early films. However this brings me to one of the most valuable assets of this fine institution, being that this aid & criticism was most thankfully limited to the technical aspects and never once inhibited the artist's initial vision as so common with similar schools of this sort. A wide range of equipment is almost always readily available and the department heads work with the individual to ensure the proper etiquette, maintenance and safety of said equipment when shooting on location, which transcends well when working with the same gear on an actual industry set. This brings me to another important factor, which is the school's excellent balance of experience with both celluloid, and the ever more encroaching world of digital. This gives the student a wider array of skillset, instead of just focusing heavily on one medium over the other, when jobs are now readily available in both of these areas. When compared with several other film making institutions, that have higher entrance fees, bloated classrooms and a rigorous board of approval process on potential student projects, I stand by my decision of attending V.M.P.S. After all, it was also within its confines that I was able to align myself with a group of aspiring artists (classmates), which all proved to be extremely talented in their respective departments of interest and are sure to be future industry contacts, or fellow collaborators on any future projects that may be on the horizon. Like all art-driven institutions, there are sure to be negative comments abound in relation to their faculty and programs. This is largely due in part to the abundance of egos and uncertainty that come hand in hand with the struggling artists that attend them in addition to there being no "right or wrong" answers that are so prevalent in nearly all other post secondary universities and colleges. It is my belief that to be successful in a film production environment such as this an individual must be both willing to learn, possess a highly motivated demeanor that extends past regular classroom hours, have dedication to form and work well in a team oriented environment that is filmmaking. With the knowledge and skillset I have attained through "Victoria Motion Picture School", I am confident that both myself and so many others will find a multitude of success whether it be beginning in an entry level position on an industry movie set or becoming an independent filmmaker on their own. 
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