Main Administration
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Barry Casson, c.s.c. - President
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Barry Casson is the president of VMPS. Barry is a Hollywood trained director/cinematographer and has received numerous national and international awards for his films. He began his career as a press photographer, followed by 9 years as TV news cameraman with CHEK Television in Victoria.
Barry continues to work as a cinematographer as well as giving film workshops throughout the western provinces.
His book Marketing with Film and Video is a great introductory book to read prior to attending film school. To buy or download the e-book visit his website
http://www.speakfilm.com and click on book.
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Donna Clausen - Vice President
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Vice President Donna Clausen serves as Vice President at VMPS and manages the finances of the school. She has extensive experience in the film industry, most recently managing the office operations in the production of the film “The Guardian”
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Jabbz Farooqi - Marketing & IT Consultant
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Jabbz Farooqi works as a marketing officer and IT consultant for VMPS and guides “Motion Picture Production” and “Acting for the Screen” candidates to the study choice that best fits their career perspective. He finds himself actively involved with VMPS staff to provide marketing and IT solutions and considers VMPS success as a personal accomplishment by providing support and visa assistance to national and international applicants. Jabbz is a Bachelors in commerce and a film school grad and occasionally
participates in local productions around Vancouver Island
Click here to contact Jabbz for
expert advice |
Holly Lyons – Administrator, Student Services
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Born and raised in Victoria, Holly has deep roots in the local music community both as a musician and a multi-faceted provider of much-needed support for struggling artists. She joined VMPS in 2006 and brings to the table a wealth of experience in customer/guest services, an Associate of Arts in Business Administration as well as the ability to anticipate the needs and solve the problems of students and staff.
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Instructors
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Barton Hewit |
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Barton has been working in broadcast television for over 15 years.
He began making Super 8 films in Toronto before moving to the West
Coast and settling in Victoria where he has worked for the last 15
years. his experience includes a vast amount of documentary work
including considerable experience with First Nations people. He
has also worked on live sports events for CBC, series television,
corporate video, commercials, EPK's, animation recording and
drama. |
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Heather Nightingale |
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Heather trained with the Blanche Macdonald Institute in Vancouver, and has spent 15 years as a professional model and teacher, and six years as a professional make up artist in varied settings such as TV/Film, theatre, fashion photography, weddings and other occasions. She believes in building a relationship with her customers that is based on trust. Heather is an industry professional and a union member and she provides workshops on the secrets of Special Effects Make-up at
Victoria Motion Picture School. She understands both sides of the Camera and enjoys sharing her passion, creativity, and artistic flair with her students at VMPS.
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David Mills, DGC |
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David Mills, currently Director of the Film Production Program and Instructor at V. M. P. S., is a 35 year veteran of Film and Television production. Also working in the industry as a Directors Guild of Canada 1st. Assistant Director, David works in Feature Films, Movies of the Week and Episodic television production. Recent credits include the about to be released feature film “Sisters’, starring Oscar nominated Chloe Sevigny and Stephen Rae, and 2006 Sundance Special Jury Prize winner, ‘Eve and the Firehorse’, a charming coming of age period piece shot in Vancouver. David has directed and produced in all areas of Television production, including News, Current Affairs, Drama, Sports, Variety and Children’s programming. David loves teaching, and is very excited about VMPS, the new Studio, and the opportunity to work with Canada’s’ upcoming Directors, Camera Operators, Editors’ and Screenwriters. David also sits on the National Executive Board of the Directors Guild of Canada, representing Assistant Directors across Canada.
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Jim Knox |
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Jim Knox teaches the narrative thread at VMPS, including Screenwriting, Visual Storytelling and Script Analysis. He works with emerging filmmakers to develop their understanding of story, character and the language of film by mentoring original projects from idea to script to production to screen. His own filmmaking includes nationally-broadcast drama, commercial and music video work.
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John Emmet Tracy
Acting Technique, Movement for Camera, Shakespeare and Business of Acting
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John earned his BA in Theatre from Rose Bruford College/University of Manchester and also trained at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NYC, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and The University of Wisconsin. He has performed in over seventy stage productions, thirty film and television productions and in multiple industrial films and commercials. He has been teaching acting and drama for over ten years in Canada and The U.S. Recent film/TV credits include The Dead Zone, Terminal City, Safe Harbor and Beneath.
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Louie Lawless
Producer - Director |
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Louie was part of a Hollywood Production Team that produced the feature length documentary film “Manson”, that was nominated for an Academy Award. Since that time he has been a member of the Producer’s Guild of America and the Director’s Guild of America.
He was born in Penticton, BC and left for Hollywood after high school to follow his dream of being in the film industry. There he studied and worked in films and television at many studios in a variety of crew positions, from grip to Director of Photography and developed his skills to the positions of Producer and Director. Over the last twenty years he had Produced and Directed feature films and television, while also teaching both acting and film production at various studios in Hollywood.
In 1994 he returned to Canada to produce independent films and television and to settle on Vancouver Island where to this day he still pursue his crafts of film-making and teaching at the Victoria Motion Picture School. His most recent credits include a feature length documentary “UNREPENTANT” which he directed and co-produced and was awarded:
Best Director International Documentary, N.Y. Film Festival, 2006
Best International Documentary Feature Film, L.A. Film Festival, 2007
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Mandy Leith
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Mandy Leith has worked in film and TV for almost 25 years, focusing on socio-political and environmental documentaries. She began her editing career with a prestigious apprenticeship at the BBC in London in 1984, and then worked as a staff editor at the National Film Board. She has worked with independent film producers and broadcasters in Canada, the US and Britain. Mandy currently lives in Victoria, B.C. where she works with the local independent film and television community as a producer, editor and teacher. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the successful non-profit society, OPEN CINEMA. Mandy is a passionate supporter of alternative media production, access and distribution. Mandy was also nominated in 2007 for a LEO award for her work on the Canadian documentary "Breaking Ranks".
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Mark Hellman |
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Mark Hellman has been a professional actor since 1981, and has worked across Canada and the United States. He has worked extensively in professional theatre and the film & television industries: as an actor, director, voiceover artist, producers, teacher, and workshop animator. He teaches privately in Victoria, and is on the faculty of Victoria Motion Picture School.
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Jack Morbin |
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Jack Morbin is a graduate of Ryerson and teaches Film Fundamentals and Documentary at VMPS. He
finds in teaching at VMPS a unique opportunity to pass on the proven art and techniques of film to a new generate steeped in digital technology and experimentation.
Jack in a filmmaker with over 25 years experience in various capacities, including editor, producer, and director on more than 100 productions, ranging from documentary to dram,
corporate and commercial films.
Over the last decade he has concentrated on editing and post-production, working both with emerging
filmmakers and established producers. His recognized abilities as a structural editor and creative
producer have contributed to a string of successful productions which have been nominated for, and often won major awards and have been selected for
screening at festivals in Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Paris, London, New York and Las Angeles.
A few examples: Making Ballet. (90 min), Silver Hugo '96 Chicago Film Festival; Grand Prix
Special du Jury, '95 Festival internationale du film d'art, Paris; nominated, '95 national Awards (Hot Docs!);nominated, '95 Geminis.
In the Gutter and other Good Places (1 hr), Best Documentary, '94 Genie Awards; Best Documentary, '94 Vancouver International; Festival; Best Fmil, '94 Canadian National Awards (Hot DOcs!).
Making Opera (90 min), Gold Hugo, '93 Chicago Film Festival; Silver Apple, '93 American Nation Film Festival.
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