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Shawn Tilling - Department Head, Visual Effects

Shawn started his career as a lead artist on several Emmy nominated VFX productions before becoming the Visual Effects Project Supervisor for the Vancouver Film School, supervising multi award winning student productions showcased at festivals around the world, and leading to placement in such esteemed companies such as ILM, Framestore CFC, and Rhythm and Hues. Since then he has been acting as a Director/CG Supervisor for short film, TV and commercials projects for a multitude of high profile clients such as Disney, MGM, and Mitsui Sumitomo as well as producing/directing international acclaimed animated short films for Tama & Co.

His independent work been invited to show at festivals such as the Virtuosity Festival in Torino Italy and the prestigious Prixars, as well as profiled in magazines, museums and universities around the world.  His most recent nomination was for a Gemini Award for his work as the Digital Effects Supervisor and artist for the CTV production Luna :Spirit of the Whale.

He has just finished acting as the Digital Effects Supervisor for MGM's Stargate:Atlantis and is currently working with an internationally acclaimed photographer on a yet un-named project as well as producing his next animated short film. He also really likes sushi.

Alan Harrison - Department Head, Entertainment Art for Film, TV & Games

With over twenty years of experience in digital animation for visual effects, film, television and games working with industry leaders Electronic Arts, Mainframe and CIS Rainmaker, Alan’s career has covered everything from national television commercials, music videos, feature films, simulator rides, television series, and most recently video games, of which he has shipped over 18 AAA titles. Some of Alan’s key roles have been, Creative Director, Senior Animator, 3D Animation Supervisor, and Senior Technical Artist.

Alan’s specialties include lighting, rendering, visual effects, and prototyping the look and feel for cinematics. An excellent 3D generalist, Alan's additional skills include modeling, rigging, dynamics, texturing and animation.  He is passionate, a dedicated collaborator, and a superb trainer. Many of Alan’s graduates have gone on to studios such as Pixar, Double Negative, Sony Pictures, and Weta Digital.

See more about Alan at:
web.me.com/alanharrison/Site/Profile.html
www.linkedin.com/in/alandharrison

Wayne Gilbert - Head of Animation

Wayne Gilbert has two Clio awards and has worked on productions ranging from Hulk Mountain Dew commercials to Care Bears to Star Wars, Mummy 2 and award-winning video games. He graduated from Sheridan College in the mid-1970s and began his animation career on television special titled Witch's Night Out, then on to Nelvana for animation & background work on specials & commercials, and serving as Background Department Head for the feature film Rock & Rule. After leaving the studio life to freelance, he instructed and coordinated Sheridan's Classical Animation program. During this time he made two short films, Bottoms Up and Traffic Jam, which screened at the Annecy Animation Festival in France. In 1996 he was recruited to help set up the Walt Disney Canada studio in Toronto, then headed to ILM where he worked for 7 years transitioning to computer animation, and making two more short films, CPU and the award-winning Let Go.  Wayne returned to Canada in 2005 to work as Senior Animation Director at EA Black Box on the award-winning games Skate and Skate II. 

While working in production at ILM, Disney and EA, he also designed and delivered Professional Development classes for animators. His book, Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation, has helped to support the craft of animating since 1999 and is required text at animation schools.  Wayne has lectured on animation and filmmaking at a long list of international venues and is involved with Animation Mentor online school for animation.  He regularly writes articles for the animation industry that can been see at: http://anamie-wayne.blogspot.com/. He has written a novel and screenplay, and is now working to bring them into production.

Website

IMDB

Interview at Vancouver Animation

Charles Phillips - Department Head, 2D Character Animation

Charles studied film-making at John Abbott College's Creative Arts Program in Montreal in the early 1980s and also attended the Sheridan College Classical Animation Program in Oakville, Ontario. He has worked on several television series and commercials at studios in Montreal and Toronto, and on various independent projects in Vancouver. His eclectic background includes experience in radio broadcasting, as well as comic book and anime wholesale distribution. Charles has been teaching at VanArts since 1998 and initially worked underneath Lee Mishkin, Academy-Award winning founder of VanArts' Classical Animation Program. Charles was promoted to Director of Programs after Lee Mishkin retired in 2001.

Christine Willes - Co-Department Head, Acting for Film & Television

Acting is Christine's passion, and the pursuit of excellence her mandate. She has been inspired by the work of all the staff at the Centre for Actors' Study since 1999. Christine holds degrees in acting and education, and has been a professional actor since 1976. She has played recurring roles on X-Files, Mercy Point, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and most recently played Delores Herbig on Dead Like Me for Showtime. Christine's performance as Martha in The Unexpected Man earned her a 2007 Jessie nomination for Best Actress. She plays Mrs. Henderson in the feature Trick 'r Treat, opening in October 2007, just wrapped the Dead Like Me movie, and is delighted to be joining the cast of the new series Reaper as Gladys.

 

Click here to see Christine on the imdb.

Greg Kean - Co-Department Head, Acting for Film & Television

Greg Kean has been a professional actor since receiving his MFA in Acting from Cornell University in 1985. Greg's credits include Houston's Alley Theatre, The Los Angeles Theatre Centre, movies including "Summer Dreams, the Story of the Beach Boys" as Brian Wilson, "Air America" and "Saved!". On television Greg portrayed Clancy Lass on the series "Dead Like Me" and has guest starred on many shows including "Designing Women", "Da Vinci's Inquest", "Saved By The Bell", "Life Goes On", "Smallville" and "The Guard". Greg has also done many commercials, including spots for Avandia, Oldsmobile, Honda, Michelob, and T. Rowe Price.

 

Click to see Greg on the imdb.

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