VanArts News Article

VanArts VFX Grads Bring Backrooms to Life

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A24’s Box Office Phenomenon and the VanArts Connection

BACKROOMS is the #1 movie in the world, grossing a record-breaking $81 million on its opening weekend. Its director Kane Parsons is a 20-year-old YouTuber, and he made the film right here in Vancouver.

VanArts is also proud to say we have three graduates from our Visual Effects for Film & Television program who worked on it:

Calvin Romeyn – award-winning VFX artist with over 70 film & TV credits at Disney, ILM, and his own production company Roxel Creative.

Frans de Vries – senior VFX artist with over 50 film & TV credits since graduation.

Kalvin Kingdon – VFX generalist artist with over 30 film & TV credits since graduation.

Connections Expand Into Horror Hit OBSESSION

While BACKROOMS continues its success into its opening week, Curry Barker’s film OBSESSION is the first film since 1982’s E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL to see ticket sales increase in its second and third weekends outside the holiday season. It’s doing so well, the digital release was postponed — and for the streaming generation, this is unheard of.

OBSESSION has grossed $148 million worldwide against a budget of $1 million, and with a visual effects team of less than a dozen people, we are thrilled to say a VanArts graduate is also one of them.

Mauro Pinedo – VFX artist working for studios in Canada, USA and Mexico.

 

All of the buzz around the success of these films is simply incredible, and we are so proud to be a part of it.

Image courtesy of The Playlist

VanArts’ Legacy for Film and VFX

Vancouver has long been branded as “Hollywood North” due to its long legacy of films directed and produced here, and also for being a #1 global hub for animation and visual effects. Studios with facilities in Vancouver include household names like Disney, Netflix, Sony, ILM and many others.

Other successful productions hailing from Vancouver include K-POP DEMON HUNTERS, the SPIDER-VERSE franchise, THE LAST OF US, THE X-FILES, DEADPOOL, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, and countless others.

All of these productions and more have included graduates from VanArts.

For 30 years, VanArts has been a staple in the animation, games, effects & film industries, employing thousands of artists with long IMDB credit lists, Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, and most importantly, satisfying & successful careers.

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