Vancouver Film School is a recognized world leader in entertainment arts education, offering full-time programs across eight campuses. Established in 1987 ,the school offers 15 post-secondary programs that delivers the industry-standard techniques and applicable skills that student needs to start a rewarding career in acting, animation, film and television production, screenwriting, programming, makeup, sound, digital, game, or VR/AR design.
VFS functions like a major studio, with multiple production facilities that are essential for creating content for film, TV, games, animation, design and digital applications. The school has outstanding facilities with master instructors and mentors, and the institute regularly updates and realigns curriculum to be in lockstep with the most current industry standards.
Vancouver’s film, animation, game and design industries surround its campuses, and its students benefit from career guidance and expertise from industry mentors, instructors and guest speakers. The faculty at VFS are veteran professionals with experience at the forefront of the industry, boasting credits on the hottest and most well recognized franchises, products and entertainment properties.
Located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, B.C., all of VFS campuses offer workshops and production spaces, film sets, studios, screening rooms, theatres, a 280-degree green screen room, motion and performance capture facilities, and 24/7 access to computer labs with industry-standard software.
Vancouver Film School Rankings
Vancouver Film School was ranked as the #1 Global Animation School by The Animation Career Review.
The Hollywood Reporter has placed VFS in the list of top VFX schools in the world.
Vancouver Film School Campus
- 198 West Hastings St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 392 West Hastings St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 400 West Hastings St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 420 Homer St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 151 West Cordova St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 142 Water St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 88 East Pender St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 1248 Franklin St., Vancouver, BC, Can
Vancouver Film School Academic Divisions
Film Production, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Acting for Film & Television, Digital Design, Entertainment Business Management, Foundation Visual Art & Design, Game Design, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, and Writing for Film & Television. The school also runs a four-month Acting Essentials course and a 6-month Digital Character Animation program.
Teaching Quality
The keys to the VFS educational model are structured intensity and immersion in the industry. Vancouver Film School was founded on the philosophy that one year of concentrated work, that balances industry-led theory and hands-on production, gives students the necessary skills to craft a professional-level portfolio or reel..
Advantages of Vancouver Film School
- Vancouver Film School tops Animation Career Review’s Top 25 professional training programs rankings, based on a survey of 192 colleges and schools worldwide.
- A number of fellow institutions including Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, Think Tank Training Centre, and Capilano University also make the list, showcasing the strength of the creative economy in Canada.
- The list also features internationally recognized powerhouses like Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg, England’s National Film and Television School, and Malaysia’s The One Academy.
Vancouver Film School Famous Alumni’s
- Magda Apanowicz – actor known for her roles as Andy Jensen on the TV series Kyle XY and Lacy Rand on Caprica.
- Shakun Batra – Bollywood director of Kapoor & Sons" and "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu".
- Neill Blomkamp – Oscar nominated screenwriter and director of District 9.
- Anugrah Bohrey – writer of Best of Luck (2012 film) and Himmat Singh.
- Sara Canning – series regular (Seasons 1 and 2) on the television series The Vampire Diaries as well as numerous film and television credits.
- Jonathan Cherry – actor in House of the Dead, Final Destination 2, and many other television and film productions.
- Colin Cunningham – actor in television and film on both sides of the border.
- Garth Dyke – actor, writer, director, and award-winning producer with Tellies and Promax awards to his credit
- Clint Eland – founder & president of Mercury Filmworks, Canada's largest privately owned animation production studio.
- Hanna Hall – most known for her acting roles in Forrest Gump, The Virgin Suicides and the 2007 remake of Halloween.
- Dave Klein – cinematographer, best known for work with Kevin Smith.
- Neil Kopp – producer of Old Joy and director Gus Van Sant's 2007 film Paranoid Park for which Kopp won a 2008 Independent Spirit Award.
- John G. Lenic – TV producer and production manager best known for his work on Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe.
- Seth Lochhead – writer of Hanna.
- Steve Lund – actor, best known for Schitt’s Creek, Haven and Bitten.
- Niall Matter – actor, best known for Primeval: New World and Eureka.
- Chad Moffitt – Academy Award–winning animator on The Lord of the Rings
- Lon Molnar – co-founder, CEO, and senior visual effects supervisor at Toronto-based visual effects studio Intelligent Creatures.
- Scott Mosier – film producer, editor, and cameo actor who produced the Academy Award-nominated documentary Salim Baba. He met Kevin Smith and cinematographer Dave Klein at VFS, and since graduating, the three have collaborated on the films in the View Askewniverse.
- Andrew Overtoom – Animation Director on SpongeBob SquarePants, for which he was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2004 and 2007.
- Emily Bett Rickards – actress best known for her role as Felicity Smoak on Arrow.
- Stacey Roy – actor, new media producer and creator of Whabam Media and WHABAM.tv
- Manmord Sidhu – Bollywood producer, director & distributor. He formed a production and distribution company named White Hill Production & White Hill Music.
- Kevin Smith – director of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl and Clerks II; Smith dropped out in 1993 and was presented with an honorary diploma in 2005.
- Tara Spencer-Nairn – actor in Corner Gas.
- Jewel Staite – Canadian-born actress famous for her work on Joss Whedon's Firefly, and Stargate: Atlantis.
- Emilie Ullerup – actor in Sanctuary.
- James Wootton – co-director of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
Application Fee : CAD$ 75 Non Refundable
English Language Requirement:
Programs with Level 1 Language Requirements
Acting Essentials
Foundation Visual Art & Design
Makeup Design for Film & Television
Sound Design for Visual Media
- IELTS Band 6.0 – Academic level
- TOEFL – score of 68 internet-based (iBT), or 520 Paper based (PBT)
- PTE - score of 52 - 57
- TOEIC – score of 700
- B2 First (formerly Cambridge English: First (FCE)) – Grade C
- LPI – Level 4
- Duolingo - score of 95 - 100
Programs with Level 2 Language Requirements
3D Animation & Visual Effects
Acting for FIlm & Television
Animation Concept Art
Classical Animation
Digital Design
Film Production
Game Design
Programming for Games, Web & Mobile
Writing for Film, Television & Games
VR/AR Design & Development
- IELTS Band 6.5 – Academic level
- TOEFL – score of 80 internet-based (iBT), or 550 paper-based (PBT)
- PTE - score of 58 - 64
- TOEIC – score of 785
- B2 First (formerly Cambridge English: First (FCE)) – Grade A
- C1 Advanced (formerly Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)) – Grade C
- LPI – Level 5
- Duolingo - score of 105 or higher
