I always had a passion to get into entertainment industry. After graduating in Commerce I ended up becoming a VFX Artist. I started in the animation industry by taking a short course at Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematic, Pune, India. I worked as 3D Generalist and Lighting Artist in India for few years but my goal was always to get into the VFX industry.
To further enhance my skills for VFX and gain some International experience, I decided to take a course in Canada. I chose Lost Boys Learning because the duration was for one year and the course was financially beneficial. The course structure was based on various projects, which would cover all the basic knowledge to get into the industry as an artist. I also researched about the school through alumni who were from India. The school was situated in the beautiful Comox valley. It is the best place to stay and to be focused on your studies. Now the school has moved to Vancouver, where the industry is situated. At the school we have amazing mentors like Mark Benard (VFX Director & Owner), Ganz Ramalingam (Visual Effects Instructor/IT Manager) and Ria Ambrose (Program Administrator/Student Services Director/VFX Production Manager). Mark has 15 years of industry experience. He is an excellent teacher and a fun person to work with. Ganz was my classmate from batch 007. He has over 10 years experience in multimedia. He is also a Nuke certified trainer. Ria was our VFX production manager and also helped out a lot with student projects with her Special Effects Make-up and Prosthetic experience. She is also currently handling the administration of the school and has run an animation school in the past.
About The Program:
The program is mainly with Autodesk’s Maya and The foundry’s Nuke. The curriculum is on their website and it is strictly followed from day one. You are assigned projects and also provided with lectures and demonstrations. Mark with all his creative experience will always keep giving his inputs. You get the liberty to be as creative as you can be, as long as you complete your assignments. One day of the week is industry studies where you are to discuss current things happening in the industry, watch reels, read articles etc. Every Friday is a ‘Screening Day’ in which you have to show your week’s work and of course, get loads of feedback from classmates and mentors. Believe me it gets the best out of you.
As the program is project based it starts with basics and gets more complicated till the date of your graduation, (LOL) but that’s how it is in real production. The project based learning teaches you the importance of deadlines and your commitment towards the assigned shot. The facility is open 24 hours for students so it practically becomes your second home. You can work, play, nap, watch movies, while you render... or whatever you want, but come ‘Screening Day’ you will have to present something each week. As the number of students per batch are less you will personally learn a lot from the staff and from your classmates. You get full guidance, on how to achieve what you want to from the industry.
The Verdict:
Tuition Rates are the same for both native and International Students, so it the best deal in a country like Canada. Being an international student I would totally recommend this school for its quality of education and the amazing people you will be with. I had the best year of my career in Lost Boys. It took me two months after my graduation to find my first job in Vancouver. During this period I had a lot of support from Lost Boys which was beyond my expectation... Lost Boys is the place to be if you want to nourish your potential. Go for it!!!
Kishor Joshi
