KEVIN SMITH NO LONGER THE MOST FAMOUS FORMER VFS STUDENT, THANKS TO DISTRICT 9

“No dude, I’m serious. There is an alien right over there… shhh.”

I have to admit, I love Kevin Smith and the memorable films he has created throughout his career. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back? Instant classic with my friends and I. He is one funny dude, even though some of the things he says are completely outrageous and disgusting. That’s who he is, and I like him because he doesn’t give a flying $@%* about what I, or anyone else thinks. What I like even more about Kevin Smith is the fact that he spent some time in my most favorite city in the world, Vancouver, BC Canada.

Kevin Smith attended the highly regarded Vancouver Film School back in 1990 when I was just 8 years old. (Damn, I didn’t realize how old he was!) He ended up dropping out of VFS and somehow, it didn’t even matter. He still went on to be successful in film, with or without a diploma or degree from VFS. I considered VFS during my search for possible schools to attend for game design and went to tour the campus back in 2006, but just didn’t get the right ‘video game vibe’ while I was there. It really is more of a film school in my opinion. Not saying they don’t have an awesome game design program, it just didn’t fit with what I was looking for at the time. If I had the money and time, I would love to attend VFS.

Anyway, to get to the point, whenever someone mentioned VFS to me, I would always associate VFS with, “Oh, did you know Kevin Smith went to school there?’ Y’know, Kevin Smith. The Clerks guy? Remember that movie Dogma? Jay and Silent Bob? Yeeeaaa.. yea, that guy!’

Now I won’t be saying that for much longer. Once District 9 comes out and blows every summer blockbuster out of the water, and Neill Blomkamp becomes more of a household name all around the world, I will now say, ‘VFS? That’s where District 9 director Neill Blomkamp went to school… and graduated.’ And it’s not just VFS graduate Neill Blomkamp that was involved in this soon to be epic movie. There were over 25 other VFS graduates who worked on the visual effects on District 9. I have seen some of the student work coming out of VFS first hand during my studies at VanArts, and it is top notch. Really, really impressive visual effects coming out of that school. I can’t wait for this movie!

Say what you want about Hollywood, say what you will about Vancouver. Vancouver is officially on the blockbuster map of cities to turn to when producing a major motion picture. The visual effects resources, the video game studios, all the multi-media pool of talent up there is just outstanding. And not as expensive as California! Why spend $200 million to make ‘Terminator Salvation’ and flop at the box office when you can make an even more impressive film for $30 million, and be the #1 movie in America? I know, I know.. District 9 isn’t even out yet but, I feel pretty confident that the hype behind this movie, the fact that this film was originally going to be the ‘Halo’ movie, the fact that Peter Jackson’s weight is behind this, and the fact that this film has some of the best Vancouverite talent there is to offer… is all I need to know about its forthcoming success. It’s not hard to imagine this film being bigger than Independence Day. Yea, I said it! What?

Vancouver has been an extremely popular destination for filmmakers for years but I don’t think everyone is aware of that. (Can Hollywood stop filming in Vancouver and faking like it’s New York City or Seattle already? Please.) Maybe now, Vancouver, BC will get the credit and recognition it truly deserves. Without the fake NYC Taxi Cabs in the street scenes. Without covering up Vancouver street signs and landmarks. Move over Hollywood! Your glory days are over.

Congrats to VFS! Congrats to Neill Blomkamp! Congrats to Vancouver, BC! Well done my friends. The celebration has already begun. I look forward to seeing District 9 this weekend.

Credit: CGSociety – From its director to the visual effects, this acclaimed sci-fi film has close ties to Vancouver and deep roots at VFS.
VFS:Enter D9