Ex’pression College for Digital Arts of Emeryville, California, announced that its digital visual media students were chosen to design and produce the graphic openings for the Visual Effects Society’s (VES) sixth annual VES Festival on June 18-20 in San Rafael, California. A team of Ex’pression students under the direction of instructor Stephen Kopels is also responsible for videotaping all of the presentations for the VES archives.
The VES Festival features presentations on some of the year’s biggest vfx and animation blockbusters, including SHREK 2, VAN HELSING, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, TROY and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS. Games, makeup effects and televison vfx are all represented at this three-day event.
“We are pleased to have Ex’pression students produce all the graphic openings that recognize the incredible list of sponsors VES has lined up for this year’s festival,” said Eric Roth, the new exec director for VES. “Since the festival is all about educating both industry insiders and the next generation in visual effects professionals, it seemed more than appropriate to have students from the leading digital visual media college help with the [graphic openings].”
“I’m honored to represent both VES and Ex’pression at this year’s VES Festival,” said Rose Duignan, director of career development and industry relations for Ex’pression College, and VES board member. “Our students have such a strong presence at this year’s event with the constant replaying of the Graphic Opening Sponsor pieces generated entirely by our young talent. Ex’pression students work tirelessly to videotape each presentation for the historical archives of the organization. Plus, our students also make up many of the onsite volunteers, ushers and ticket handlers.”
All VES Festival presentations are two hours each focusing on vfx and how they enhance the storytelling process. Each panel will be headed by the visual effects supervisors and their teams. The cost is $25 per presentation or $250 for the VIP Festival Pass.
For more information or to order tickets to the VES Festival please call: (310) 822-9181 or email your ticket request to:
alan@visualeffectssociety.com .
The Visual Effects Society, founded in 1997, is comprised of distinguished visual effects artists and technologists who are professionally committed to the specialized industry of visual effects. The society provides its members with a platform for communication, education and recognition of the current and future state of the visual effects industry. Society headquarters are located in Los Angeles, with approximately 1,000 global members. For more information about VES, please visit
www.visualeffectssociety.com or call 310-822-9181.
Founded in 1999 by Gary Platt and Eckart Wintzen, Ex'pression (
www.expression.edu ) is a unique training ground for animators, visual effects artists, recording engineers, producers and designers. Ex’pression teaches and grants Bachelor degrees in three programs: sound arts; digital visual media (including animation, 3D modeling and visual effects); and digital graphic design. Utilizing the concept of Total Immersion as its teaching philosophy, students live and learn in the digital arts and new media culture for approximately two years. Every five weeks a new class starts, and each class is limited to a small number of students to insure the best professional training and hands-on learning. The student to computer ratio is one to one.
