Trailer for Sheridan College's 2018 Industry Day

Trailer for Sheridan College's Upcoming Industry Day

2016 Sheridan Industry Day Promo

We're rapidly approaching the end of another school year, and the animation students of Sheridan's class of 2016 have created a promo to showcase their films.  As always, there is a variety of design styles and techniques used.  I look forward to seeing these films on Industry Day, when Sheridan invites studio personnel to view the work of the newest members of the animation industry.

Sheridan College Industry Day Commercial 2016 from Jessica Mao on Vimeo.

Sheridan Industry Day 2015 Trailer

Some students have inadvertently been left out, so there may be an updated version coming.  If so, I'll replace this version.

Sheridan Industry Day Trailer

This year, Sheridan Animation's industry day is Thursday, April 24.  Here's an advance peek at this year's student films.

Sheridan Industry Day Promo 2013

It's that time of year again. As Sheridan Animation's industry day approaches, here's a sneak peak at what some of this year's films look like.

Sheridan College industry Day Commercial 2013 from Elaine Chen on Vimeo.

Sheridan Industry Day 2012

It's that time of year again. The Sheridan class of 2012 met the industry on April 26.

Industry and faculty line up to register

Sheridan President Jeff Zabudsky addresses the industry prior to the screening

The students set up their areas in the Learning Commons prior to the industry's arrival.

After the films are screened, the industry mixes with the students.

L to R: Omar Al-Hafidh, Tony Song (way in the background) and Jeremy Bondy.  Omar's film, Out of Bounds, is a cautionary tale of child safety.  Tony's film, Just Remember Me, features a girl trying to download her late father's essence into a robot.  Jeremy's film, Pollen, is a chase with a twist ending.

Victor Preto's film, Theft, uses Flash in a very sophisticated way.

Evee Fex-chriszt's film, The Terrible Bandit, shows off her masterful drawing and animation skills.

Garth Laidlaw's film, Finally, anticipates the zombie apocalypse.

Kirsten Whitely animated the opening for her TV pitch, Spectra.

Leigh Ann Frostad's film, Origin Story, is about the conflict between the sun and the moon and shows off her distinctive designs.

L to R: Dean Heezen, Shen Ramu and character design instructor Peter Emslie.  Dean's film, Sax, was an audience favourite showing off superb animation and choreography.  Shen's film, Bygone Bounce, is a clever look at the aging process.

Justin Hartley receives an award for his film, Murder on the Docks, from Judy Leung of Nelvana.  The film is a film noir pastiche made in stereoscopic 3D.

Hai Wei Hou receives an award for her film, Vernal Equinox, from Associate Dean Angela Stukator.  Haiwei's film shows off her remarkable draftsmanship and design sense.

Last and not least is Tony Tarantini, who teaches layout and art direction to third year students and is the organizer of industry day.  Tony pulls together this large and successful event every year, giving both students and industry the chance to connect for their mutual benefit.  Tony appeared on Canada A.M. that morning to talk about the event.

Sheridan Industry Day Promo

It's almost that time of year again, where the students graduating from Sheridan's animation program screen their films for industry guests. The above is a taste of what's coming.

Sheridan Industry Day 2011

(Updated Below.)

The industry awaits the screening

April 28 was Sheridan's annual industry day for its two animation programs. It wasn't until it was over that I realized that I took far fewer pictures this year than in years past and I don't know why that is. For photos of past industry days, click here. Each year, the student faces change, but the guests and the events stay pretty much the same.

Based on industry attendance this year, it appears that the business is recovering from The Great Recession. There were companies from outside the local area attending, including DreamWorks, Walt Disney Television Animation, Bioware, Pixar, Atomic Cartoons, JibJab and Blue Sky. Nine studios conducted job interviews on campus on April 29. Many of the local studios prefer students to come to their premises for interviews.

I didn't see any TV cameras this year, but the Toronto Star covered the event.

Above, the students set up their presentations for their post-screening meetings with industry people.

Tony Tarantini is behind the podium. He is responsible for organizing industry day and has done so successfully for the last several years. To the right of the podium are Chris Walsh and Chang Dai. Chris was in charge of the 4th year production course this year and Chang is receiving the award for best animation for her film Vigour.

While industry day is fun for professionals who meet up with friends and for returning alumni who are back to scout out talent, it can be a stressful day for the students. Everyone is hoping to attract studio interest, an interview, and best of all, a job. I try to explain to students that rather than look at industry day as the climax of their educations, they need to scale down their expectations and think of it as the first day of their job hunt. No matter how good their films are, the students can't control the state of the larger economy, the schedules of industry projects or the needs of a particular studio. While students feel judged, the quality of their work is only one variable of many.

The other stressful thing is that from kindergarten on, students have been told what to do in order to succeed. Read this chapter, answer this question, get a good grade and get promoted. School is a highly structured environment. Work is, too, but the time between school and the first job is one which has no rules. There are no guarantees for getting a job, there are only strategies and luck. Some students, due to their personalities or their histories, deal well with the uncertainties of the job hunt. Others are less likely to take initiative and can't bridge the gap. It can be one of the tougher transitions in life.

As always, I wish the class of 2011 the best of luck in their quest to find their places in the animation industry.

Update: By coincidence, Leisha-Marie Riddel, a graduate from last year, has written a blog post talking about her transition from student to professional that is definitely worth reading by anyone still in school or has just graduated.

Sheridan Industry Day 2010 Addendum

Kevin Parry has posted the opening title to Sheridan's industry screening last week. Besides Kevin, Andrew Murray, Andrew Wilson, Allison Neil and Adam Pockaj were responsible for the concept and execution of this piece, including the voices. It has a playfulness and a spontaneity that exceeds many of the films produced over the course of the full year and it's a reminder to all of us that if we have fun making a film, the odds are that the audience will have fun watching it.

Sheridan College Animation Intro 2010 from kevinbparry on Vimeo.

Sheridan Industry Day 2010

Another school year gone. Another group of graduates stepping out into the world. Another industry day. What's below just scratches the surface of what went on.

Second and Third year student volunteers prepare for the crowds.

The graduates of the four year program get set up to meet the industry.

Veteran story artists Jim Caswell and Warren Leonhardt.

Left to right: Paul Teolis of Nelvana; Michael Carter, President of CASO (Computer Animation Studios of Ontario) and Jim Caswell.

Frank Falcone of Guru Studios.

A view of the post-graduate computer animation program workspace.

Steve Schnier of Vujade and John Lei of Noodleboy Studios.

Kevin Parry with his characters from the stop motion film The Arctic Circle.

Carla Veldman with her characters from her stop motion film The Scarf.

Allesandro Piedemonte (A Cut Above) and King Mugabe (Red Snow).

Andrew Murray (Blind Date) is interviewed by a reporter from CHCH TV.

List of Films for the Bloor Screening

For those of you in Toronto, here's a list of the Sheridan student films that will be screened at the Bloor on June 9 at 7 p.m. and again on June 10 at 9:30 p.m. It's open to the public and admission is $5. You can see a trailer I cut together here. The one line descriptions are mine, not the film makers.

Higher Education – A mean teacher faces the Last Judgment. A film by Hernando Bahamon, Zélie Bérubé, Christian Camaroschi, Sheng-han Chang, Mélanie Daigle, Amber Holowaychuk, Angela Kim, Alex Kung, Henry Lidstone, Michelle Moger.

Smores – A day in the life of a chocolate man in a graham cracker world. A film by Inigo Ahedo.

El Cacto – When a desert town runs out of water, who ya gonna call? A film by Garrett Hanna.

Hopetown – Hope springs eternal for a stuffed bunny. A film by Will Postma.

Lobster Boy – The story of an underwater outcast. A film by Tracy Qiu.

Homework Hydra – So much homework, but so many distractions. A film by Ben Hu.

Monkey and the Moon – Based on a Chinese folk take, a monkey tries to rescue the moon. A film by Yajun Wang.

Nanu - Two animals battle for a meal. A film by Alex Donald.

Sneaks on a Plane – It gets lonely in the desert. A film by Serena Leigh

Process – Do not go gently into that recycling plant. A film by Jake Fullerton.

Coned – A dog struggles with a cone collar. A film by Terri Sajecki.

Ama – An animation student searches for a subject. A film by Chih Kuang Jack Yu.

Creatures of the Night – Don’t poke the zombie. A film by Kieran McKay.

The Magic Cauldron – A cauldron that doubles its contents. A film by Andy Zeng.

My Hero – The perils of hero worship. A film by Nael Al Hamwi, Amir Avni, Adam Black, Lee Ann Dufour, Adam Hines, Wayne-Michael Lee, Sopheak Meak, Marvin Mugabi, Allesandro Piedimonte, Samantha Smith Mark Stanleigh.

Kitty Kitchka – A lesson in feline agriculture. A film by Cheng Long.

Junko Jango – A boy is caught between bullies and a junkyard dog. A film by Rachel Chalk.

The Missing Sock – Guess where it went? A film by Jason Teeuwissen.

Humpty Dumpty Scrambled - What happens when a weapon has a mind of its own? A film by Yuriy Sivers.

The Bacteria That Could – If at first you don’t succeed... A film by Jordan Benning.

Hog Wild – This little piggy went to market. A film by Michael Alcock, Markus Bajin, Tanguy Barker, Weiran Ji, Sun Lee, Chris MacDonald, Boris Maras, Clayton Tsang, Carla Veldman, Andrew Wilson, Di Yao Amanca Zima.

Princess Story – A fairy princess awaits her prince. A film by Kayla McIlwaine.

The Ballad of Amelia Von Earl – A little girl has an unusual hobby. A film by Tapan Gandhi.

Space Chase – A mad scientist gets madder. A film by Behram Khoshroo.

Foxy Hotmamma – An homage to the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s. A film by Justin Salgado

Just Desserts – Sweets revenge. A film by Jonathan Coit, Lawrence, Lam, Kyu-Bum Lee, Kaming Mak, Andrew Murray, Braden Poirier, Linval Smith, Ben Thomas, Chris Thompson, Junghoon Yeo.

Tang – A monkey struggles to stay warm. A film by Han ung Lee.

Ooh aaah oouch – A recliner with an attitude. A film by Manish Thorat.

The Chronicles of Turghot and Dragam – An urbanized barbarian yearns for the good old days. A film by Kelly Turnbull.

The Peasant and the Root – A peasant covets the amazing power of the mandrake root. A film by Brock Gallagher.

Electropolis – A walk sign seeks to break the monotony. A film by Amanda Stocker, Hank Choi, Adam Pockaj, Jason Walmsley, Dimas Mohammad, Adam Trout, Dan Seddon, Griogio Mavrigianakis, Ki Eun Suh, Debbie Yu, Dawnson Chen, Allison Neil, Kevin McCullough.

Upcoming Screening at the Bloor in Toronto

Here's a trailer I put together for the Student Animation Showcase, featuring the work of Sheridan College students. It's June 9 at 7 p.m. and again on June 10 at 9:30 at the Bloor Cinema, located at Bloor and Bathurst in Toronto. Admission is $5.

(If you're a Sheridan student, all the films in the trailer are in the screening, but there are additional films that are not in the trailer for various reasons. I'll be emailing everybody the list of films to be screened in the next few days.)

Sheridan College Industry Day 2009 Part 3

An article from the National Post. The student on the right is Tapan Gandhi.

Sheridan College Industry Day 2009 Part 2

Courtesy of student Frank Macchia, who uploaded it, here's a TV news report from CHCH in Hamilton on Sheridan's industry day. Laura Friesen and Frank are featured as students. Other people visible include instructors Scott Caple and Jim Caswell (1:11-1:15), instructor Tony Tarantini, and student Brent Dienst (1:34).

Sheridan College Industry Day 2009

Once again, it's industry day. The work of graduating students is screened for people who are looking for talent. Below is a collection of photos from today.

Robin King, founder of Sheridan's cgi program and currently a consultant.

Students and guests inside the cgi lab.

Frank Macchia (left) and Mark Sperber prepare to receive the industry.

Left to right: Animator Stephen Barnes, John Mariella of CORE and independent producer Doug Masters.

Sheridan alumnus Marceline Gagnon-tanguay, currently at Blue Sky.

Two aerial views of the learning commons, where the students met the industry.

Three excellent animators I've had the pleasure of teaching. From left to right: Jason Teeuwisson, Brock Gallagher and Kelly Turnbull.

Naz Ghodrati-azadi's film is called Gobbled. She'll be moving to Los Angeles this summer, so west coast studios should keep an eye out for this talented animator.

Tapan Gandhi's film is called The Ballad of Amelia von Earl.

Tracy Qiu's film is called Lobster Boy.

Industry Day coordinator Tony Tarantini presents an award to Kayla McIlwaine for her film A Princess Story.

Mark Simon (left), coordinator of the post-graduate cgi program, presents an award to Inigo Ahedo for his film Smores.

A panel of industry professionals giving advice to the students. From left: Tom Knott (formerly of Laika, Warner Bros. and the Ottawa Animation Festival), Evan Spiridellis of JibJab, Doug Masters (formerly with CORE and currently an independent producer) and industry day coordinator Tony Tarantini.

What's above is only a fraction of what transpired. More than 4 hours of student films were screened.

I will be screening a selection of this year's films at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto on Tuesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. and again on Wednesday June 10 at 9:30. Admission will be $5 and it's open to the public. I'll post more about this screening as it approaches.

If you were at industry day and have any thoughts about the films or the days events, please leave a comment.