As a playwright, interactive storyteller, and now video game designer, Matt Toner is the type of writer who enjoys crossing over different media. Even his interest in video games is about far more than arcade entertainment.

“We haven’t seen the War and Peace or the Citizen Kane of games yet,” says Toner. “But there is someone out there who’s working on it. I believe video games are becoming what novels were to the 19 th Century and films were to the 20th Century.”

A graduate of the Writing program, Toner is Lead Designer of a new game from Foundation 9 Entertainment, North America’s largest independent game developer. He came to Vancouver after seeing a TV show talking about how Electronic Arts was looking to make the narrative content of its games more sophisticated. The VFS Writing program appealed to him because of its interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to writing for visual media.

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A one time magazine writer, Writing grad Helen Metella is now working full time as a story editor for the Life Network’s award-winning documentary series Taking It Off. Now in its fourth season, the 2003 Gemini Award winner follows ten Canadians in their strive to shed pounds.

Developed by Anaid Productions, Taking It Off is a lifestyle television show that focuses on weight loss. “I’ve always wanted to write things that would entertain and mean something to people,” says Helen.

After graduating from VFS, Helen landed freelance work researching and writing a website project for Anaid Productions, an Edmonton-based production company that created the travel series The Tourist and the youth drama series Mentors. But Helen’s professionalism and storytelling talent eventually led Anaid to hire her as a story editor for Taking It Off, a job which involves working with the show’s creative directors to develop story ideas and arcs for the show’s participants. Helen then watches all the live footage and magnifies certain pieces of it to capture the drama of people dealing with temptation.

“Since the show deals with reoccurring characters, it draws heavily on everything I learned at VFS about dramatic storytelling and character development,” says Helen.

As a student, Helen’s instinctive attitude and distinctive desire to improve led her instructors to believe she would quickly find a place in film and TV writing. “Helen impressed me from day one with her positive energy and enthusiasm towards creative writing,” says Joyce Thierry, who teaches writing for television. “She was always willing to challenge herself, so it doesn’t surprise me that she is working in television.”

Helen’s range of writing skills also includes feature films, and her script Classic Rock and a Hard Place–a romantic comedy about a has-been rock critic and a mysterious yodeler–was recently named a finalist at the Praxis Screenwriting Competition. “I have been making a career as a writer for over 20 years, as a newspaper journalist and a broadcaster, but writing for television is something I’ve always wanted to get into,” says Helen.

Sound accompanies everything we see on screen. Whether it is footsteps in a darkened hall, or a glass exploding as it hits the floor, sound is always behind the scene. Audio post-production is as important to the strength of a film as its cinematography, setting our senses on fire or weaving emotional tension into the fabric of a scene.

Nestled in the foothills above Vancouver, Sharpe Sound Studios is one of the leading audio-post facilities for film and television in Western Canada . It is also where VFS Sound Design grad Jarrett Hill is learning the ins-and-outs of professional studio life.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” says Hill. “There are a lot of down-to-earth, funny, and intelligent people here, not to mention some of the industry’s best. The career moves I make now are to take advantage of the vast experience of these people around me and to expand my understanding of the operations and technical gear within the studios.”

Jumping at the Opportunity

Shortly after graduating in 2004, Hill dropped his resume and a DVD demo off at Sharpe. Within the month, he had a call to come in for an interview. Hill jumped at the opportunity and made an appointment for as soon as possible - thirty minutes later. One week later he was offered the position.

As an entry level mixing and technical assistant, Hill’s responsibilities are as broad as the field of post-production itself. Audio post-production is really a range of processes that unites all the various sound elements for a show’s final soundtrack. It includes mixing, sound design editing, effects, and Additional Dialogue Replacement to replace unusable lines of dialogue.

Audio Post-Production

Hill assists the mixers and editors by preparing the studios, ensuring all hardware is patched and audio correctly saved to drives; he backs up the daily mix sessions; and he creates sub-mixes for delivery to the client - a process which involves combing the mix for mistakes or technical errors.

“Overall this process can take weeks to do correctly,” says Hill. “But basically that’s what it involves - loading, preparing, monitoring, transferring, backing up, and occasionally editing all of the audio that comes through this building. My responsibilities often include just about everything that goes on in the studio.”

Now ensconced at Sharpe, Hill is still jumping at every opportunity he can to learn, knowing that his experience and knowledge have become fundamental stepping stones towards a future in the field. “I am always trying to absorb information,” says Hill. “I will continue to challenge myself and develop a skill set that will lead me towards a strong future in audio production.”