About VanArts - Vancouver Institute of Media Arts - Vancouver


VanArts was founded in 1995 with Academy-Award winning animator/director Lee Mishkin as its program director. VanArts is fully accredited by the Private Career Training Institutions Agency of British Columbia. With media arts training increasing in popularity, what makes VanArts so unique?
  • Specialized "media arts school” as opposed to a "department” within a larger institution.
  • Personal workstations and small class sizes allow for more freedom and interaction with students and staff. Student to instructor ratio is 10:1.
  • Focused learning environment with a family-like atmosphere.
  • Developed and approved curriculum by current industry professionals.
  • Strong foundation in classical principles applied to modern technology.





VanArts - Vancouver Institute of Media Arts - Vancouver
626 West Pender St., Suite 500
Vancouver, BRITISH COLUMBIA V6B 1V9, CA

  • Arts - Design / Animation
    • 2D Animation
    Careers in the 2D Animation field include key and assistant animators, layout and storyboard artists, character and prop designers, inbetweeners and clean-up artists. Founded on the 50-year career of the late master animator Lee Mishkin, VanArts' 2D Animation Program has effectively transformed lives and careers! To carry your 2D skills into the next realm of opportunity, we strongly recommend taking our 3D Animation program for a second year of study to further your career options.

    3D Animation
    Careers in the 3D Computer Animation field include character and effects animators, modelers, lighting and texture mappers, concept designers and storyboard artists. Our diploma program in 3D Animation focuses primarily on animating characters for film and television production. Though still possible to take independently, combining this program with our 2D Animation program for two years of study and receiving a diploma in commercial animation is our recommended path of action for the most solid training available!


  • Arts - Visual and Performing
    • Acting for Film & TV
    The William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study was founded in 1989 by well known actor, director and teacher William B. Davis. It has been a landmark for actor’s study in Vancouver for the past 19 years and is now part of VanArts. This allows VanArts to expand its program offerings to now include the performing arts. The nine-month Acting for Film and Television diploma program is a cutting-edge exploration into the art and craft of acting for the camera. Designed for students who are ready to take on the challenge of full-time training to prepare themselves for the self-employed profession of acting.


  • Arts - Multimedia / Recording
    • Entertainment Art for Film, TV and Games
    The VanArts 1-year diploma program in Entertainment Art for Film, TV & Games focuses primarily on conceptualizing and modeling characters & environments for game & film production. Highlights of the program include: -strong balance between traditional art and modern technology. -hands-on mentoring by industry professionals from Electronic Arts and other local game studios in Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop and much more! You graduate with: •a diploma •a professional demo reel and portfolio •industry contacts & job search strategies

    Visual Effects
    Visual Effects (FX) have been around as long as cinema itself, and continue to evolve rapidly. In recent films like Lord of the Rings and The Matrix trilogies, the line between fantasy and reality are continually being blurred by today's digital effects masters. With our Visual Effects Diploma and Certificate Programs, VanArts' students create their own effects and collaborate on a group project using high definition (HD) cameras, with footage captured and output on a dual 2-gig Mac G5. Career positions in Visual Effects include 2D/3D animators, modelers, lighting and texture artists, storyboard and concept artists, editors and compositors. Employers in the VFX industry are looking for people who have mastered the art of combining 2D and 3D animation skills and have a strong knowledge of film techniques. VanArts' Visual FX Program is an ideal way to kick-start your career, especially by preceding it with our 2D/3D Animation Program!


    VanArts - Vancouver Institute of Media Arts - Vancouver AdvantagesOur Programs
    VanArts offers 1 and 2-year diploma and 6-month certificate programs designed to prepare students for entry-level work in the vast animation and related film and gaming industries.

    Our History
    VanArts has been offering its animation courses since 1996. The founding Director of the Classical Animation program was the late Lee Mishkin. Lee was an Academy-Award winning animator with over 50 years of industry experience.

    Did You Know?
    We are a specialized "media arts school" and not a "department" within a larger institution. Other schools may have a wider variety of subjects to choose from, but we are much more focused on all things related to 2D and 3D Animation, Gaming and Visual Effects. As result, you get a real-world training experience.



    VanArts - Vancouver Institute of Media Arts Locations:
    Vancouver

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