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MAILING ADDRESS
Suite 3 – 145 19th Street Courtenay, BC Canada V9N 9G2 PHONE - (250) 871-8103 admin@lostboys-learning.com MAP View Larger Map |
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CONTENTS INDUSTRY "The work being produced by Lost Boys Learning under the guidance of Mark Bénard is top notch. This is some of the best 3D animation I’ve seen coming out of a school in a long time." Tina Ouellette Executive Producer Global Mechanic Media Inc. "Mark and I have worked together many times over the past 15 years, so when an opportunity came to speak to the students at Lost Boys Learning I was there. The school's in a great location, the students were very tight and co operative, and seemed like a social group. I think my talk at LBL was the longest I ever did, the student's asked intelligent questions so I was happy to spend the entire day with them. They understood all of the basic and most advanced concepts and had great artistic flare in their work, by far one of the best groups I've spoken to." John Gadjecki VFX Supervisor "Lost Boys Learning provides exactly the kind of curriculum the VFX industry needs; project-based studies that incorporate all aspects of today’s digital pipeline. The students are extremely fortunate to have in Mark Benard a real, experienced VFX supervisor at the helm of the program, and we know that graduates from LBL will be able to hit the ground running." Adam Stern VFX Supervisor / CEO Artifex Studios "Lost Boys Learning has a wonderful small studio feel to it. Mark and Gillian give the students hands on training that is pertinent to the current marketplace. They emerge from a year of study with a well rounded demo reel that could give them a leg up in the CG industry. Gillian offers great support from a production standpoint, playing the role of producer for each of the students personal projects. She also aids the students with their resumes and has many inroads and connections for immigration and job opportunities." Barbara Dawson Recruiter and CG Production Manager CG Scout "Having worked for Mark Benard at Lost Boys Studios, I was interested to see how he would impart his vast vfx wisdom at Lost Boys Learning. After seeing the program in action, and meeting the students, I can see why their grads are snapped up so quickly - they are truly given the training they need to hit the ground running in production." Eric Petey Digital Artist Digital Domain "I'm impressed to hear about the real-world compositing & visual effects problems being posed to the students at Lost Boys Learning. We've seen very few curriculum's, in the US or Canada, which offer students a chance to be challenged by such realistic production problems. We're eager to work with the new the budding stars that are heading toward graduation." Rob Taylor Founder/Creative Director Pendulum Studios "I recently had the privilege of giving a short lecture to the Lost Boys Learning students, I also reviewed their demo reels which are very impressive. The class size is small and production based, the equipment is high end. The problems are real world and the instruction is from a proven professional in Mark Benard, supplemented by industry speakers.The focus seems to be on getting each student production ready, and the demo reels reflected this." Scott Dewis Founder/Creative Director Race Rocks Digital Inc "It's good to see a real production artist teaching the things that should be taught." Aruna Inversin Digital Compositor Digital Domain "This is a great new direction for Lostboys. Anyone who's lucky enough to get training like this would truly have an edge on the competition." Trevor Adams VFX Technical Director Artifex Studios STUDENTS "Lost Boys Learning is a school that really gets students industry ready. Through the experience of both Mark and Gillian I learned everything that I needed to confidently enter my career." Poshin Wang Environment Artist/Matte Painter Anthem Visual Effects "I will never forget the experience I had at Lost Boys Learning. The training I received went well beyond my expectations and provided me with a level of exposure to industry-style production that helped prepare me for today's fast paced work environment in a way that I think very few schools can. Not only did Mark and Gillian teach a complete array of industry techniques and practices, but they pushed me to reach my own goals and strive to discover new approaches. Lost Boys Learning absolutely put me where I am today. It was a great experience and is a great way to prepare yourself for a career in Visual Effects and Animation." Patrick Switzer Character Artist Pendulum Studios "Mark showed me how to succeed in this career and then he made sure I have everything I needed to do it. I highly recomend to all the eager students who are willing to learn at their own pace, I really appreciate the patience that he showed." Manuel Llamas Digital Compositor Freelance - Space Chimps, My Inventions: Selected Legends of Tesla "I'm proud to be a member of the Lost Boys Alumni. I was able to learn more and faster with Mark Bénard's project based training than all the years I spent trying to learn by myself. I found this method of learning very fluid, beginning with simple but complete projects that eventually turned more challenging which allowed me to explore different tools and techniques. My classmates and I had a great time during our visits to Vancouver's CG related companies as well as the multiple social activities. I highly recommend LBL as a VFX training school." Alejandro Lama VFX Artist Image Engine "Each person can explore, pinpoint, and focus on their own specialty. Mark Bénard does a great job of covering every aspect, if not in lectures with the whole class then in the one-on-one help provided." TJ Fraser Modeling/Texturing Artist Freelance - Changeling "Mark and Gillian are well suited for teaching not just because of their extensive experience in the industry, but because of the excitement about this field they emote to the students everyday." Jessica Johnston CG Artist InLight Entertainment "Mark Bénard is an excellent instructor and artist. His experience with every stage of production, from planning to final delivery, is an outstanding resource for anyone wanting to excel in visual effects. Mark's attention to detail and his lengthy experience help his students develop the aesthetic and technical excellence which are demanded in the visual effects industry. The tools and skills I learned under Mark's instruction more than adequately prepared me for the intensive and rewarding work of the visual effects industry." Chris Paul VFX Artist The Orphanage "Mark's combination of hands on expertise, technical know-how, and renowned reputation within the industry, got me where I am today. Working for one of the best Visual Effects houses in Canada." Dan Prentice VFX Artist The Embassy Visual Effects "I have personally seen how Mark mentored students through one of the most intense VFX courses Canada has to offer. His skill and years of experience in this tough industry make him one of the best mentors that any artist could thoroughly benefit from. Working with Mark was one of my fondest experiences I have had since finishing school. Who wouldn't want to be taught by a guy who started his own company, took on some of the most challenging and coolest looking projects while working with some of the world's biggest VFX players?" Bartek Kujbida Lead Animator D.A.M.N.fx "Mark Bénard's industry experience and knowledge lead to new levels and skills. His overall knowledge and positive attitude inspired me to pursue a career as a VFX artist. His expertise has been more helpful in searching and getting a job in the industry. You can tell that Marks loves what he does." Guy Fuller Visual Effects Artist Café FX "More than just teaching like an instructor; he was a true mentor, who cared for my career as a whole, offering me a path to this industry and guiding me to success. Not just teaching how to use software or techniques, you always encouraged me to try different things (HDRI, Crowd, Fluids), you've pushed me further so I could learn more and more, so I could learn how to learn on my own, Thank You! I owe you a lot, for you have helped me time and time again, when I most needed." Harry Mukhopadkyay Senior VFX Artist DKP Studios "Mark's expertise and guidance helped me to achieve my dream job for which I came to Canada. I learnt so much from him which helped me to gain confidence in this whole new industry of VFX. I am thankful to him for being my Mentor." Vinay Mehta Digital Compositor Entity Effects "A veteran visual effects supervisor + a teaching desire = Mark Bénard -- it's not an over-statement but this is what Mark really is. As a student under his supervision at VFS, I learned many things about visual effects. In just 6 months I learned more than in last 3 years of working in the motion graphics industry. Mark's years of industry experience is valuable and priceless, his in-depth knowledge and care of details has prepared me well for pursuing a career and also helped me to land the job here." Tom, Pornthep Wongkitigumjorn Technical Director Lucasfilm Animation Singapore B.V. "I knew Mark when I was studying 3D animation and VFX at Vancouver Film School. The work done by him at Lost Boys Studios was the main reason I decided to jump into VFX. He's a really well rounded teacher, with great technical skills and lots of passion for teaching. Joining his training would be a great call!" Juan Jose Roesel VFX Director Oruga Animation Studios "Learning from an industry master and landing your dream jobs. I was Mark's student and I truly believe that you will learn whatever you want and go wherever you imagine." Samuel Tung Technical Artist Central Technology Activision Inc. "I really thank you for training us very cool! Because my boss told me that I do very well and any new faces but me can't do anything at first. And more good news, I won a competition in Japan with my demo reel the other day! My dream is coming true a littttttttttle bit. I feel really lucky that I learned from the cool-haircut teacher. And you're gonna feel lucky too, because you will be known as the teacher of the Legendary CG master in Japan, maybe..." Shinya Kambe Digital Artist IMAGE Tokyo "Having worked in different companies, I found Mark is really a great mentor and leader that he motivates students to think and solve problems in awesome ways! I wish for him to enjoy his teaching and make more happy students!" Rex, Yu Kwong Lee CG Artist C4 Digital Entertainment |
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RECENT NEWS: Oct 10, 2008 - I’m proud to announce that we received a New Media Finalist Award at the MISTIC Awards held in Nanaimo last week. MISTIC is a Vancouver Island association that promotes and celebrates excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation. Nov 6, 2008 - Our new phone number, effective immediately, is (250) 871-8103. 
Oct 10, 2008 - Today we hosted guest artist Eric Petey, a seasoned VFX artist with credits such as Transformers, Speed Racer, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, King Kong, I, Robot and Die Another Day. A Rigger and Animator, Eric shared his personal stories and talked to the students about working environments at differents types of companies. (more) 
Sept 2, 2008 - Welcome to the class of 2009! Hailing from Korea, Ontario, Mexico City, Washington DC and London, England - a great mix of talent and personalities. We've completed the Personal Title project and our Telekinesis Spoon project with Maya and Nuke, and our Ghost project will be ready for Halloween. (more) 
June 20, 2008 - I'm happy to announce 100% student placement of the Lost Boys Learning graduating class of 2008; Perry Sohn, Andy Chen, Nicholas Knudson, Drew Current, Jennie Bates, George Kyparissous, and Hsuan-Yi Fang. Lucky companies include Atmosphere Visual Effects, Anthem Visual Effects and Technicolor in Vancouver, Big Studios in Toronto, Midway Games in Chicago, Pendulum Studios and Zoic Studios in California. Best wishes to you all in your new careers! (more) 
June 13, 2008 - Lost Boys travel to Vancouver for another Studio tour. This time we visit Spin, Embassy, Lux, and Rainmaker Entertainment's motion capture unit. (more) 
June 2, 2008 - Lost Boys hosts guest speaker John Gajdecki, VFX Supervisor/Producer for over 17 years. (Stargate SG1, A Wrinkle in Time, I Robot...) John shared his experience and brought along many before and after clips of VFX Shots ranging from complex full CG creatures/environments to deceptively complex wire removal shots. 
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