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  • 20 Oct 2022 by DigiBC

    SPARK Animation is Western Canada's largest celebration of all things animation. This year’s festival kicks off on October 27 and has a packed schedule of in-person and online programming that includes films, panels, talks, workshops, and a career fair. Spark your creativity, get connected and be inspired by the industry’s top talent!


    In-Person Festival

    In-person programming is back! Don’t miss your chance to meet and mingle with other like-minded creatives and filmmakers. The full schedule of film screenings and talks is available below. Click on the Online Registration button to secure your seats early.


    Online Festival
    This year’s SPARK ANIMATION Festival and Conference is a ‘hybrid’ event, with the online component presented by our streaming partner Trickfilm. Selected films and conference content are available on-demand from October 27 to November 30.

     

    Career Fair: Loaded with Talent
    This will be held on November 12 at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre from 9:30am-5pm. For more info or to register, please visit the special event page.

     

    TICKETS & INFO

    In-person Festival: October 27-30
    In-person Conference: October 29-30

    Career Fair: November 12

    Online Festival and Conference: October 27-November 30

     

  • 14 Oct 2022 by DigiBC

    This year is DigiBC’s 25th anniversary and the sector came together to celebrate on Saturday, October 1. It was our first in-person event since 2019, and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate our anniversary with members from across BC’s incredible creative technology industry! The night kicked off with opening remarks from Loc Dao (Executive Director, DigiBC), and then Loc and Charles Creighton (President, Departure Lounge) welcomed T'uy't'tanat Cease Wyss and her daughter Senaqwila to perform the first-ever volumetrically captured cultural welcome. After which Jon Lutz (Board Chair, DigiBC), Brenda Bailey (Parliamentary Secretary for Technology and Innovation), Valerie Creighton (CEO & President, CMF) and Loretta Todd (Creative Director, IM4 Media Lab) spoke. There was a flurry of networking and socializing throughout the rest of the evening, and it showed just how valuable these events can be. 

    The celebration occurred during the sold out Signals, which was a first ever collaboration between the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and DigiBC. This unique interactive exhibition, co-curated by Debi Wong (re:Naissance Opera), Loretta Todd (IM4 Media Lab) and Loc Dao (DigiBC), displayed the creative power, playfulness, and storytelling potential of new technologies with a multi-day showcase of Canadian and Indigenous works. The exhibits, ranging from real time 3D performances showcasing holograms and LED volumes to VR multiplayer gaming to a dome 360 film, were spread over three themes which included:

    • Descend - explored the impact of video game engines on live performance in opera, music, and filmmaking

    • cikâstehtin (its shadow can be seen; reflected (by rays of light) - featured two powerful immersive documentaries and several AR works

    • Virtual Arcade - a playground where attendees could paint, play, and interact


    Signals was produced by veteran Producer Janine Steele (Creative BC, NFB), in collaboration with the great team at VIFF led by Kyle Fostner (Executive Director). Our 25th event, education and VIP tours were produced by Kristina Lao, and thanks to DigiBC staffers Sarah Liao and Colleen Arndt for the great work on both events.

    This would not have been possible without the generous support of our wonderful partners and sponsors: Canada Media Fund, Invest Vancouver, Departure Lounge, Emily Carr University, Centre for Digital Media, IM4 Media Lab, Showmax, Monstercat, Electronic Arts, Fasken, re:Naissance Opera, Go2 Productions, S+F Group Benefits Inc, Red Truck Beer & Liberty Wine Merchants. Thank you!

    We’d also like to thank the Departure Lounge and Looks Great Entertainment event production teams, as well as all the exhibitors, creative advisors, staff members, contractors and sub-contractors for their invaluable contributions, time, and efforts.

     

     

  • 13 Oct 2022 by DigiBC

    Backed by New York venture capital and powered by leading game experts worldwide, Shred Capital has established itself as an emerging venture player across Canada. Their mission is to lead, seed, or syndicate that crucial first round of equity for high-potential startups.

    Shred has developed a video game industry acceleration program that specifically leverages the capital provided by the Canada Media Fund. Over the past 18 months, they has worked with 40 companies to help sharpen their pitch to the Canada Media Fund and their success rate is just over 56% (compared to an industry average of ~20%), resulting in $6 million raised.

    Shred would like to work with you!

    Are you are a new game producer who wants to bring your idea to life? Shred is looking to fill their next industry cohort and this will be made up exclusively of companies from across British Columbia.

    â–ºThere are a limited number of spots
    â–ºApplications accepted until December 6 (or until allocated funds run out)

    â–ºShred's track record with this program is 100%

    â–ºEach successful applicant will receive $15,000 from the CMF


     

     

     

  • 13 Oct 2022 by DigiBC

    The finalists for the 2022 Best Places To Work Awards Canada have been revealed. These awards are all about making the games industry a better place to work, and the bulk of them are based on an employee survey which covers numerous topics including working environment, work/life balance, management, diversity and more. Over 50 game companies took part and winners will be announced on October 18. Congratulations to the following DigiBC members who made the list:

    Corporate Social Responsibility Award
    • Electronic Arts
    • Hyper Hippo Entertainment


    Health and Wellbeing
    Award
    • Electronic Arts
    • Kano
    • Relic Entertainment


    Environmental
    Award

    • Relic Entertainment


    Education
    Award

    • Blackbird Interactive
    • Relic Entertainment


    DEI
    Award
    • Relic Entertainment
    • Timbre Games

    Canada's Best Boss
    Award

    • Heather Price, This Game Studio
    • Sarah MacKay, Hyper Hippo

     

     

  • 11 Oct 2022 by DigiBC

    Are you passionate about TV, film, video games or digital media? Are you a leader in the cultural sector and interested in the future of audiovisual media in Canada? The Government of Canada is looking for an experienced, future-oriented individual to join the board of the largest audiovisual content fund in Canada.

    • This is a part-time role starting in winter 2023 and is for a term of approximately three years (up to spring 2025)
    • Members of equity-deserving communities and those with relevant experience who are independent from the CMF, its funders and beneficiaries are encouraged to apply
    • Applications are being accepted until October 23
       

    CLICK FOR MORE INFO
     

    The ideal candidate is one who is capable of envisioning the many opportunities on the horizon for Canadian audiovisual content development, production, distribution, and promotion in any format and on any platform, and who is ready to take a leadership role in positioning the sector as a whole to benefit. The candidate requires a high level of independence from all funders and beneficiaries of the CMF program in Canada’s screen industries.

    The CMF is a cornerstone of the Canadian audiovisual content production sector, supporting the development and production of audiovisual content in a wide variety of formats, including video games, traditional television shows, web series, and more. It is an active and important influencer in the sector, and as a member of its Board of Directors, you will be at the forefront of the significant evolution facing the sector and will help to chart a course forward.

     

  • 07 Oct 2022 by DigiBC


    The Chan Centre is thrilled to launch a new conference, Games in Action: interactivity / activation \ activism,  taking place from November 4-5. This two-day event will feature game designers, artists, musicians, scholars, and writers, to explore how games act upon us and through us, and how they compel us to take action for ourselves.

    The conference will examine the social and artistic impacts of video games, much in the same way literature and film are analyzed as influential mediums. Notable speakers include veteran game designer John Romero, designer of Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Quake, among others. Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka, creators of one of the most highly acclaimed games of the year, Sephonie, and Arthur Protasio, Emmy-nominated director and writer known for his work on the Cobra Kai games, are also panelists.   

    Co-hosted by Heart Projector and UBC’s Emerging Media Lab, the pop-up arcade will host artists and games that do not merely reflect or represent marginalization, but that use interactive artwork to express marginalized experiences. Ultimately, this landmark event will seek to discover how digital forms of storytelling can have the potential to consider new decolonial actions, activities, and activisms, for our increasingly digitized age. The pop-up arcade is only available to conference attendees or to concert-goers as part of a packaged ticket. 
     

    Games in Action (click for more info)

     

    As part of the conference,  the UBC Symphony Orchestra and UBC A Cappella, guest conducted by Lucas Waldin, will perform Games in Music: Halo, WoW, LOTR on each night, celebrating the soundtracks of new and classic video games. Experience the epic sounds of Michael Giacchino’s Star Trek: Into the Darkness, and relive the frenzy of the tetris theme song. VR immersive artist Juliana Loh will paint the scores of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings live. This concert also premieres the orchestral scores of both Celeste and Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between. A limited number of VIP tickets are on sale which include access to a pop-up arcade. 

     

    Games in Music (click for more info)

     

     

  • 06 Oct 2022 by DigiBC

    Does your business need innovative, disruptive technology solutions to research and development challenges? The Centre for Digital Media's Master of Digital Media Program is a full-time professional graduate program focusing on leadership, storytelling, ideation, innovation, teamwork, and critical thinking. MDM students engage in real-world client projects and problem-solving through applied research and development project courses. R+D project course cycles start in January and May of each year, lasting for 12 weeks.
     

     
     
    Project Sponsorship
    • $12,000 for non-profit projects
    • $15,000 for industry projects
    • Social impact projects may be eligible for lower fees

    Submit A Project Proposal

    Spring Term (January to April) proposals are due October 31
      

    Questions can be directed to: Susannah Skerl, su_skerl@thecdm.ca


    What is in it for Industry?
    Solve real-world problems, experiment with new ideas, and explore immersive and interactive technologies including:
    • Playable or interactive prototypes
    • Visualization and design architectures
    • Proof-of-concept demos and walkthroughs
    • Spatial exploration and INSTALLATIONS
    • Low-risk market validation potential


    Impact for Investment

    • 1500 - 2000 hours of student-led applied R+D
    • Dedicated faculty project supervisors
    • Engage with future talent prospects
    • Work with a multidisciplinary, multicultural team
    • Clients retain IP and asset ownership
    • Use project meeting space on campus


    What Skills do Students Bring?
    During the research and development cycle, multidisciplinary project teams of 4 to 6 students work approximately 35 hours per week leading client projects. They contribute professional experience, academic knowledge, and technical skills such as:
    • Design (UX/UI, graphic, game)
    • Art (2D, 3D, animation, VFX)
    • Development (game, web, VR/AR, app)
    • Management (marketing, product, project)
    • Diversity of global and cultural perspectives


    How do Students Benefit?

    • Gain real-world R+D experience
    • Build direct connections with industry
    • Master interprofessional competencies
    • Explore creative solutions to unique challenges
    • Manage client relationships in Agile environments
    • Showcase project material (as permitted) in portfolios