THE SERIOUS
BUSINESS OF COMEDY
VFS IN-PRODUCTION BOOTCAMP
LEARN DIRECTLY
FROM AN EMMY
AWARD-WINNING
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER,
& CINEMATOGRAPHER
MICHAEL SPILLER
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, CINEMATOGRAPHER
With a BFA in Film from SUNY Purchase, Michael got his start as the DP on the first season of HBO’s Sex and The City. He launched his directing career in season two, directing seven episodes before moving to LA to pursue directing full time. His credits include more than 20 episodes each of Modern Family (for which he won an Emmy) and Scrubs, as well as multiple episodes of Superstore, Black-ish, The New Girl, The Middle, Cougar Town, Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23, Big Love, and Ugly Betty. He was also the Executive Producer/Director for all six seasons of The Mindy Project. He is about to wrap season three of The Sex Lives of College Girls.
How It Works
Vancouver Film School invites you to a once-in-a-lifetime bootcamp series and AMA (Ask Me Anything) event with titan of industry Michael Spiller. With 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry as a Director, Producer, and Cinematographer, Michael is an Emmy Award-winner (Modern Family), directing some of television’s most iconic comedies from Sex and the City to Scrubs, Superstore, Black-ish, The Middle, The Mindy Project, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and so many more.
Register for the 2-day bootcamp series and be part of a studio-audience lecture experience led by Emmy Award-winner Michael Spiller. Watch and learn as he directs a team of Actors, Writers, and Filmmakers towards a sitcom pilot scene. This is an opportunity you will not want to miss!
OR, register for the AMA event only. This hour-long talk and Q&A with Michael Spiller and Omari Newton (VFS’s Head of Acting and Co-Head of Film Production) will provide a look into the working mechanism of a Hollywood comedy sitcom production.
VFS AMA (Ask Me Anything) EVENT:
TALK WITH EMMY-WINNER MICHAEL SPILLER
Friday, July 5 | 5:30 – 8 p.m. PDT | VFS Main Theatre, 420 Homer Street
$20 (*Standalone cost for AMA only)
IN-PRODUCTION BOOTCAMP:
COMEDIC ACTING, WRITING & DIRECTING WORKSHOPS
Saturday, July 6 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PDT | VFS Film Campus, 142 Water Street, Studio 1
COMEDY WORKSHOPS WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE
Sunday, July 7 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PDT | VFS Film Campus, 142 Water Street, Studio 1
$150 (*Includes both workshops and the AMA Event)
The AMA Event: The Serious Business of Comedy
VFS is thrilled to be hosting Michael Spiller as the next guest in our exciting AMA event series. Following in the footsteps of industry greats like Matthew Lillard, Lino DiSalvo, and Kevin Smith, Michael takes the stage, alongside Omari Newton, to examine in detail the working mechanism of a Hollywood comedy sitcom production from the perspective of Actors, Directors, and Writers. Michael will also emphasize the importance of continually learning throughout your career. As always, the audience will have a chance to ask their burning questions.
In-Production Bootcamps
There’s no one better to learn the ins and outs of television production from than an Emmy-winning director! In this landmark, first-ever VFS experience, you get to be part of a closed-door production lecture with Michael Spiller that highlights the experience of a writer’s room, an actors table read, on-set filmmaking, and more. This is an opportunity to enhance your working knowledge of on-set life for multiple departments in the television industry.
Learning Outcomes:
- Actors: Learn how to 'find the funny’ in comedic scripts and how to best interpret and incorporate direction into your performance.
- Writers: Learn the best methods of structuring comedic scenes, how to script comedic rhythms, and how to create memorable comedic characters.
- Director: Learn how to give effective comedic direction, as well as how to block and shoot comedic scenes.
About Vancouver Film School
VFS is Canada’s premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution, offering an immersive curriculum in film, animation, design, and beyond. VFS is known for providing high-quality education in accelerated time frames and offers 15 industry-led programs in which students graduate in 12 months as in-demand creative professionals. In 2023, alumni were credited on 8 of the top 10 domestic grossing films, 7 of the 10 best-selling games, and 8 of the 10 most streamed shows.
Register now for your opportunity to work with Emmy Award-winning Director Michael Spiller.