ALL ACCESS PASS

Meet the Head of the Foundation Program

Meet Tom Fedechko, Head of Preparatory Studies, as he explains the 12-month journey of a Foundation Visual Art & Design student at VFS. An experienced Writer and Performer with over 20 years of leadership experience, Tom empowers artists exploring the multitude of opportunities in the creative economy to become fearlessly creative in their careers. 

You’ll learn how the Foundation program helps aspiring creatives to develop cross-disciplinary skills in filmmaking, animation, & design, and to ultimately refine their unique visual media talents for future study at VFS. Finally, you’ll discover why VFS is continually ranked amongst the best schools in the world, including Leading Film School Worldwide (Variety and The Hollywood Reporter) and Leading Global Creative School (The Rookies).

Alumni Roundtable: Making a Career in Entertainment Production

Tom Fedechko will be joined by 3D Animation & Visual Effects alum & VFX Compositor Anna Swope (Dune: Part Two), Game Design alum & UX/UI Designer Alexey Kolosov (Assassin's Creed Nexus VR), and Film Production alum & Gaffer Agustin Little (Moonfall). What do Anna, Alexey, and Agustin have in common? They all started their VFS journey with the Foundation program! You'll hear exclusive industry tips & insights and learn about The Foundation Advantage: how VFS's Foundation program is a launchpad for aspiring creatives into an Advanced Production program at VFS and ultimately their dream industry career.

Turn Yourself into a Cartoon Character

Drawing is a universal tool for creativity and communication and a fun way to explore ideas. Join Animator and Comic Book Artist Dylan Moore for a workshop on drawing in a cartoon style. After a brief demo, Dylan will lead you through the creation of a rough character illustration; no artistic experience is required.

Experience a Professional Film Set

Join VFS Foundation Senior Instructor and Independent Filmmaker Chad Costen on-set for an exclusive studio demo. Watch as a director, lighting team, and camera operator work together to film a sequence using a camera on a dolly to follow a moving actor in front of a projected background. Explore firsthand how these combined efforts transform a simple studio setup into a realistic, convincing location. You may even be invited to participate in the shoot!

Learn How Production Packages are Designed & Made

Design Mentor and VFS Digital Design Instructor Ingrid Frauenstein will walk you through the same process Foundation students follow when they take an original character idea and turn it into the printed packaging for a figurine of that character. Past student projects will also be on display.

View Foundation Portfolio Projects

Most students start without a portfolio or much creative experience. After 12 months at VFS, they have completed ample work for their portfolio with two major cornerstone projects: The Art Exhibition and The Final Project. Through a mini art exhibition, you’ll see select work on display and watch project reels representing final projects from the Foundation program’s three specialization streams: Animation, Design, and Film.

Experience All That the Foundation Program Offers

VFS's Preparatory program challenges creative minds to build the foundation of their careers. You’ll learn how Foundation students specialize in Film, Animation, or Design, and are challenged to build & apply their core creative skillsets so that they may begin crafting their career portfolios. You’ll also discover how our Foundation graduates who also complete one of VFS’s many Advanced Production programs go on to work for studios like Netflix, Meta, EA, & Nickelodeon and on popular films, TV series, & games including Dune: Part Two, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Game of Thrones, Candy Crush, and more. PLUS, be entered into a draw for the ‘Intro to Film, Animation & Design’ 5-day Summer Intensives workshop at VFS this July.