Taking control of the story

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This article was published 26/10/2015 (3616 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A long shot is now a close-up for Sisler High School digital media students.   

Sisler has struck up a partnership with Vancouver Film School to provide its students with merit-based scholarships for VFS one-year intensive production programs.

Through the Sisler-VFS Pathway program, graduating Sisler students will have the opportunity to be awarded up to $4,000 in merit-based scholarships based on academic performance, with two $3,000 Excellence in Media scholarships offered to the school’s top two digital media students.

The first recipients of the Excellence in Media scholarship are Sisler grads Daniel Cochon and Moises Lucero.

Combined with their merit-based scholarships, Cochon, 18, received $5,150 to go toward the film production program at VFS, while Lucero, 18, received $5,350 toward the classical animation program.
Cochon said he wants to become a film director.

“With directing, you’re in control of how the movie turns out and you’re the storyteller. That’s what I want to do. I want to be able to tell the story and tell it in a way that’s entertaining,” Cochon said.
Cochon’s first foray into filmmaking was making home movies with his brother. He said he’s most inspired by the DIY approach of YouTubers like JustKiddingFilms and Roman Atwood.

“I’m more inspired by YouTubers because they’re independent and like me, they started off making home videos and now they’re pretty successful,” said Cochon, whose YouTube channel is DTD Productions.

Lucero said he’s going into classical animation because his two biggest passions are drawing and telling stories and animation is “the perfect media to combine them.”

He said his biggest inspirations are Disney – particularly its ’90s renaissance period which produced such films as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King — and the animated programming on Cartoon Network.

“Two-dimensional animation doesn’t exist that much in movies and theatres but on TV it thrives, and I feel Cartoon Network is one of the best places that does 2-D cartoons,” said Lucero, noting his current favourite Cartoon Network show is Steven Universe.

Jamie Leduc, head of business and technology at Sisler, said the VFS-Sisler Pathway is opening new roads for Sisler students.

“This becomes a viable post-secondary pathway for kids,” Leduc said. “There are programs in Winnipeg that will allow students to explore all types of things, but not specialize in one area like film production or classical animation.”

Leduc believes Sisler has done well to show students the opportunities available in digital media and visual and performing arts.

For instance, Disney animator Trent Correy, who Leduc taught at Hillcrest High School in Ottawa, has done video conferences with Sisler students.

“He worked on Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Wreck-It Ralph and he’s spoken to the kids about following your dreams and all of a sudden students like Moises and Daniel are going ‘Wow! Maybe I should take that chance.’”