ROAR Spring 2013 - St. John's International School

well, as we earned a GoldenGlobe nomination for best foreignfilm.In 1990, almost by accident, I gotinvolved in computer animation.I was really blown away bythe potential of the new digitaltechnology. I saw the computergraphics workstation as a mini-Hollywood studio on a desktop.That’s when I decided to tryand build a digital studio here inBrussels. At first we specializedin short 4 to 5 minute ride filmsfor theme parks. Thanks to ourfirst film (“Devil’s Mine Ride”)which became a huge successworldwide, we quickly becamethe largest supplier of ride filmsto theme parks around the globe.In the mid 1990’s, we embarkedon the production of Imax 3Dfilms. We also had some earlysuccesses with films like “ThrillRide”, “Encounter in The ThirdDimension”, “Alien Adventure”and “Haunted Castle”.In 2004, I wascontacted bythe governmentof South Africato make a 3DImax film tocelebrate the 10thanniversary of theend of apartheid.That’s how I gotto produce anddirect the veryfirst 3D wildlifefilm ever made. Ihad no experiencewith wildlifefilmmaking, but Iwas a leading 3Dexpert, so I gotthe job.Around that timewe started toproduce 4D filmsfor theme parksand musea. A 4Dfilm is typically a10 to 15 minute3D film withphysical effects inthe theater (water,smoke, wind,smell etc...).In 2005, we embarked onthe production of much moreambitious feature film projects.Our first computer animatedfeature was “Fly Me To TheMoon”, the story of 3 flieshitching a ride on the Apollo 11mission to the moon. It was afun project, we even got BuzzAldrin (the second man on themoon) to appear at the end of thefilm. Next we produced SammyI and Sammy II. Currently weare finishing a feature titled “TheHouse of Magic” and we arestarting an new project aboutRobinson Crusoe.Three years ago, when StudioCanal (our production anddistribution partners) saw myImax film “Wild Safari 3D”, theyasked me to develop a featurelength African wildlife project andthat’s how “African Safari 3D”came about. The film will bereleased in the fall.If anyone is interested infilmmaking, my advice is to goto film school. The best filmschools are definitely in the US(USC, UCLA, NYU), but there aresome good schools in Europeas well. Computer animation isalso a very good field with lots ofgreat job opportunities worldwide.Whether you are interested inanimated films or in creatingvisuals and special effects forlive action feature films, thereis a huge demand for talentedcraftsmen. There are a lot ofgood schools both in Europe andin the US to learn the differentspecialties associated with thecreation of digital image.In writing these few notes, I wasasked why I chose St. John’s forour son Sam. Considering mybackground, I think the answeris pretty obvious. Globalizationis having a major impact on ourlives and the opportunity to getan education in a multiculturalinternational school like St. John’sshould be a great asset for hisfuture. So Sam, you better notdisappoint us.10