KPU entertainment arts students celebrate graduation with showcase

Along the atrium of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Richmond campus, about 60 entertainment arts (ENTA) graduates presented their final portfolios to industry professionals and the school community on Sept. 13.

The event provided the summer graduating class with opportunities to network, collect feedback, and check out each other’s work within the fields of 3D animation and modelling, visual effects, and game development.

The show was also a celebration for the graduates, Faculty of Arts Associate Dean Ed Ko said.

“This is a small industry, so we all can support each other as we go,” Ko said. “It’s a demonstration of, ‘Yeah, we’re all in this. We all have each other’s back.’”

Besides having a booth to share their work with peers and faculty, the newly minted alums had the chance to sit one-on-one with external reviewers, who provided industry feedback on their demo reels.

Grads in the different ENTA programs also took home Community Star Awards voted on by attendees at the event — similar to a people’s choice award — and Glowing Star Awards, which are equivalent to best in show and are determined by faculty and staff, Ko said.

Among the Glowing Star recipients was 3D animation and modelling graduate Ricardo Rioja Buenfil, who presented three projects: the first depicting a house, the second an office, and the third a spaceship.

This year, Rioja Buenfil was also a finalist for Rookie of the Year and received a draft selection at The Rookies, a global arts competition. He said this achievement puts him among the best 70 artists around the world.

“It means all the effort and sacrifices I put in really paid off because I’m an international student,” Rioja Buenfil said. “Coming here, leaving my family and my friends, [going through] this roller-coaster of emotions, putting this much effort into what I enjoy and what I love, and seeing other people are recognizing the effort means everything to me.”

Ko said there were some graduates at the show who earned a certificate and are now pursuing diplomas at KPU ENTA. One of these returning grads is Vlad Fair of the foundation in entertainment arts program. His animation demo was of a character associated with the KPU ENTA program riding a hoverboard.

“I’m very inspired by Sonic and Sega. I wanted to recreate my own custom hoverboard as an homage to their racing games,” Fair said. “I have practically no experience animating in 3D and I found out how good I am at it out of nowhere.”

Game development graduate Alexandra Kouzmina showcased two big projects: concept art of a character and gun she created for a universe, and a pixel-art murder-mystery game called “Detective Red” that she worked on with other students.

“Working with other people really gives you that extra kind of boost,” she said. “It helps you discover a new way to look at problems and communicate that better. Whereas when you work alone, I feel like tunnel vision is super common.”

The event also attracted KPU ENTA alumni, including Industrial Light and Magic junior lighting artist Rachel Wong.

“It’s good to see everyone is really interested in this industry,” Wong said. “I’m just happy to know that a lot of people know this industry and are in love with animation and 3D.”

The graduates also had the opportunity to vote on their favourite faculty members. Instructor Liam Smyth won the Guiding Star Award and lab instructor Zubin Kuruvilla received the Supporting Star Award.

This event also marked the ENTA department’s first grad show with its new branding, which was spearheaded by lab instructor Murat Miroglu.

A feature of this rebrand was the event’s key visual, which features characters, designed by an alum, that represent students. The characters are in their own world, but are connected with ropes that look similar to nodes used in visual effects, Miroglu said.

“For this grad show, we wanted to go for the theme connection because [graduating] doesn’t mean [students] are losing their connection with us,” he said. “They will just expand their world … and connect with us again.”