collageIn this post, we will discuss Toronto Film School Alumni, famous actors who went to toronto film school and toronto film school reviews. As one of thousands of alumni, I would like to take a moment to talk about my experience with Toronto Film School. When I first started on my journey to learn how to film and edit movies, I wanted nothing more than a diploma that was an official piece of paper that said: “This person is a filmmaker”. It took some time, but after writing scripts and films, filming them, editing them, and finally getting graded by qualified educators — I achieved that diploma. It was packed full with lessons and valuable information that has lead me to work as a senior editor on feature films — while also releasing a few short films of my own on the festival circuit.
We at Toronto Film School are so proud of our students. Our next-generation filmmakers, digital artists, and screenwriters have conquered their dreams because of the training they received — and are still working to refine — here at TFS. That’s why we offer this list of some of the most prominent alumni who have gone on to make names for themselves in Hollywood and beyond.
It’s no secret that getting a degree can help your career, but are you getting all of the benefits? We sit down with St. John Fisher College alumnus Mark Spano who received his Bachelor’s in Global Media Production. Since then he has been working hard at carving out success for himself and his company. Here, mark shares the story of how he learned, where he got the training that got him this far, and where he sees himself going in the future.
famous actors who went to toronto film school
The new year is upon us which means it’s time for all of us to think about our resolutions. We’re always excited about the chance to set new objectives for ourselves. However you choose to make an impact for 2017, we’re here to help. You see, every new year is a chance for all of us to make our lives better than they were before. If you’d like to become a filmmaker or if you want to improve at filmmaking, Toronto Film School is here to help.
Toronto Film School Alumni
Toronto Film School (TFS) is one of Canada’s top-ranked film schools known for attracting award-winning faculty and preparing award-winning graduates. We offer creative diploma programs (online & on-campus), designed to prepare you for career in film, entertainment, fashion, design, and video games. In an inspiring and high-energy environment, you will be mentored by industry professionals. You will gain industry experience and expand your professional network. At Toronto Film School, you will transform your creativity into practical skills through hands-on, industry-based portfolio projects that showcase your work to future employers.
At Toronto Film School, the networking begins from day one of the programs. Award-winning, industry-active faculty not only bring industry insights to the classroom but also an entry to industry connections. It comes as no surprise when employers say our students understand the language and pace of the industry.
TFS is known for shaping award-winning graduates who go on to become industry leaders and excel in their chosen field. This is because our graduates leave the school with practical abilities, the skills to promote themselves and a well-rounded portfolio.
Each step of your journey brings new knowledge and proficiency. As you travel along the way, you’ll build the skills necessary to produce a film from start to finish. You’ll develop your storytelling with classes like:
Directing: Learn techniques for working with actors, casting and composition and how to work in every area of directing – from pre-production to critical evaluation.
Cinematography: Discover how to support the mood of the story with lighting choices while familiarizing yourselves with the various cameras you’ll use throughout the degree program.
Digital Editing: Develop essential skills and good editing habits, along with an understanding and appreciation of the role of editing in the storytelling process.
Alumni, Instructors and Writing Students Pen Impressive Projects: The Latest From the Writing Diploma Program
As always, I’d like to start the term by giving you the latest news from the Writing for Film and Television Diploma program.
After story editing feature thriller Deeper last year, Toronto Film School alumnus Spencer Sinclair has completed a short horror film entitled Guess Who’s Not Coming To Breakfast , Lunch Or Dinner. Spencer wrote the screenplay for the film, which has recently been accepted to the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival, Hamilton Film Festival, and YoungCuts – just the beginning of what promises to be an impressive festival run
Gangland Undercover
Writing for Film and Television instructor Max Reid is back after a busy summer, having been in the writing rooms for Gangland Undercover (History Canada) and The Wonderful Wayneys (Family Channel). The Wonderful Wayneys is a new show being produced by Aircraft Pictures, starring Jason Priestly and Molly Ringwald.
2015 valedictorian Alex Stacey has landed an internship with Raven Banner Entertainment. Raven Banner has hired Toronto Film School students in the past, with internships leading to paid positions – we hope the trend continues with Alex!
Speaking of Raven Banner, their film Turbo Kid was released across Canada and the US last month, after a successful festival run – including winning Best Canadian Feature at Fantasia Film Festival, Best Film at Fantaspoa, and the Audience Award in the Midnighters category at South By SouthWest. Writing for Film and Television instructor Michael Paszt Executive Produced the film, which is being distributed by his company, Raven Banner.
Yet another collaboration between Writing for Film and Television, Video Game Development and Acting for Film, Television and Theatre students has resulted in an impressive video game, this one entitled Jackson & Ryley. The game was showcased at Steeles and Dundas Campuses last month, and was based on a script written by Writing for Film and Television alumna Lyse Mclean-Thielsen, who also won the award for Best Screenwriter at last year’s graduation (2015).
Finally, Writing for Film and Television instructor Jordan Walker’s film How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town, starring Lauren Holly and Katharine Isabelle, has been having great festival success, as an official selection at Whistler, Atlantic and Calgary film festivals among others. The film is Jordan’s third feature, and follows the success of The Privileged, which was co-written and directed by Jordan’s sister, and fellow Writing for Film and Television instructor, Leah Walker, and is currently airing on TMN.
Adam Till is the Coordinator of the Writing For Film & Television Diploma at Toronto Film School as well as a producer and writer, known for Billable Hours (2006), Perfect Sisters (2014) and Too Late to Say Goodbye (2009).
Film Production Instructor Recruits Crew of TFS Students, Alumni For New Short
Back when Emilija Davidovic was a fledgling filmmaker at Toronto Film School, she credited her TFS teachers and mentors with helping her land the producing gigs that built her resume from the ground up.
Now that the Class of 2015 Film Production grad has returned to her alma mater as an instructor herself, Davidovic is determined to continue that tradition – paying forward the support she received, by likewise inviting her own TFS students and recent graduates to work on projects she’s currently producing.
“For me, honestly, it was all the projects my TFS teachers helped me get that built my resume – and that was while I was still in school, which was huge,” said Davidovic, giving special thanks to current TFS faculty Paul De Silva and Jordan Walker, and former instructor Jason Burke, for giving her career a jumpstart.
“That’s why I’m really happy now to be reaching out to my students and recent grads, and bringing them onto my current projects. I try to at least recommend them to somebody who knows somebody, just so they can have that sense that there is work and there is a community behind them.”
Another motivating factor for Davidovic is a desire to allay some of the student anxieties she encounters as the instructor for both the Term 2 Producing & Production Management course and Term 4 Budgeting & Scheduling class.
“I’m constantly aware that the students I teach are just a little bit afraid about their futures – they don’t know how they will start getting gigs, they don’t know what’s going to happen after they graduate,” said the Serbian-born Davidovich, who returned to Europe after her graduation to work on a number of larger scale projects – namely music videos and commercials.
“That’s why I think it’s really important for them to know that their instructors are actually working on projects – just to encourage them and help them realize that, yes, we are filming, and not only that, but many of us will also be more than happy to bring them on board.”
Such was the case with Davidovic’s most recent project, Cafard – a short narrative film directed by her fellow 2015 Film Production grad Alfio Foti, supported by ACTRA’s Toronto Indie Production (TIP) program, and co-produced by The Characters.
For that project, Davidovic recruited nearly an entire crew of TFS alumni and students to work behind the scenes, including: 2015 grad Francesco Bertoluci as Cafard’s Director of Photography; circa-2016 alumnus Danielle Kellar as Production Designer; Class of 2018’s Artem Mykhailetskyi as Gaffer; and 2019 grads Camille Allaire and Suzanne Githae, who took on the roles of Production Coordinator and Script Supervisor, respectively, while both were still students.
“I genuinely had a lot of fun during (the Cafard shoot), and I feel really good about the fact that the majority of crew was somehow connected to TFS,” Davidovic said, praising all involved for their ‘brilliant’ and professional work on the project.
“It was an amazing experience.”
As for the film itself – which Davidovic describes as an arthouse “lovechild between David Lynch and David Cronenberg” – Cafard tells the dark tale of an unfaithful man (played by Beeba Boys’ Gabe Grey) who receives the shock of his life when the premonitions of his girlfriend (played by Chloe MacLeod) come true and his lies manifest themselves in a way he never could have imagined.
“We set out to address toxic masculinity in relationships in a dark, but not too gory way. It’s suspenseful and a little bit noir-ish,” she said of the film, whose French title, when translated, takes on a dual meaning Davidovic thinks ‘matched perfectly’ with the concept behind the film.
“Cafard is a French word for ‘cockroach,’ but one of its other meanings is also ‘hypocrite.’ And that’s the aesthetic we wanted to play with – that kind of monster suspense horror – and the true sentiment and background of our main character.”
That isn’t to say that the Cafard title is a completely symbolic one, though.
In fact, Davidovic said both she and Foti were especially pleased to recruit esteemed special effects expert Mark Wotton – whose prosthetics resume includes work on X-Men, Star Trek: Discovery, and Slasher, just to name a few – onto VFX team tasked with creating a creepy cockroach scene.
“We were quite lucky to get him,” Davidovic said, recalling being fascinated watching Wotton punching individual hairs into a prosthetic arm he created for Cafard.
“He’s one of those individuals who works on huge things, and then, if he really likes the story and concept of a project, he’ll do short films, as well. He’s absolutely amazing.”
Now that Cafard has finished shooting and is in post-production, Davidovic said she’s begun planning its future festival run – hopeful that, once finished, it will be selected for screenings both here in North America, as well as abroad.
Some of the smaller, niche festivals she’s set her sights on for Cafard include the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, and the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
“I think it’s going to be amazing,” she said of the film, once again praising its TFS-led crew.
“It really shows how our alumni community is just growing bigger and stronger. And when it comes to talent pool, we’re making a real, serious contribution to the independent film industry.”
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Top 25 Colleges With The Happiest, Most Successful Alumni
The season for college rankings is upon us, and each year media outlets (including this one) vie to create the most insightful listings, often with increasing complexity. However, the best way to evaluate a four-year college education may actually revolve around just one variable – alumni giving.
At its core, the goal of most colleges is to produce happy and successful graduates who give back. So instead of crunching the usual ROI metrics –like employment statistics, salaries and job placement stats–Forbes developed a proprietary ranking we call the Grateful Graduates Index.Courtesy of Scott Spitzer, Steven Minicola, University of Pennsylvania
25. Pomona College
Claremont, California
GG Index Score: 94.61
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $14,897
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 26.2%
Notable Grads: Myrlie Evers-William, Civil rights activist; Richard Chamberlain, actor and singer; Bill Keller, former New York Times editor-in-chief; actor and musician Kris Kristofferson.Priscilla Du Preez / unsplash
24. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
GG Index Score: 95.04
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $52,693
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 20.1%
Notable Grads: Adam D’Angelo, chief executive officer and co-founder of Quora; Charles Munger, billionaire investor and vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway; Gordon Moore, cofounder Intel; Bill Gross, co-founded PIMCO, now at Janus Capital; Turing Award-winning computer scientist Robert Tarjan.Getty
23. Hamilton College
Clinton, New York
GG Index Score: 94.79
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $12,100
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 39.3%
Notable Grads: Ezra Pound, poet; Thomas James Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2009 until 2017; Paul Lieberstein, actor, screenwriter, and television producer, The Office.Courtesy Of Nancy L. Ford, Hamilton College
22. Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
GG Index Score: 95.01
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $14,892
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 27.6%
Notable Grads: Jason Mantzoukas, comedian and actor, The League, The Dictator; Julia Alvarez, writer, poet and essayist; James Cromwell, award-winning actor, American Horror Story; hedge fund manager Louis Bacon; Hedda Berntsen, skier, 2010 Olympic silver medalist.Courtesy Of Middlebury College
21. University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
GG Index Score: 95.4
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $21,435
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 22.0%
Notable Grads: Susan Sontag, writer, philosopher, and political activist; Joe Mansueto, billionaire founder and executive chair of Morningstar Inc.; Actress Anna Chlumsky of HBO’s Veep; Nate Silver, statistician.Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
20. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GG Index Score: 95.8
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $18,976
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 24.6%
Notable Grads: President Donald Trump; Maury Povich, talk show host; Elon Musk, Tesla founder and CEO; John Legend, Grammy-winning singer; Tory Burch, fashion designer; one-time junk bond king Michael Milken, billionaire.AP Photo/Matt Rourke
19. Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
GG Index Score: 96.13
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $19,765
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 24.9%
Notable Grads: Emma Watson, actress, Harry Potter films; Tracee Ellis Ross, model and actress, Black-ish; Janet Yellen, chair of the Federal Reserve; real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht.
18. Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California
GG Index Score: 96.15
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $18,274
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 26.4%
Notable Grads: Michael G. Wilson, producer and screenwriter for James Bond films; George Driver “Pinky” Nelson, former NASA astronaut.Courtesy of Harvey Mudd College
17. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
GG Index Score: 96.38
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $40,499
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 22.9%
Notable Grads: Buzz Aldrin, astronaut; David Koch, vice president Koch Industries; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
16. Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
GG Index Score: 96.43
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $23,853
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 23.4%
Notable Grads: Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo; Angela Bassett, Golden Globe-winning actress and producer, What’s Love Got to Do with It, American Horror Story; Olympic Gold Medalist rower Taylor Ritzel; Allison Williams, actress Girls; Jodie Foster, Oscar-winning actress; Blackstone Group founder Steven Schwarzman.GETTY
15. Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
GG Index Score: 96.94
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $19,984
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 27.4%
Notable Grads: Melinda Gates, philanthropist; Mike Posner, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; Rand Paul, U.S. Senator and 2016 Presidential candidate; billionaire bond manager Bill Gross.DUKE UNIVERSITY
14. Stanford University
Stanford, California
GG Index Score: 97.33
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $49,756
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 25.5%
Notable Grads: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow; Evan Spiegel, billionaire co-founder and CEO of Snapchat; Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google co-founders; Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo.GETTY
13. Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota
GG Index Score: 97.08
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $14,921
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 43.0%
Notable Grads: Peter Tork, keyboardist and bass guitarist of the Monkees; John F. Harris, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Politico; Chris Kratt, educational nature television host; Jimmy Chin, mountain climber and film director Meru ; Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird.Courtesy Of Carleton College
12. Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine
GG Index Score: 97.44
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $15,589
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 44.3%
Notable Grads: Reed Hastings, Netflix founder and CEO; Ed Lee, Mayor of San Francisco; Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express; Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic gold medalist.
11. Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
GG Index Score: 97.49
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $16,913
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 36.1%
Notable Grads: Cy Twombly, American painter; Tom Wolfe, best-selling author; Money manager Bill Miller of Legg Mason; Rupert Johnson, Jr., billionaire vice chairman of Franklin Resources.Courtesy of Washington and Lee University
10. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
GG Index Score: 97.64
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $17,472
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 35.5%
Notable Grads: Regis Philbin, television personality; Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State; Nicholas Sparks, author and screenwriter The Notebook; billionaire Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.Don & Melinda Crawford/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
9. Wabash College
Crawfordsville, Indiana
GG Index Score: 97.78
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $19,850
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 31.4%
Notable Grads: Dan Simmons, author, Fires of Eden; Peter Henry Metzelaars, NFL player.Jackson Riley Parker
8. Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
GG Index Score: 97.79
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $16,328
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 49.0%
Notable Grads: Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State; Robin Chase, Zipcar co-founder; Diane Sawyer, television journalist; Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State.Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
7. Haverford College
Haverford, Pennsylvania
GG Index Score: 98.68
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $19,810
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 38.1%
Notable Grads: Alexander Karp, billionaire CEO and co-founder of Palantir Technologies; Daniel Dae Kim, actor Hawaii Five-0; Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald.John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images
6. Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California
GG Index Score: 98.8
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $22,776
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 33.8%
Notable Grads: Thomas Pritzker, Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels; George Roberts (pictured) and Henry Kravis, billionaire founders of KKR; Mike Jeffries, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch; Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch.Getty
5. Davidson College
Davidson, North Carolina
GG Index Score: 99.05
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $19,994
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 44.5%
Notable Grads: Stephen Curry, NBA player for Golden State Warriors; former Burger King CEO John Chidsey; Anthony Foxx, U.S. Secretary of Transportation.Courtesy Of Davidson College
4. Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
GG Index Score: 99.38
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $21,354
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 45.1%
Notable Grads: Dan Brown, author, The Da Vinci Code; Susannah Grant, screenwriter, Pocahontas, Charlotte’s Web; Eric Kriss, musician and executive who helped launch Bain Capital; David Foster Wallace, the late author of Infinite Jest; best-selling author, Dan Brown; former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.Courtesy Of Amherst College
3. Princeton University.
Princeton, New Jersey
GG Index Score: 99.67
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $23,536
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 40.5%
Notable Grads: Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court Justice; Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers, filmmaker, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Ellie Kemper, actress The Office, Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt; Carl Icahn, billionaire activist investor.
2. Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
GG Index Score: 99.77
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $23,434
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 47.8%
Notable Grads: George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees owner; Ole Andreas Halvorsen, billionaire CEO and co-founder of hedge fund Viking Global Investors; Steve Case, co-founder of AOL; David Strathairn, actor Good Night and Good Luck; Wall Street mogul Herbert Allen Jr.Courtesy Of Williams College
1. Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
GG Index Score: 99.81
7 Year Median Private Donation Per Student: $24,039
Average Alumni Participation Rate: 41.3%
Notable Grads: Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; Connie Britton, actress, Friday Night Lights and American Horror Story; Mindy Kaling, actress, The Mindy Project; Shonda Rhimes, writer and producer, Grey’s Anatomy; Wall Street billionaires Leon Black and Jeffrey Gundlach.
I’m a recent graduate of the Filmmaking Production program at THE Toronto Film School. Upon finishing I enrolled in the MBA program, so I’m currently pursuing two post-secondary education degrees simultaneously. There are no other TFS alumni who are doing this (not at least that I’ve found). I got your back questions, comments, concerns…I’m here to help!
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