Sheridan College is known worldwide for animation – the Oakville, ON campus turned out Jurassic Park’s boy wonder Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams, among others – and it is hoped, as the school moves forward with new projects, that some of that sterling reputation will rub off on the new Advanced Television and Film program.

Introduced three years ago, the one-year post-grad stresses the latest technical skills, including DVD authoring and digital imaging technology, as well as traditional editing, screenwriting, lighting, audio production and post-production. Thousands apply, but this year only 36 got in.

‘We’re trying to create a program similar in quality and prestige to the [Canadian] Film Centre, and I think we’re quickly securing a reputation as a competitor,’ says associate dean Angela Stukator.

Stukator just came over from the University of Western Ontario, after a 14-year teaching stint, into a newly formed position that puts her at the helm of the school’s most celebrated programs, including Animation, print and new media Journalism, Media Arts and the prestigious ATF.

‘I’m a university person,’ she says. ‘I was always against the idea of teaching production at universities because, if you’re going to do it, you have to do it right.’ Like they do at Sheridan, she notes, where classes are small and students are trained on top-shelf equipment.

The college just built its fourth TV studio, and is also shopping for some new high-definition cameras. HD is coming ‘fast and furious,’ says Stukator, and will be a big part of the college’s curriculum going forward. The same goes for digital F/X, progressive scan and gaming.

‘There’s a real sense here of moving forward – bringing in new blood, new ideas,’ says Stukator. But not, she hastens to add, at the expense of traditional skills. For example, ‘it’s still very important that we maintain emphasis on cinematography, light and color – basic principles that people who go into digital think are no longer relevant.’

Sheridan has close ties to all corners of the industry, and consults regularly with companies including Avid, Sony, Panavision and Fuji. ‘Two or three times a week I’m talking with someone from the industry,’ says Stukator. ‘They tell us what we should be doing and, in turn, they’re the ones that hire our grads.’

ATF, she offers, is a sweet deal for people like her who just got out of a university. ‘You come out and you’ve done your Poli Sci or History and you can’t figure out what to do with your life. And there’s this program that says, ‘Take your knowledge, your ability to think and write, and see the world. Become a filmmaker or work in TV.”

-www.sheridanc.on.ca