VFS Digital Design is a highly multicultural program. We get students from all over the world. Being Chinese, I’m very interested in the educational experiences of our students from Mainland China, Taiwan, & Hongkong. I started meeting with them to capture and share their insights. As part of my ongoing series of interviews, Digital Design student, Lina Zhao, talks about her experience.
温哥华电影学院的数字媒体专业很具跨文化特色。这里汇聚了来自世界各国家、各地区的青年才俊。我很感兴趣 那些来自中国大陆、台湾地区和香港地区的学 生们,他们在这里的学习经历是怎样的。与他们逐渐熟识,也更 多分享他们的才智和学习历程。下面是我在数字媒体专业进行的系列采访中的一个人物, 赵丽娜, 她分享了她在 数字媒体专业的学习感受。
Maggie Guo: Welcome Lina. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
郭春宁:欢迎你,丽娜。能先向大家简单介绍一下你自己吗?
Lina Zhao: Hi Maggie, thank you for chatting with me. I originally came from Jiang Xi Province of China. Then I immigrated to Canada. Before studying at VFS Digital Design, I got my Bachelor Degree of Marketing. Now, I’m a student in Digital Design Class 21 and I’m very excited about my courses, especially Branding.
赵丽娜:春宁,你好! 谢谢你来采访我。我来自中国的江西,我移民来到了加拿大。在进入温哥华电影学院的数 字媒体(Digital Design)学习之前,我已经获得了市场专业的本科学位。我现在是数字媒体专业21班的学生, 我很喜欢在这里学习那么多有趣的课程,我尤其感兴趣品牌设计的课程。
MG: What was your decision-making process in selecting the Digital Design program?
郭:能谈谈你选择数字媒体专业的过程吗?
LZ: When I first immigrated to Canada, the surroundings were all new to me. As my Bachelor study was more focused on the theory of marketing, I hoped to gain more practical knowledge and design skills. However, I had no idea about design schools in Canada. So I first checked online to find some info about design schools here. I also consulted to ZhongQiao (S.U.C.C.E.S.S. BC), a service organization for immigrants from China. The staff there recommended I reach out to design companies to find out more about the schools they hire from. So I phoned several design agencies I found online. I just asked them about which design schools produced better students and from which schools they prefer to hire. That’s when I found out that VFS and the Digital Design program have very good word-of-mouth in the industry.
Of course, I also researched other design schools before choosing Digital Design, such as BCIT and Capilano University. But I felt like they were more focused on software applications and, with Capilano University, I would be in school for two to three years. So, after comparing my options, I decided that VFS’ curriculum and student portfolios attracted me more.
Then I contacted a VFS advisor who suggested I start by studying in the Foundation program since I had no background in visual art and design
赵:当时移民来加拿大时,这里的一切对于我来说是全新的。我之前在本科的学习比较偏理论,我希望进一步在 设计方面进行实践性地进修,然而我对这里的学校完全不了解。我首先从网上查询设计院校的相关信息。我也咨 询过中侨,中侨的工作人员建议我从设计公司入手查询信息。我于是通过网上找到一些设计公司,直接打电话过 去咨询他们对设计院校的看法。问他们认为哪些学校毕业的学生比较好,他们一般会雇用哪个学院的学生。当时 就了解到温哥华电影学校和数字媒体专业在行业内口碑很好。
当然,在决定选择VFS之前,我还比较过一些其他学校。比如我也咨询了BCIT的设计专业和Capilano University 的设计专业,一方面我觉得他们比较偏软件应用,另一方面Capilano University的课程要两至三年的时间才能修 完。在比较之后,我觉得VFS的课程和学生作品都比较吸引我。
于是我和温哥华电影学院的顾问联系,鉴于我之前没有绘画和视觉设计的基础,顾问建议我先从基础部开始读,。.
MG: What has your experience been like in the program?
郭:能谈谈你在数字媒体的学习情况和感受吗?
LZ: The courses here are very practical and this program is well connected with the industry. Last term, we visited three design agencies. The instructors here are passionate, very good mentors, and you learn from their professional experiences. Such as Amber, she mentors us one-on-one and gives us suggestions about our graduate projects and how to address assignments in our courses.
Also, I am very honored to have recently been asked to present at Digital Design Talks. It’s a great opportunity for student to present their ideas to the public. And, the Slam (a one-day competition amongst Digital Design student) and the showcase (displaying student work each term) are all amazing
赵: 温哥华电影学院的数字媒体专业很实践,跟业界联系也非常紧。上学期,学校组织我们去三个公司参观。数 字媒体的老师非常热情、在这里学生们获得辅导和交流的机会很多。比如 Amber,经常会在她的办公桌前对学生 一对一的辅导,了解我们的学习情况,指导我们的毕业作品。
还有我最近有幸参加过一次 数字媒体讲座(Digital Design Talks),在主剧场里上台演讲。我觉得学校给我们这 样的机会进行展示非常好。还有数字媒体的Slam(学生集体参与的主题设计比赛)和showcase(数字媒体学生 作品展映)活动也很棒!!
MG: If you could sum up the program in one word, what would it be?
郭:如果让你用一个词概括对数字媒体课程的感受,你觉得这个词是什么?
LZ: Oh, it’s difficult for me to sum it up in one word. Maybe, ‘challenge’? Wait, no, ‘creative ‘,’discovery’ and ‘expressive’ are also suitable. Right! ‘Conceptual methodology “! I think this is the most suitable phrase for me!
赵: 我觉得很难用一个词概括,好像一下子还真想不好。也许是“挑战”吧,但是“创造的”、“发现的”和“表达的” 这几 个词也适合,对了,我觉得“创意方法”更贴切!
MG: What was the thing you found most surprising about the program?
郭: 你觉得数字媒体课程学习中最令你惊奇的是什么?
LZ: I’m so happy that I communicate well with my classmates! Before VFS, I studied in New Zealand and my class wasn’t “stable”; it wasn’t easy to make friends there. Here, in Digital Design, there are 19 students in my class and we collaborate all the time — working in groups and attending meetings and events together. I’ve really learned a lot from my peers — they’re all so talented.
赵: 在数字媒体能跟同学之间有非常好的交流。我之前在新西兰上高中和大学,是走班,不是很固定、不太容易 交到朋友。而我现在的班级19名同学们一起上课、经常合作、参加一些活动。我觉得能够能从同学上学到很多东 西。他们都很有才华。
MG: What advice do you have for students who are thinking about taking the VFS Digital Design program?
郭: 你会给准备来VFS的DD专业学习的同学什么建议?
LZ: You need be fully prepared that the courses are challenging. But you get to observe the details in everyday life and inspire yourself. The program allows you to discover more about yourself and become more aware about what you are really interested in and good at. If you know why you want to study design, you’ll be better able to express yourself and be much more prepared.
赵: 要有思想准备,这里的课程还是很紧张的。要多留心周边的事物,积累自己的想法和灵感,并且逐渐认识自 己,知道自己的擅长和兴趣所在。知道自己为什么要学设计。前几个学期会很忙,如果准备充分,就能够更好地 表达自己的想法。
At the end of the interview, I learned that Lina was born in the Year of the Dragon, so 2012 is her “fate year”. Good luck, Lina!
在采访快结束的时候,我知道丽娜是龙年出生的,今年是她的本命年,祝丽娜龙年好运!!
