Copyright © 2020 Lost Boys Studios School of Visual Effects.
Lost Boys’ programs are approved by the PTIB of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training.
An unforgettable experience with us
The studio that teaches
Unlike most educational methods that are only learning by listening, project-based learning provides a greater understanding and better retention of complex concepts. As an added benefit, the flexibility of this style of learning allows students coming from different levels of experience to always stay challenged. Students learn real-world problem-solving skills by continuously pushing themselves in new ways. Each project reveals a new craft-relevant challenge to overcome under the guidance of an experienced mentor.
Through carefully designed demonstrations and courses, students are shown all the fundamental skills required in the industry and apply those skills through valuable portfolio projects, which smoothly increase in complexity as the program progresses. We embrace an open floor plan, encouraging students from different programs to communicate and collaborate on projects. Our hours of instruction closer reflect the future studio culture, with additional evening times to work on projects. Our higher than average full-time instructor to student ratio nurtures a strong learning relationship between students and staff which often results in a close knit group of friends who develop teamwork skills while also recognizing and supporting each others strengths. In addition, a fluid schedule allows us the flexibility to add in a last minute guest speaker or studio tour!
One of the major advantages of the project work offered only at Lost Boys is that the students feel better prepared for employment in a studio. Students are encouraged to find new solutions to problems they encounter on different projects thereby continuously learning throughout this process. This is imperative in an ever evolving technology driven field.
Small class sizes to cultivate more specialized, tailored, and unique learning experience for you.
Personalized mentorship in small class sizes
The road to career success and mastery of difficult skills are often tricky tasks to accomplish. At Lost Boys, you have direct access to experienced industry leaders available to offer advice and expert guidance to fit your needs. With a direct 1-on-1 link to your instructor, you’ll be able to ask questions, discuss your progress, or to just brainstorm creative ideas. From preparing you with mock interviews with industry recruiters to creating the perfect demo reel that demonstrates your skill set, our instructors unlock your potential and achieve success.
By setting challenges and goals to keep you motivated throughout the week, instructors gradually raise the bar to help you grow professionally and individually. More importantly, capitalizing on your strongest skill set to nurture complete mastery of it. When you’re facing a difficult task that may not be your strongest suit, our instructors and staff help you find a different approach that guide you to a greater outcome.
Ultimately, our instructors care about you and ensure that your goals are met. More importantly, your mentorship does not end after your graduation, but rather, it is a continued process where you can confidently ask and rely on our instructors guidance throughout your visual effects journey.
Student Testimonials
Lost Boys is a great place to start if you want to get into Canada's VFX Industry. I dare say no other school right now has a better compositing program that truly focuses on developing the skills the industry is looking for. Lost Boys also gives you an advantage by helping you get your foot in the door with the help of the two-month practicum for the compositing program.
Having weekly screenings and simulated production experience throughout the program also really boosted my confidence when it comes to presenting my work and it prepared me well for working in the industry. I have so many great memories from Lost Boys: the friendly and cozy environment, the warm and welcoming staff and talented teachers, and of course all the amazing Lost Boys from around the world that I got to know - an experience that will last a lifetime!
Studying at Lost Boys was the perfect decision I made for myself. Being a part of Lost Boys has allowed me to develop and improve both my technical and artistic skills. The school has also connected me with professionals gaining me opportunities in the visual effects industry. Lost Boys has excellent instructors that teach a very focused program with a workflow similar to real studio. They help their students gain as much skill and knowledge about the industry to prepared them for work. On top of it all, Lost Boys has a family-like environment when you’re surrounded by people who have common goals and want to grow together.
The instructors understand the industry and they are always updating their curriculum. My peers were from all over the world, with different expertise and it was a blast. The Lost Boys alumni is like a big family and it has a great network of senior artists who interact with us during all of their events. Lost Boys had my back always, whether it was to find a practicum during the course or to help with paperwork a year later. I enjoyed my practicum and it turned into a job offer before I graduated. Two years later I am back home on a holiday watching my credits in Black Panther with my family. I've definitely come a long way since the time I stumbled upon Lost Boys.
Having worked in other positions in the VFX industry, I always had an inclination towards Compositing. Asking experts in the field, the consensus was that Lost Boys was the best school to study it. Looking back, taking the Lost Boys Advanced Compositing Program was one of the best career decisions I've made. The program is creating the most complete professionals in the field, and I'm proud of being a part of this amazing family.
The staff and mentors at Lost Boys taught us practical skills that I use every day at my work. Whether it be career advice, the interview process, student visa processes, or what supervisors looks for in a reel, the staff there has helped me throughout. In this regard, I don’t think a large university can accommodate students the way a small boutique school like Lost Boys does. They really do care about their students and it shows!
A lot of what I do at work can be traced back to what I learned at Lost Boys. I really liked that the school mimics a work environment with dailies/screenings of our progress, an open work space, and team based projects. As a result, the transition from school to work was quite smooth for me. I’ve found that the Lost Boy’s name is well-respected in the industry and has given me an advantage in applying for work.
I was a finance professional working in Los Angeles prior to joining Lost Boys. Looking back, it was a leap of faith for me to make the decision of changing careers and moving to a new country, but I cannot be happier with my choice.Lost Boys is a school that is in touch with the real world. Unlike the traditional academic setting, where learning is often focused on critical theory, Lost Boys teaches the practical. I not only learned how to use the software, but more importantly, how to identify and solve problems, how to organize data and manage workflow, how to interpret creative input, and how to continue to grow as an artist after graduation. I find these skills invaluable in a studio environment, where each show is unique and comes with its own set of challenges.
I can say for sure that Lost Boys saved my life. The Lighting course brought me to a level I never imagined. The Lighting course helped me to focus all of my energy and generalist knowledge, together with the new techniques I’ve learned throughout the course, to reach the next level. Thanks to Lost Boys, I could break into the industry here, and get a dream job at Sony. My family and I are forever thankful to Lost Boys.
Choosing Lost Boys was absolutely the best choice I've made for starting my career in the VFX industry. More than the vast knowledge Ganz and Mark have in this field, they (and Ria) really care about each and every student, and make their best efforts to help students after graduation with job placement. Moving to the other side of the world is definitely a risk and may seem crazy to most people, but Lost Boys makes you feel at home from the first step you take into the school.
What to expect when joining Lost Boys
Education that's industry driven, connected, and ready for you
OutPostVFX
Method Studios
ScanlineVFX
Hybride
Cinesite
Pixomondo
Image Engine
Industrial Light & Magic
We have two decades of experience actively participating in the development of our industry. We listen to the current needs, we anticipate the future demands, and the outcome has been the creation of the world’s top craft programs giving you your best shot at working in feature film visual effects.
There are no programs out there like ours wherein course curriculum adapts to the needs of the industry. In fact, many programs out there fall behind or quickly become outdated. With our strong connection to the industry, we understand first-hand what the industry requires from new artists coming out of our school. Time and time again our students have worked on the ground floor on feature films in the field they have trained under. With our program, students have gone to work as compositors, FX TDs, and lighting artists due to the specialized nature of our programs. To that extent, what you study will be what you become and the jobs you place in will not be unrelated work. We are confident that our students are well-equipped to face any challenges when graduating from our course and studios around the world recognize and testify to our industry-readiness.
Although we have strong ties to the visual effects industry, our alumni are also another valuable resource. They directly enter world-class studios right out of graduation due to their highly-specialized skill set, which become a valuable ongoing tie to the industry that continuously help evolve the program. In fact, the most exclusive studios in the world visit only our studio and hire only from Lost Boys due to the highly-specialized, industry relevant training offered here. We are proud of our students who have gone on to work on blockbuster featured films and grateful to our veteran instructors who paved the way for the new generation of artists coming out of Lost Boys.
Industry speakers from world-class studios and feedback on demo reels
Industry Testimonials
The well-put-together student reels showed lots of hard work and passion for FX. I loved the use of reference, the main themes (natural effects, proceduralism, material simulation, and crowds) and the really colorfully-fun vellum based projects. I felt so welcomed and left confident that the students of Lost Boys are definitely on their track to the big world of VFX.
Mihai Cioroba
Lead FX TD | Industrial Light & Magic
Letting DNEG supervisors review their work as if it was a show-based environment teaches them to have a thick skin, gives them additional ideas on how to make their work read better, catch some issues that they may never have thought of or saw shows them what they can expect once they are working in the field. VFX is a team effort across multiple disciplines all striving to make things look as good as they can, and Lost Boys grads are now getting more prepared for that than any other educational facility I have seen.
Shaun Roth
Head of FX | Double Negative
Lost Boys Studios gives their students the training for a real-world studio environment. When graduates from Lost Boys are hired, they can seamlessly integrate right into any VFX studio pipeline. They seem to understand what it’s like to work at a studio and are able to produce nice quality work.
Brennan Prevatt
Compositing Supervisor | Scanline VFX
select testimonials from hundreds of world-class studios
Crafty Apes
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Industrial Light & Magic
ReelFX
DNEG
Framestore
Building confidence in finding a job
We understand the challenges that come with finding a job in an industry that is highly competitive and ever-changing. That’s why we focus on providing you the highest level of support after you graduate by finding you the best studio that fits your needs both on a personal and professional level. We’re with you for the long haul because it is important for us to see our graduates succeed and fulfill their dream of being a visual effects artist.
From creating professional demo reels that are industry-relevant, student mock interviews hosted by industry recruiters and instructors, studio tours and reviews from visual effects artists within big studios, we prepare you in every aspect of job-seeking that will build your confidence in finding a job.
Thanks to our long history as leaders in visual effects production, our active industry participation, and our track record of producing the top fresh talent for world-class studios, we are experts in building your portfolio and demo reel that studios are actively seeking. Our reputation opens doors and builds connections that many schools cannot.
We often have recruiters contacting us to ask when the next class is graduating and if we have any alumni available for work. With our world-class reputation for producing highly-sought out artists, studios will often hire several Lost Boys at once right out of graduation. Our goal is to help you find a job after your time here with us at Lost Boys. Your choice of education with us is just another step closer for you to achieve your dream as a visual effects artist.
Once a Lost Boy, always a Lost Boy
Lost Boys is not just a school that trains highly-sought out artists in the Visual Effects industry, it is also a family with a reputation of being a strong, connected international community. With regular social events, game and movie nights, tours to local studios, and camping trips, Lost Boys has naturally developed an environment that connects both students and staff together. We continue to stay in touch with our graduates and maintain a strong connection with our current students in and out of student-life.
One thing we continue to emphasize to prospective students is our extreme care for any individual who embarks on their visual effects journey with us. Our priority is to understand your goals and how we can accommodate those needs by creating an environment for both individual and collective growth. We are fortunate to have such an amazing group of students, alumni, and staff that create a safe environment that welcomes anyone into our studio.
To that extent, we actively cultivate a respectful, supportive relationship among students and staff. This is at the heart of the community which invites students from diverse backgrounds to bring their personal thoughts, feelings, and experience into the studio. We believe this intuitively allows for a creative space to flow that fuels positive energy in and out of our school.
Training in the most diverse cities in the world
Our industry allies have hired Lost Boys right out of graduation
