RTA Updates

Eva Ho and Jingchuan Sui, 4th year students, recently shot a short animation that was accepted into CFC’s World of Shorts Program. The animation was created in Professors Rich Lachman’s and Laurie Petrou’s  BDC 302 Intermediate Digital Media class.

The Ryerson Rams Men’s Basketball Team made history last month at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8, earning the Rams’ first-ever victory at a national championship. The Rams defeated the Quebec conference champion and No. 3 seed Concordia Stingers 84-80 in the consolation semi-finals. Congratulations to RTA students Gavin Berry and Nem Stankovic for their contributions to the team!  Read the full story of their exciting end to the season.

Fourth year student Zacharie Weingarten, interning with CBC Radio on Day 6, recently pitched and produced a segment about Dick Cheney cancelling his appearance in Toronto.  Zach is the first intern 
to have successfully pitched and produced a segment on the show.

Danielle Emanuel, 3^rd year, made it to the top five candidates in the search for the Next Face of Toronto FC. A huge accomplishment for an RTA student attaining her dream job! Watch Danielle’s video and read about why she’s the best candidate.

Maayan Ziv‘s photographic work is featured in a project showcasing stories of children with physical and mental disabilities. The project, called Kids Who Can, is being exhibited at Brookfield Place in Toronto and can also be seen in the Toronto Star online.

Every year Pride Week in Toronto invites the public to submit a theme for the festival. Third year student Acey Rowe‘s submission ‘Celebrate & Demonstrate’ was chosen for this year’s theme. “My theme was inspired by a theme once used by Rye Pride, which had been ‘Celebrate and Agitate’,” says Acey. Her updated version “speaks to the idea that the best way to end homophobia and transphobia is to increase visibility because then everybody would realize that LGBT people are their friends, colleagues and neighbours – people they know, love and respect.”

Christian Deo, interning at CBC Calgary for Alberta at Noon, produced a feature that aired on the show last week. The piece, focused on urban gardening and featuring a homeless shelter in Calgary with a green roof, can be listened to here.

Have you ever stood by when someone else was being picked on? Ever laughed at comments on an online photo or video? If yes, then you are part of the Bystander Collective. The RTA School of Media’s BDC 602 Advanced Digital Media students are tackling bullying in a unique way. Through their transmedia project that includes a website,  Twitter, tumblr, videos, a sticker campaign and actions in the real world, the students have addressed the issue of standing by in the face of injustice by drawing attention to the role of the bystander in incidents of bullying. The campaign is written from the ironic position of the Bystander Collective, urging the masses to continue to stand passively by. According to their mission statement: The Bystander Collective is a united front that represents all passive citizens of the world. Why stand up, when you can stand by? Last week students took to the busy Yonge-Dundas intersection to get their point across.

The 34^th Annual Tara Awards were held Thursday April 5^th at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Two view the nominated & winning entries, visit the RTA Showcase YouTube Channel.

Here are the nominees & winners:

 

BEST RADIO SHOW

Radioception – Eleanor Knowles , Mike Drimba, Heather Purdon, Dean Granville – WINNER

Ram Radio – Julia Lennox, Ben Morphet, Brianna Todd, Laura Nicolucci

The Cocoon – Brennan Curtis, Christopher Shank, Eric Kupp, Philip Tsekouras

The Grind – Kattie Laur, Kailey Sibley, Olivia Stankovich, Justin Levine

Batman: Gotham’s Hero – Myles Berdock

 

BEST FIRST YEAR RADIO SPOT

Justice Strikes Back Trailer – Natasha Zimin  — WINNER

The Doctor Davis Life Extender – Frank Warren

Parks Canada Emergency Response Team – Katrina Singleton

Trojan Singles – Darcy Reynolds

Six Flags – Andrew Thompson

 

BEST SINGLE CAMERA PRODUCTION

Bridging Minds – Ellen Bateman

Infin 8 – Evan Hoyle

Shift – Jerrad Pulham

Banana – Emily Jenkins

Protect Your Love – Waseem Shaikh — WINNER

 

MOST CREATIVE PRODUCTION

The Meek, the Mad, and the Misinformed – Kool Koala Productions — WINNER

French Inn – Stephane Lachance

Hunting Season – Push Pictures

Thorns – Shannon Litt

The Magic Pencil Case – Drawstick Productions

 

BEST PRACTICUM

The Magic Pencil Case – Drawstick Productions

Unfamous – Rip Tough Productions

Bridging Minds – MPATH Productions

Hunting Season – Push Pictures — WINNER

Unforgivable Crimes – Camera 2 Productions

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Banana – Justin Black — WINNER

Lucid – Melas Abou Al-Ghanam

Shift – Jerrad Pulham

Hunting Season – Will Bowes

MAX Magazine – Cainan Querido

 

BEST MUSIC RECORDING

Summer Time – Brittany Amodeo — WINNER

The Colour of Carnelion – Eric Kupp

Hooded Fang – Alex Gutnik

Up and Up – Aven Hoffarth

I’ll Take Jesus For Mine – Pat Wade

 

BEST ANIMATION

The Magic Pencil Case – Drawstick Productions

The Meek, the Mad and the Misinformed – Kool Koala Productions — WINNER

Unfamous – Rip Tough Productions

Haters Gonna Hate – Sarah Cooper

Courtship – Ariel Yang

 

BEST ART DIRECTION IN A PRACTICUM

Lucid – My House Productions

The Method – Tell It Again Productions — WINNER

The Magic Pencil Case – Drawstick Measures Productions

The Meek, The Mad, and the Misinformed – Kool Koala Productions

Bridging Minds – MPath Productions

 

BEST MULTICAMERA PRODUCTION

Canadian Superstar – Michelle Samcoe

Fun Times With Gavin – Productions A-Go-Go

“Risky Business” Studio A Sessions – We Have To Go Back Productions

Teacher’s Lounge – Berry Productions

All Nighter: Live At The El Mocambo – Artem Pashkevic — WINNER

 

BEST DIRECTING

The Captain’s Daughter – Justin Black — WINNER

Unfamous – Rip Tough Productions

Shift – River Rogue Productions

Hunting Season – Push Pictures

Lucid – My House Productions

 

BEST WEBSITE

PLUGTO.COM – Candice Mausner

HUNTINGSEASONFILM.COM – Will Bowes

UNFAMOUSTV.COM – Meghan Archibald

THORNS.TV – Shannon Litt

THEMAGICPENCILCASE.COM – Dwight Alexander — WINNER

 

BEST DOC

Canary in the Mine – Caritaps — WINNER

Mars on Mars – Katie Bishop

Bridging Minds – MPATH Productions

Vacationland – Blue Manakin Films

Creating Ally Davis – Team Ally Davis

 

BEST FIRST YEAR SCRIPT

You’re Dying – Alix Markman and Jorge Vasconez — WINNER

I Run – Robyn Wilson

Interview Gone Wrong – Ashley Gheerawo

That Awkward Moment When – Ben Locke

More Than Meats The Redeye – Alex Bloomfield

 

BEST SPIRITLIVE SHOW

Jajangmyeon Explosion – Karen Cheung

33 and 1/3 – Max Cotter and Lucas Prokaziuk — WINNER

YY Don’t Care – Ariel Yang

Beast Mode Sports – Alex Tomaszewski

TSPN – Bilal Vakani

 

BEST UPPER YEAR SCRIPT

THE INHUMAN CONDITION “Season One” – Bob Lackie — WINNER

DEADBALL Pilot – Alan Uribelarrea

CAMP COMPLEX “The Tip of the Iceberg” – Emily Jenkins

PLAYED – Rebecca Jeffery, Holly Speers and Nicholas Vasil

UNFAMOUS “Ben Bennett: Stand Up Comedian” – Kristen Watt & Alex Shutsa

 

BEST POST PRODUCTION

The Captain’s Daughter – Justin Black — WINNER

The Meek, the Mad, and the Misinformed – Kool Koala Productions

Bridging Minds – MPath Productions

Studio A Sessions – We Have To Go Back Productions

Shift – River Rogue Productions

RTA prides itself on being community-oriented. It is a place where students come to know their classmates comfortably because they work so closely with eachother throughout the four years of study. Needless to say, when you’re sitting in class and there is a face you aren’t familiar with, it catches your attention. Every year students from all over the world visit RTA through on exchange. This year, students from Singapore delighted students as they brought their friendship, teamwork, and enthusiasm to the RTA family. Here they tell us about their experiences as they say farewell to Toronto.

“I will rank my student exchange experience at Ryerson University as one of the best I’ve had. Coming to Canada was truly an eye-opener and I really enjoyed myself. Whenever people back home ask me what’s the best part of exchange, I will tell them: meeting the locals, interacting with them and learning about their culture and sharing their lives. That is when exchange really begins as you start to step out of your comfort zone and learn more about others. I truly enjoyed my time in Ryerson and look forward to returning to Canada for a visit in the future.”  –Clement Cher

“Heading to Ryerson for a 4 month exchange program probably counts as one of the best decisions I’ve made. Canada is easily one of the easiest places to fall in love with. Literally half the world away from Singapore, Toronto’s weather, culture, and people were very different from what we were used to. Trademark Canadian hospitality came through for us many times during the 4 months. From enthusiastically helping us along in school, or saving us from the cold when we crashed the car in the Rockies, we saw first hand, what Canadian hospitality really was.

 The friends that we made, the places we went, and the experiences shared, have truly made this one of the most amazing times. 

Thank you, Ryerson, for giving me memories to last a long, long time to come!”  –Andrew Ong

“The first thing that struck me upon arriving in Toronto was how gracious the locals were. People were astonishingly friendly, making us feel really welcomed. Lessons were enriching as well. Students in Ryerson are a lot more vocal than we are back home so it was definitely an eye-opening classroom experience. We also had a great time traveling in the region, thanks to tips from our new friends. Mr. Nadler was particularly excited about Montreal’s famous smoked meat (that must come with a cherry cola). Toronto is a beautiful and often underrated city, and I hope to return to relive our experiences some day.” –Xin Ying Ou

“Greetings from Singapore! I would just like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself on exchange and had a great semester in Ryerson. Exchange was really fun and exciting. The days were carefree, and the biggest problem I faced was figuring out how to get from Kerr Hall North to Kerr Hall East on the third floor. It was really fun and I enjoyed the nice, cold weather that allowed me to wear a maximum of two t-shirts a month. Canada is really a beautiful place and Canadians are the friendliest bunch of people ever. Thanks for the wonderful experience!! ” –Edwin Lim

Joel Zimmerman, also known as “deadmau5”, was a visiting speaker in Professor Henry Warwick’s BDC 975 Sound Synthesis class in early March. Students were amazed that such a well-known artist, who recently played to thousands at the Rogers Centre and has had a series of number 1 singles on the Billboard charts, gave a relaxed and informal three-hour talk to this class of less than 30 students. He spoke and took questions from Professor Warwick and the students about his history as an electronic musician, his ideas about electronic music and the music business, his new studio facilities, his creative practice and approach to his work, among other fascinating topics.