Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), a national center for education in the arts, announced today the appointment of Terence Nance (Feature Films), Dan Schrecker (Animation & Visual Effects), and Tammy Marie Dudman (Animation), as founding faculty of its new film school. This unique film school joins a distinguished portfolio of fine arts graduate degree programs. The first class will be admitted to the inaugural class that begins in October 2013 on VCFA’s historic Montpelier, Vermont campus.
Terence Nance is an artist born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Terence studied visual art and his practice includes installation, performance, music, and moving images. Terence makes music under the name Terence Etc. The music draws on influences like Stevie Wonder, Kronos Quartet, Dilla, Leadbelly, and Thelonius Monk. His first feature film, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, is an IFP Narrative lab alumnus and premiered in the New Frontier section of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
The album of the same title will be released with the film in 2013. The film has garnered recognition from Filmmaker Magazine, where he was selected as one of the 25 new faces of independent film. Oversimplification… also won the 2012 Gotham Award for “Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.” The film has since been acquired for theatrical distribution by Variance film and will premiere in theaters on April 12th followed by a DVD and Digital release by Cinema Guild.
In addition to his personal work, Terence is also an accomplished music video director having collaborated on short films and music videos with Blitz the Ambassador, Cody ChesnuTT, and Pharoahe Monch to name a few. Terence currently resides in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn – along with the rest of The Swarm and is currently developing his sophomore feature, The Lobbyist.
Dan Schrecker is an award winning visual effects artist and animator. He is the Creative Director and Visual Effects Supervisor at Look Effects, Inc., with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Canada and Stuttgart, Germany. Dan earned his Master’s Degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and his BA in Visual and Environmental Studies with a focus on Animation from Harvard University. Dan was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2011 for Best Special Effects for the film Black Swan and for Visual Effects Society Awards for Black Swan, The Wrestler, The Fountain, and Frida.
His work includes being Visual Effects Supervisor on Life of Pi, Warm Bodies, Moonrise Kingdom, Limitless, Black Swan, Precious, The Fountain, Frida and Requiem for a Dream. He is currently working on Noah with Darren Aronofsky. Through his career Dan has supervised and created visual effects, designed titles and motion graphics, adding to his expertise in multimedia and interactive formats, traditional cel animation and claymation.
Tammy Marie Dudman (T. Marie) is recognized internationally for developing and honing a process that manipulates the intrinsic properties of a pixel to create Time Based Pixel Paintings and Time Based Pixel Drawings. Her international career has included ten world premieres at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. In 2007, she was selected as one of the “best new young artist in the U.S.” by the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Arts in New York. In 2011, T. Marie’s work was cited as one of most memorable films of the year by Moving Image Source, a publication by The Museum of Moving Image in New York. In 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 T. Marie’s works were cited in Senses of Cinema’s “best films of the year” World Poll.
She has been a Senior Critic in the Film, Animation, and Video Department at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for twelve years. At RISD, she teaches in an internationally recognized animation department that was awarded “Best Student Animation Show Reel” in 2008 and 2009 at the Ottawa International Film Festival. Tammy is currently a Visiting Artist in the Animation Department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. T. Marie is equipped with a wealth of technical knowledge, adept in world cinema, contemporary art, film/video, animation and new media discourse, practice
About the Vermont College of Fine Arts Film School…
The MFA in Film at VCFA is uniquely designed for independent filmmakers and screenwriters. Unlike traditional residential models, students return to their home communities during the semester, where they devote a minimum of 25 hours per week to individual study. They remain in close consultation with their faculty advisor through various channels including electronic file sharing and regular postings. Throughout the two years, and four semesters of study, students take an active role in shaping their own curriculum while participating in a sustained dialogue with experienced filmmakers of national reputation. Each residency features workshops in writing and production, screening/discussions, collaborative exercises, and a chance to share work and ideas.
Vermont College of Fine Arts is a national center for education in the arts, fostering the excellence of emerging and established artists, while advancing the arts to create a more humane world. Founded in 2008, VCFA is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC), through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. VCFA offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, Visual Art, Music Composition and Graphic Design.
