News Article

Kayla LaSaga grew up dreaming of the day she’d be an architect, but life had other plans. Instead, rubbing elbows with the stars is just another day at the office for a production assistant in the entertainment industry.
 
Kayla caught the movie bug through College of the North Atlantic’s Digital Animation program. And while she thought the program would be a stepping point for her dream career as an architect, it soon became clear she was destined to walk a different path.
 
“I decided on the Digital Animation program initially because of the low tuition fees, the small class size and the fact that it was in my hometown, located so close, that I could walk to school if I had to,” says the Stephenville native, who recently completed working on movies such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
 
“It was not what I had envisioned as a long-term career choice but it was a stepping stone to working towards my goal to be an architect someday. My stepping stone soon turned into a one-way path into the film and television business.”
 
Through Digital Animation she uncovered hidden talents which she nurtured during the two-year program.
 
“It pushed me to work harder. With such a small class size the students enrolled were very talented and definitely belonged in the program.”
 
Not one to walk away from the complicated, Kayla enjoyed the constant challenges she faced in Digital Animation.
 
“All of the classes that held the program together interested me. It was all new to me and I was never bored; from life drawing to sculpting, animation to 3D modeling. It was all a huge learning curve and sometimes overwhelming, but always worth it when seeing the end results of a sculpture, drawing or animation cycle.”
 
Kayla says her experience at CNA helped her obtain confidence and reach her full potential. With encouragement from a Digital Animation instructor she applied to Vancouver Film School (VFS). There were a few naysayers about that decision, but it is a choice she hasn’t regretted, noting she “took the risk and followed my heart.”
 
And that risk has paid off. In addition to gaining knowledge of the film industry, Kayla walked out with even more confidence in her skills.
 
“The biggest quality I gained in film school was the ability to speak up. Coming from a small town, I was rather quiet.  I remember being told by a former instructor, ‘they will eat you alive’ but by going to film school in Vancouver, I opened up. I can now stand in front of a crowded room, or toss ideas into an open discussion.”
 
After graduating from VFS, she worked as an intern at various production companies in Vancouver but times were very hard. Just as she was considering returning to Newfoundland, a chance encounter in an elevator with someone that had ties to the movie industry turned Kayla’s luck around.
 
“The light bulb went off in my head and I sold myself, just like giving the five second elevator pitch – it was a movie moment. I held onto conversation with the lady as long as I could, even as the elevator doors were closing on us. The most important thing was I got her number.”
 
The next thing Kayla knew, she was a production assistant for the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Working behind the scenes on the movie was a continuous learning experience.
 
“I got to talk with lot of different departments and got to learn about the onset visual effects team, as well as meet the actors that were geared up with the motion sensor suits. It was very cool learning about this process coming from a digital animation background.”
 
Before her experience at CNA and VFS, Kayla says she wasn’t a huge movie buff.
 
“I always had movie night with my parents as a child from cartoons to dramas, comedies and horror. I was always a Disney fan but if I was to be questioned about directors, actors, movie titles and the years they were released I would be put to shame. A co-worker of mine has said, ‘I don’t watch movies, I make them,’ and that is basically my film knowledge in a nutshell.”
 
Just like in her childhood, Kayla’s mom was by her side as she watched the finished product from her first major motion picture.
 
“I watched my first feature, Rise of the Planet of the Apes with my mom this summer while she was visiting Vancouver. My first reaction was ‘Wow!’ Seeing the final product knowing how much and where the green screen was placed as well as the motion tracking involved, I was impressed with the end result. It was one of the better features this summer.”
 
In the months since filming ended, Kayla says she has received a continuous string of recommendations and steady work.
 
In addition to working on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn she has kept busy with work on two television shows; the first season of Secret Circle and the second season of Hiccups. She will also be kept busy working on the seventh season of the CW Network show Supernatural until April 2012, but after that, the sky is the limit for this up and coming production assistant.

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Media Contact:
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca