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Arts Division
Lecturer
Faculty
Art & Design: Games + Playable Media (AGPM)
Baskin Arts E102
Tuesday/Thursday 4:00 - 5:00 pm Baskin Arts E102
No Mailstop
Van Phan is an award-winning animator, director, and creative technologist whose career bridges feature film, real-time game development, virtual reality, and transformative learning design. With more than two decades of experience across studios such as DreamWorks Animation, ILM, Blue Sky Studios, Sony Imageworks, Naughty and Epic Games, Van has contributed to globally recognized projects including Shrek 2, Ice Age 3, Epic Mickey, Skylanders, Fortnite, and several immersive works featured at SIGGRAPH’s Electronic Theater, Cannes XR, and Tribeca.
As an educator, Van teaches and has been invited to give talks across institutions including Duke University, USC, UCLA, SCAD, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Santa Clara, University, Academy of art , Northeastern University, California Community colleges and top art/engineering departments , specializing in character animation, cinematic storytelling, Unity/Unreal Engine, game development, and XR development. His teaching is rooted in cognitive science, systems thinking, experiential learning, and neurodiversity-affirming practices—an approach shaped by his own journey as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent learner. He is known for designing scaffolded, learner-centered environments that create “Aha!” moments and help students build confidence, mastery, and creative agency.
Van’s interdisciplinary work sits at the intersection of storytelling, animation, psychology, design, and technology. He develops frameworks that help students not only learn tools, but understand how to learn—leveraging animation principles, real-time engines, and AI-powered workflows to cultivate adaptability in a rapidly changing creative landscape. His curriculum innovations include flipped learning ecosystems, no-code/low-code pipelines, multi-modal tutoring templates, and real-world production workflows that empower students to thrive independently.
Beyond the classroom, Van explores how emerging technologies—from real-time rendering to autonomous AI agents—can expand human imagination and democratize creative expression. His mission is to help learners take greater control of their lives by understanding how their minds work, embracing their unique strengths, and using storytelling as a bridge between identity, creativity, and possibility.
Through his teaching, filmmaking, and systems design, Van champions a future where creativity, technology, and human-centered learning inspire people to think boldly, create fearlessly, and navigate uncertainty with confidence and curiosity.
Summary of Expertise
Van Phan is a hybrid creative force at the intersection of animation, game development, emerging technology, and transformative learning design. With a career spanning feature film animation, AAA game production, VR/XR development, and college-level teaching across top institutions, Van brings a rare blend of artistic mastery, technical fluency, and learner-centered pedagogy.
His industry background includes work on major franchises such as Shrek 2, Ice Age 3, Epic Mickey, Skylanders, Fortnite, and multiple award-winning VR/interactive projects showcased at SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater, Tribeca, Cannes XR, and global festivals. This gives Van deep expertise in character animation, cinematic storytelling, real-time graphics, and the full creative pipeline from concept to polished experience.
As an educator, Van is known for designing high-impact, cognitive-science-driven curriculum across animation, Unity/Unreal development, VR production, and creative entrepreneurship. His approach blends storytelling, psychology, systems thinking, and technical training, producing “Aha!” learning moments that help neurodiverse and neurotypical learners alike develop confidence, agency, and mastery.
Van also specializes in building scaffolded learning ecosystems—Padlets, HTML hubs, SyncSketch libraries, troubleshooting SOPs, flipped lessons, and no-code/low-code templates—that empower students to learn independently, iterate rapidly, and develop professional workflows.
In addition, Van works at the frontier of AI-assisted creativity, exploring how no-code agents, automation, and real-time tools can expand human imagination and equip learners for the future of creative technology.
Core Expertise at a Glance
Character animation (2D/3D), acting, posing, timing, motion analysis
Unity/Unreal Engine for games, VR/XR, real-time cinematics
Storytelling, layout, visual grammar, camera/lens theory
Curriculum design using cognitive science + UDL principles
Neurodiversity-aware instruction and motivation frameworks
Systems thinking for creative workflows and learning
AI tools, automation, no-code agents, and creative pipelines
Creator-preneurship, portfolio development, and career coaching
Exhibitions & Creative Impact
Van Phan creates immersive, emotionally resonant stories that harness emerging technologies, psychology, and animation to inspire empathy and social change. His work pushes the boundaries of narrative form, blending VR, real-time cinema, and traditional animation into experiences that challenge audiences to reflect, connect, and act.
Across his career, Van has produced short films that have screened at over sixty international festivals, including Cannes, Tribeca, SXSW, and SIGGRAPH. His films have garnered dozens of awards—among them two Student Emmys—and his thesis film Values earned SIGGRAPH’s Best of Show, qualifying it for Academy Award consideration for Best Animated Short.
Van’s exhibitions reflect his mission: to use story as a catalyst for understanding, to explore the emotional architecture of human experience, and to expand the creative language of immersive media.
Featured Work: Upstander (VR Film)
A cinematic VR experience addressing compassion, moral courage, and social responsibility.
Premiered At:
Tribeca Film Festival
Cannes XR
BIFAN
Nashville Film Festival
Awards:
Best 360° Film – XR Must Awards (2020)
Non-Interactive VR Winner – XR Must Awards
Cannes XR VeeR Future Awards (Nominee)
Oculus Start Award (2020)
🎥 Watch Upstander in VR
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Press Highlights
Critics praised Upstander for its emotional depth, immersive storytelling, and innovative use of VR to engage audiences in conversations about bullying, empathy, and responsibility.
Screenings of Upstander
2021
Zlín Film Festival
Febio Film Festival
VRE Film Festival
Games for Change Festival
XR Must Festival
2020
Tribeca International Film Festival
Cannes International Film Festival
BIFAN International Film Festival
Nashville International Film Festival
Chianiartoonfest
Verse International Film Festival
360 Film Festival
International Children’s Rights Film Festival
Palm Springs International Animation Festival
Real World XR Awards
African International Film Festival
Additional Contribution:
Animator on Arden’s Wake, which won Best VR at the Venice Film Festival 2018.
Featured Work: Values (Animated Short Film)
An emotionally charged thesis film exploring moral choice and human connection.
Key Honors:
Best of Show – SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater (Academy Award–qualifying)
Student Emmys: Animation
Academy Award–eligible for Best Animated Short
🎥 Watch Values
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Screenings Include:
South by Southwest • SIGGRAPH Asia • SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater (Best in Show) • Clermont-Ferrand • Chicago Int’l Children’s Film Festival • Cinequest • Anima Mundi • Palm Springs ShortFest • USC Classic Shorts • Tehran Int’l Film Festival • New Haven Film Festival • Rhode Island Int’l Film Festival • Woodstock Film Festival • Lisbon Film Festival • Potsdam Film Festival • Film Fest New Haven • Newport Beach Film Festival • and dozens more.
🎥 Watch Wild Card
Selected Screenings:
Carolina Film & Video Festival • New York Animation Festival • LA Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival • Bucheon Int’l Animation Festival • Tahoe Int’l Film Festival • Hollywood Short Film Festival • Vancouver Effects & Animation Festival • Seoul Int’l Animation Festival • CineVegas • British Short Film Festival • Toronto Digital Film Festival • Atom Films • Smogdance • West Virginia Film Festival • Brooklyn Film Festival • and many others.
Honors & Awards (Selected)
Best 360° Film – XR Must Awards (2020)
Cannes XR VeeR Future Awards (2020)
Tribeca Film Festival Official Selection (2020)
Oculus Start (2020)
LaunchPad Fellowship (2019)
Creator’s Lab 3.0 Filmmaker (2018)
SIGGRAPH Best of Show – Academy Award–Eligible
Academy Award Eligible – Best Animated Short
Student Emmy Awards – Animation
Best Animation – Tehran International Short Film Festival
Best Animation – Palm Springs Short Animation Festival
Big Kahuna 3D Design Best of Show
New Haven Film Festival Audience Choice Award
Rhythm & Hues Scholarship (Honorable Mention)
Numerous festival Grand Prizes, Best Animation awards, and jury recognitions across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
Contributor
Certificates
Conference
Publication & Press
Van Phan’s work has been widely featured across international media, festival publications, industry journals, and technology showcases. His VR film Upstander and his earlier award-winning shorts have attracted significant attention for their emotional impact, real-time animation techniques, and socially driven storytelling. Coverage spans Tribeca, Cannes XR, SIGGRAPH, Oculus, and global animation and VR publications.
Featured Articles & Industry Spotlights Real-Time Production & VR Innovation
Upstander Development Process: Using Real-Time Rendering and Animation to Enhance VR
DigiFest Feature on the Making of Upstander
Using Animation to Enhance VR: Behind the Upstander Production Pipeline
VR for Good: Introducing Our Creators Lab 3.0
VR for Good: Four New Projects Now Available on Oculus TV
Festival Recognition & Awards Coverage
Best XR 360 Video – XR Must Awards (2020)
Cannes XR VeeR Future Award Highlights
Tribeca 360 Cinema 2020 Coverage
Tribeca Immersive 2020 — Voices of VR Podcast
Tribeca Revives its VR Festival: Smaller, Virtual, FREE
Upstander at BIFAN Film Festival
Two Bay Area Directors Premiere VR Films at Tribeca Film Festival
Animation & Filmmaking Profiles
Animators Show Off at SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH Big Kahuna Award & Student Emmy Feature
Animation Wizard Van Phan on His Anti-Bullying VR Film
One Animated Standout in the Lineup is Upstander
Animated Contenders Include the Buzzworthy Anti-Bullying Piece Upstander
Winner of Best Animated Short — A Loving Piece About a Father-Son Relationship
Upstander: An Intriguing Animated Experience About Bullying
Interviews & Q&A
Tribeca Talks @ Home – Upstander Interview
Cinema360 Pure Imagination Interview
Q&A with Van Phan, Director of Tribeca VR Premiere Upstander
Animation Alumnus Q&A – Premiere at Tribeca 2020
Tribeca Immersive – Voices of VR Podcast Guest
Notable Press Quotes
Here are some standout lines often repeated across publications:
“Upstander hits us with charm right from the beginning.”
“A short, sweet message about sticking up for people.”
“It only takes one person—you—to save someone’s life and make it worth living.”
“An intriguing animated experience about bullying.”
“You are challenged to think, feel, and take action.”
“A filmmaker with a unique perspective, blending psychology, animation, and emerging tech for impact.”
Topics Frequently Covered in the Press 1. Anti-Bullying & Social-Impact Storytelling
Your work is consistently recognized for its emotional resonance and its ability to spark empathy and reflection.
2. Real-Time Rendering & Virtual Production
Articles highlight your innovative use of Unity/Unreal, VR-first staging, animation pipelines, and cutting-edge production strategies.
3. VR for Education & Behavioral Change
Press often frames Upstander as a model for immersive learning, moral reasoning, and transformative narrative design.
4. Animation Excellence & Festival Success
Coverage regularly cites your awards, SIGGRAPH recognition, and long festival history as evidence of your craftsmanship and impact.
Director
Games/XR
Animator
