A lot of newcomers ask me where I went to school to learn VFX. The answer is, I didn’t. Aside from the odd training course or a brush up class here and there, the only experience I have with visual effects instruction is as a teacher. I learned on the job the old fashioned way, staying long after work hours and pouring over manuals. Now I’m not going to be one of these guys who says that schools are no good. Heck, you’d be silly not to take advantage of all the vfx know-how floating out there in the ‘verse. I still firmly believe that there is not substitute for experience, so it is of the utmost importance that when choosing a VFX school you choose one that will give enough experience in a short enough period of time to land yourself a gig at a real live effects studio. The only reason to go to a visual effects school in my opinion, is jump start your skill level and help you get a killer demo reel out that is better than one you could have put together all by your lonesome.
Kick the Tires - If you are going to shell out big money for a VFX education you should visit the school in person before you buy in. Check the facilities. Are the computers up to date? Do the classrooms look comfortable with good chairs and an easy to see instructors screen? How much render power does the school have? Is the vending machine stocked with Cactus Cooler (it tastes like baby asprin)? These questions may seem mundane but you are gonna be spending a lot of hours in your facility of choice, you must make sure the place is up to snuff.
Take a Test Drive - While you are visiting your potential alma mater, arrange to sit in on a class or two. Make sure that the teacher and the students are engaged and excited about the subject at hand. Keep a close eye on the instructors especially noting how much time in the class is spent lecturing and how much is spent one-on-one with the students. You are looking to see a good balance between the two. Take some notes while you are there and review them a day or two later. If you feel you learned something and came away with useful info that you could but into practice you’re good to go.
When In Rome - The people you work with have a dramatic effect on the quality of work that you do. If your fellow students are more interested in late night frag-fests than gettin their VFX learn on you (or most likely your parents) are wasting money going to school. Check out the student galleries on the websites of the schools you are looking at. Also, make sure that your school of choice has a vibrant and often full computer lab. The explosion of hardcore graphics PC’s have made lab time a bit of an endangered species, but students tend to learn more by working together and helping each other. Navigating the personalities of your future co-workers is also great training for dealing with office politics.
Those Who Can’t Do - The thing that really distinguishes a good school from a bad is the quality of the instructors. An intern of mine once told me about a teacher whose answer to every query was “I don’t know, let’s check the manual!” Going over the bios of the instructors on the school website is good first step, but make sure you check creds on IMDB and LinkedIn as well. Look for a wide range of experience on different types of projects and facilities. Don’t be lured by credits on big blockbusters. Just because you worked on Episode III doesn’t make you a good communicator. Conversely, if the only reference to be found is night-time render wrangler on Leprechaun 4: In Space, you may want to keep looking.
The End Game - What you want to get out of a VFX school is one thing and one thing only, a job. Ask the school administrator what kind of industry outreach program they have. Get a list a companies that have hired students in the past and call those companies to make sure that the school has a good rep in the industry. It’s also important that career issues have a dedicated place in a schools curriculum. A good school should have an editing facility for cutting demo reel, a job fair and an intern placement program. This may seem to be an overly pragmatic approach, but if you want to choose a school thinking you will be doing art for art’s sake you shouldn’t be going to a VFX school anyway. VFX schools offer training and an opportunity to hone your craft for the sole purpose of securing a job in Visual Effects. If you want to smoke cigarettes, drink coffee and debate the relative merits of Minimalism and Dadaism (like I did) you should go to a four year art school.
LINK to my previous post Making A Demo Reel That Doesn’t Suck
