Comments on: Visual Effects School Confidential - How To Get The Most Out of Your VFX Education http://www.vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/ the real vfx deal Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:11:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Andrew Orloff http://www.vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/comment-page-1/#comment-266 Andrew Orloff Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:32:53 +0000 http://vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/#comment-266 <p>I agree cgdougm that the value of an education is what you end up doing with it. I've done a fair amount of instructing at Gnomon here in LA and have found it to be really rewarding. Some of my students have become employees of mine and they are always shocked at the difference between the relative sanctuary of the educational environment contrasted with the pressures of production. I also have been fortunate enough to mentor a fair number of students into a full fledged VFX career.</p> <p>As for your last comment about being nice to folks on their way up I agree. Check out this earlier post</p> <p>http://vfxhack.com/2007/10/10/working-below-the-line-a-visual-effects-supervisors-guide-to-surviving-on-set/</p> <p>for more on that subject.</p> I agree cgdougm that the value of an education is what you end up doing with it. I’ve done a fair amount of instructing at Gnomon here in LA and have found it to be really rewarding. Some of my students have become employees of mine and they are always shocked at the difference between the relative sanctuary of the educational environment contrasted with the pressures of production. I also have been fortunate enough to mentor a fair number of students into a full fledged VFX career.

As for your last comment about being nice to folks on their way up I agree. Check out this earlier post

http://vfxhack.com/2007/10/10/working-below-the-line-a-visual-effects-supervisors-guide-to-surviving-on-set/

for more on that subject.

]]> By: cgdougm http://www.vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/comment-page-1/#comment-267 cgdougm Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:41:27 +0000 http://vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/#comment-267 <p>My experience as a vfx instructor for a semester at the Academy of Art is that it motivated me to learn AfterFX, something I thought was a toy up to then. I used that new knowledge on "The Darwin Awards" and then on "Superman Returns." Plus it was a lot of fun working with the kids.</p> <p>While at the Academy, I mentored two students who graduated and went immediately to GKR to do the fire f/x on Fan4. If you think these schools are turning out wannabees I doubt you're even going to notice them as they fly past you. But like any education, it's what you do with it that counts.</p> <p>As one famous Hollywood burnout said, "be nice to them on your way up, 'cause you're going to be working for them on your way down." Or go rent a copy of "Swimming with Sharks."</p> My experience as a vfx instructor for a semester at the Academy of Art is that it motivated me to learn AfterFX, something I thought was a toy up to then. I used that new knowledge on “The Darwin Awards” and then on “Superman Returns.” Plus it was a lot of fun working with the kids.

While at the Academy, I mentored two students who graduated and went immediately to GKR to do the fire f/x on Fan4. If you think these schools are turning out wannabees I doubt you’re even going to notice them as they fly past you. But like any education, it’s what you do with it that counts.

As one famous Hollywood burnout said, “be nice to them on your way up, ’cause you’re going to be working for them on your way down.” Or go rent a copy of “Swimming with Sharks.”

]]> By: prbroste http://www.vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/comment-page-1/#comment-269 prbroste Fri, 16 Nov 2007 02:34:16 +0000 http://vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/#comment-269 <p>I have no experience with VFX schools, but I did attend a film school and found that nothing motivates you to learn new software, skills, and techniques like being a VFX artist on your own short film. It's a good way to see first hand what sort of crazy problems arise from too little time/money/planning in production, and thus a great way to develop real-world problem solving abilities. It is a rare day that I see a greenscreen as heinous as the ones I learned on.</p> I have no experience with VFX schools, but I did attend a film school and found that nothing motivates you to learn new software, skills, and techniques like being a VFX artist on your own short film. It’s a good way to see first hand what sort of crazy problems arise from too little time/money/planning in production, and thus a great way to develop real-world problem solving abilities. It is a rare day that I see a greenscreen as heinous as the ones I learned on.

]]> By: Nmancer’s TekLog » Blog Archive » How To Get The Most Out of Your VFX Education http://www.vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/comment-page-1/#comment-268 Nmancer’s TekLog » Blog Archive » How To Get The Most Out of Your VFX Education Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:48:15 +0000 http://vfxhack.com/2007/11/16/visual-effects-school-confidential-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-vfx-education/#comment-268 <p>[...] VFXhack.com) A lot of newcomers ask me where I went to school to learn VFX. The answer is, I didn’t. Aside [...]</p> [...] VFXhack.com) A lot of newcomers ask me where I went to school to learn VFX. The answer is, I didn’t. Aside [...]

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