I cannot disclose the name of the school, however as I have completed their 1 year program, I can tell you the system.
Camera: There are 30 students, and two television cameras. The camera segment comprises 2 months.
There are a couple of exercises: camera movement exercises(panning, tilting, zooming, follow focussing) Lighting exercises(3 point lighting, 2 character lighting, outdoor lighting, movement lighting) and how to use a PD-150(white balance, colour bar) etc which comprise the syllabus.
As there are 30 students, the time alloted per excerise is 10 min per student.
Editing: Students are taught Adobe Premiere. There are 6 computers, and 30 students. You are given 1 hour a day on the systems for 2 months.
Direction: Students are given lectures on film directing principles for 2 months. Shot composition, continuity, storyboards, directing actors, staging are brushed over or not taught at all. Script writing is not taught at all.
A typical lecture would be a day on "what are f stops"
In the final production, you are alloted 9 hours to shoot a 5-10 min production on a PD-150. In post production you are alloted 9 hours for editing and sound scores.
for $8 grand I would not do it! I would by my own equipment lights, g5 fcp 4, an xl1, and some books on lighting, cinematagraphy, and such and do it my damn self that's outrageous! I could go to FSU's grad program for less than that.
I had more freedom and equipment then that at my old community college and it only cost me a few hundered bucks. North Carolina School Of The Arts is a great school and they charge a fraction of that per year for in state students. You have access to video, 16mm, and even 35mm. Dosent sound like a good deal my friend (not sure about why you cant post the name eithere.) R. Michael
"Luck, is when opportunity, meets preperation." "There are 3 sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth, and none of us are lying" -Robert Evans Tizzy Entertainment"Redemption" Hi-Def trailer
From what you described it sounds like you could learn just as much from buying a PD-150 and a basic book about digital filmmaking. I think film school should actully teach you to use film and get more in depth with video than the mere basics. Let me ask what you will have after dropping eight grand on this course? a ten minute short?..... with all that money you could own the equipment and teach yourself the basics, but thats just my opinion.
Jonathan Boal Magnus Caput Prod
Posts: 80 | Location: Lemoyne, PA, USA | Registered: October 31, 2002
sounds like what my highschool class was, except my class was stupid and had a moron as a teacher. So u could actually take the same class at my highschool for FREE, just have to understand your learning from a moron who worked as a security guard. Weed.
-TacoWagonSuperFun!
KILL BILL - OPENS NATION WIDE OCTOBER 10th!!! THATS NEXT FRIDAY!!!!! AHHHH!!!!
Posts: 3927 | Location: Sacramento, CA | Registered: July 21, 2003
There are more productions, that I did not mention. Im sorry for that.
In each of the segments: camera, editing and direction
You work on one student short of 5-10 min(DV)
You work on one ENG of 45 sec(DV)
You work on one multi-cam news (D21)
You work on one single camera news (DV)
You work on one multi-cam interview (D21)
You also assist on other productions as: Assistant director(direction segment) Assistant camera man(camera segment) and assistant editor(editing segment)
This film school professes to being in the top 3 in the world, and students there are regularly reminded of this.
Students who opt to do all courses(yes, you can do segments seperately too) are also allowed an extra production(DV short)
1 year program students leave the course with experience of working on around 30 student productions.
NOTE:
All productions are owned by the school.
The 2 month course segments, are in fact only 1 month, as the last month is when student productions start.
Faculty members regularly interfere in student productions, sometimes doing them completely by themselves.
you pay almost double the price for NYU, USC and others for one semester...and here you have the opportunity to work on other shoots, have faculty and so on...
I like it, I really do...however, if you look forward to go to regular film school, dont do that (buy a G5 instead..no wait...buy a G5 anyway and for me one too.......)
now its time to tell us the schools name
Posts: 820 | Location: NYC | Registered: November 29, 2002
Like I think Kyle said, that seems like a highschool class. Com Tech.
But I also had a horrible teacher, who was "too busy teaching" claymation, and web design. Basically the two of us who learned Adobe, did it by ourselves. Learned everything by ourselves. Eventually our numbers grew and we ended up teaching the n00bs. Though not pros ourselves. We used GL1 cameras.
No, offence, but your school sounds slightly un-good. Well, for that price.
"We'll be able to get all the things we ever dreamed of... front, and rear spoilers for the cars!"
I also had the impression, that I was doing high school and not film school. I asked, because, I wanted to know if other film schools do the same thing, and it is perhaps me, who is being too critical and ungrateful to the school. I do not want to pay a bomb again, and find out, I could do better, by just buying a DV camera and a lighting kit.
I mean seriously, this school's entire syllabus can be bettered by owning one book on direction, one computer with adobe premiere, one DV camera and a lighting kit.
Which brings me to my next question, what is the system like at a REGULAR film school?
i've never been to a film school (Still in highschool) but from what I hear from people I know and people from this forum.....I think there's BETTER film schools. Your school sounds a whole lot like "basic film school", teaching you how to PAN? WTF is that? I ain't paying that much money to know how to press record.
And I still don't know why the hell you can't tell us the name of the school.....so its one of the best you claim? Why wouldn't you be able to tell us? That makes NO SENSE. I think your school sucks and that its really just a crappy one.
-TacoWagonSuperFun!
KILL BILL - OPENS NATION WIDE OCTOBER 10th!!! THATS NEXT FRIDAY!!!!! AHHHH!!!!
Posts: 3927 | Location: Sacramento, CA | Registered: July 21, 2003
This school sounds like crap... I wouldn't go there. Too expensive and from what you described, not enough hands on... Like I said before, I could go to FSU for less than that.
If you're talking about the 3rd ranked school on production is it AFI, FSU, some Cali school? Some NY school?
It is the school itself. And the first, according to this school, is the New York Film Academy.
If you attend this school, you will also have to clap at statements the school makes about itself - such as "We are one of the best in the entire world" "students come from all over the world to us" "We pay almost 10 times what each student pays, for their education" or just about anything, the school says, with an emphasis on it. If you don't, you will look odd, as the rest of the students will. I looked very odd.
quote:Originally posted by Film_student: the first, according to this school, is the New York Film Academy.
It's the 3rd 'ranked' trade school then. A la L.A. Film School, Vancouver Film School etc...
I would avoid the trade-schools all together if I were you. Get a liberal-arts education from an accredited university and work on any shows you can in your free time, including your own.
What you've described sounds like the 11 week 'Introduction to Video Production' where I went to school. That cost me ~$1,500 (California In-stat tuition) and I got to learn calculus, physics and the history of modern China at the same time.
Nota "Mao & Later" Mono
Posts: 665 | Location: Los Angeles, Ca. U.S.A. | Registered: October 31, 2002