Vancouver Film School

#1328

you can take it anywhere you want…

#1329

Wow thats good to hear. Thank you for the fast reply!

#1330

Is that typical? After a year of intense 3d VFX training at an acclaimed school like VFS and then internship?

#1331

Why would you take your project home and work at home? They are preparing you you for what comes after you graduate. You wont be able to take your work home when working in a studio anyway.

I dont understand why people want to lock them self into a basement and just work on their project by them selfs. Whats the point? You wont get any feedback, teachers are not there to help you, and you wont make any friends or connections that way?

But as a guy earlier said, sure you can take your project wherever you want. Just think of all the stuff you will be missing out on.

I am in the last term now, just about to finish soon btw.

#1332

anything to get your foot in the industry… the other option is to stay home and watch tv…

or something…

#1333

3D internships are totally different than internships in other feilds. I did an internship for my first job out of VFS and it was great for me. Think of it as cheep labor and a safety net for them. Studios want to make sure the skills you show in your demo reel are up to standards and that you will click well with the team. I’ve seen it a couple times before where a student has a great and well polished reel but then they get into a studio environment and can’t perform because that model that took them 6 months to do is expected from them in about 2 weeks or less.

For me a internship was great, I got to learn the ropes after school with minimal pressure and once the studio saw that I could handle myself they were more than willing to offer me better projects and something more permanent.

#1334

depends solely on the student - a lot just do not work much while at school - instead they think the knowledge will pour into their heads straight from the air that fills the classroom :curious: And yeah an internship is not that little and can prove useful…

#1335

It’s not about what’s typical. This industry is pretty competitive and at school you have to work for what you get. Then after you grad you take every opportunity that can get your foot inside the door. In the state of today’s economy, many studios have internships as a safety net to screen new hires that do not have any industry work experience attached to them. Work experience is extremely important in this industry and if an internship is going to get that for you then so be it. Your demo reel tells the employer very little about you as an employee and the pace in a work environment is much much faster than the time you have in school to make your demo reel.

I did an internship myself and many other interns have 4 year degrees, some have masters. It doesn’t matter how much schooling you have, you still have to proof yourself in the beginning. That said, it’s not a MUST that you end up in an internship after grad, you might get hired straight away with a short contract to try you out, it really depends on the company. I’m just saying internships are getting popular in today’s economy. Bit if not then you’ll most likely get a short contract, not many companies are willing to commit in a full time hire for a fresh grad.

#1336

just wondering, would it be a waste of time to go learn some basic 3d stuff at another school and then come to VFS to take that knowledge and run with it?

#1337

Not at all, and you may find VFS to be superfluos at that point, but I find the 3D program right now(I’m term 3 3d83) is fine for beginners and more experienced people alike as long as you’re willing to put in the hours.

#1338

Having some knowledge of 3D softwares is never a bad idea. There are plenty of people in the school to ask around about software techniques. I would say it is more important to practice figure drawings before entering the school.

#1339

agreed and it’s expensive enough in itself… I don’t see a need to spend more on another school beforehand.

#1340

To add to the two replies above me,and it’s just a thought, I found the Foundation program quite helpful to going into 3d(as an alternative to another expensive school) seeing as I had no artistic experience before hand.

Mileage may vary but it does have a ton of useful classes and it’s very much geared to being an entry into the 3D program. It’s still expensive, but it’s a year long program so the living costs over a longer school would even things out.

Classes I found most useful now that I’m in 3D were things like script writing, cinematography, editing and lighting. Maya classes were a bit too simplistic for me, but useful for a ton of other people. All these things are also covered in 3D but there’s little overlap because the pacing for both programs is very different.

#1341

They teach you everything from the beginning, so there’s no need for previous preparation. Having said so, it could probably help. There’s a lot of new stuff to learn and the risk is of being overwhelmed. I think having some kind of background on arts or technical stuff could help a lot in the process.

#1342

Hey, saw your reel at the grad showing yesterday. Very very good work ! Congratulations.

#1343

Thanks a lot, happy you liked it!

#1344

I hear VFS is getting worse- why?

#1345

Well, I’m replying to the message I saw in my emails…which your cousin didn’t like.

I’m currently enrolled in VFS in class 3D81 in my 5th Term and I have mixed things to say, parts of the course are excellent, and parts are not as strong. I found that the earlier part of the course, terms 1-3 were somewhat dull and I didn’t take a lot away from it apart from the modelling and animation classes, those two were excellent and well taught by the instructors and TA’s.

The last two terms (4-5) have been the best terms I’ve had at VFS. I’m in the VFX stream and the VFX mentor is great, he really knows his stuff and drives you to get the best out of your reel. I also know that the modelling mentor is fantastic and very knowledgeable.

I’m not going to name the weaker courses but there are some at VFS, but if you put in some extra time and don’t expect information to come to you on a platter you’ll be way ahead of the pack and you will get a good demo reel out of VFS.

There’s a lot of negative comments on the board about VFS but I get the feeling that a lot of them are from people who went expecting to get a good reel with not much work. You have to work your ass off at VFS and any other school if you really want to excel.

#1346

hello, am from india, and currently am doing diploma in 3d animation, where i’ve completed sketching, photoshop, 3ds max, currently am doing maya at the academy, and in the end we’ll have vfx classes.
I’ve decided to go to vfs, because the output of their students is simply awesome. I got accepted by vfs and my classes will start from feb 2011.
I just want to ask whether the decision of choosing VFS is good or not?

#1347

If you put the hours in, VFS will provide you with the tools and mentoring you need to come out with one of the awesome reels you see on their website. If you don’t put the time and effort in, no course will give you a good reel.

VFS is not perfect, there are flaws and problems, and it is true you only see a small percentage of the reels on their website but like I said, if you put in the time, theres no reason why your reel couldn’t be up there amoung them come February 2012.