Before high school ended, I had decided that I wanted to become a Visual Effects artist. Shortly after graduation, I enrolled in the 3D Animation and Visual Effects program at VFS. I went into the program with about 2 years of experience doing 3D as a hobby, a bit of professional work, and from taking drawing lessons for my portfolio.
I honestly don’t think they would turn anyone down as long as they can cough up the tuition.
I applied for VFS after talking the advisor, nothing really special. VFS does require you to hand in a portfolio of related items, things like drawings, especially life drawings, and also any 3D pieces that you might have. Though I honestly don’t think they would turn anyone down as long as they can cough up the tuition.
VFS will ask you to pay up front before your program starts. I honestly have no idea why they ask you to. It is no way a scam though. When I asked about the policy, they told me that the program would be intense. They said that they didn’t want me to worry about paying for the tuition half way through the program, so as not to interfere with my studying; something I found rather confusing. I guess it made some sort of sense.
If you do insist on it, they will give you an option to pay in payments, but you will still need to pay by halfway through the program. There is no refund either, so if you do pay, you better stick with the program. The school will give you time off and insert you back in another class afterwards if there is a valid reason. The school isn’t that unreasonable.
A Simple Breakdown
The program is a year long and is divided in to six 2-months terms. The first 3 terms are spent divided between classrooms 1 and 2. From Term 4 on, you are placed in the “Ant Farm” which is a big open space filled with computers. It is by far the best place to learn and work from.
In Term 1, there wasn’t much 3D work involved. Most of the classes happened in the classical room, which involved classical animation, character design, composition, and life drawing.
Term 2 is pretty much the same but now with a little more 3D work. The classical animation courses happen only once instead of twice a week.
Term 3 is pretty much all 3D. In this term you also choose your stream and develop an idea for your demo reel. You then pitch your idea to the concept development class instructor and the program head.
In Term 4 you begin specializing in your particular streams i.e animation, modeling, or VFX.
Term 5 is when you shoot whatever you need for your reel, but that’s generally only for the VFX students.
Term 6, the last term at the school, you don’t have many classes. Instead, you dedicate most of your time to working on your reel. Most of the work is done in these last 2 months.
What We Wish Could Have Been Different
That’s a brief version of a year at VFS, but there are many flaws to the program that my classmates and I have been rather unhappy with. Here are the main changes we would’ve liked to see happen in the VFX streams.
- Streaming Too Late: The division of the streams occurs way too late. Sure there’s an argument for those who have not yet decided what streams they want to specialize in, but for those who already have an idea, it takes time away from what they could be learning.
- Restrictive Software Choices: The choice of software is really bad for those who want to go into the VFX stream. At VFS, it’s recommended that you use Softimage XSI. To be honest it’s good for animation and great for modeling but it sucks for VFX. Later on in the VFX stream you have to learn Maya pretty much from scratch again.
- Needs More Streams: We also wished there were more streams within the VFX stream itself. We felt like there was way too much to be learned for it to be properly covered in a year; let alone the 6 months we really had.
What Does It Mean for You?
Now that you know what the program is like, what does it mean for you? Well, I have to say this program is definitely not for everyone. It is for those who are determined to do this for a living. You might have heard that you have to work hard in VFS, that doesn’t quite cut it. I would say you have to pretty much live there. Wake up, eat, go to school, go home, sleep, repeat. If you love what you do its heaven. If you’re not sure, it might be painful.
The tuition is a lot of money to drop on a school for only a one-year program. Is it really worth it you ask. To be honest, maybe not, but how about we count what you get for what you pay.
- A great facility with updated equipment: You will have access to industry standard equipment. Just like the equipment the software will not be dated. You will have access to the most up-to-date programs that the industries use.
- Great Faculty: The faculty has come from the industry or are still very much active in it. Although they may have a lot of experience, teaching ability will vary a great deal.
- Networking opportunities: The school has close ties to studios all around Vancouver. Since many of these instructors come from these studios, there are endless networking opportunities. Many students will even end up being employed by them.
- A passionate student body: The student body is passionate, dedicated, and devoted to the program. They will be ready to help you when you need it.
The People
I just want to mention a couple of things about the people at VFS.
Keeping that in mind, the VFX program faculty was going through a major change.
Instructors are very important. Keeping that in mind, the VFX program faculty was going through a major change. The VFX supervisor that we had was not very good. Since then, the program has completely changed. There is a new VFX supervisor, and now a new department head of the 3D Animation program. The new head of department was also the VFX supervisor a few years a go. On top of this, there are also several new instructors coming in as well. I have great hope in these instructors, they will teach you to the best of their abilities, and they will help you. I’ve learned that from the 2 months that I have been able to spend with them.
The most valuable thing VFS has to offer in my opinion is the student body. Other factors are important, but your classmates are the ones that you will spend the whole year with. You will see them more than anyone else. Why are they important? They will help make you better, be your prime source of knowledge, drive you forward, the ones that will come and cheer you up when you are down. I don’t think any other school will have so many students that are dedicated and passionate about what they do.
Some Advice
There are a few things that you MUST do if you’re thinking of going to VFS. The first is to go see the school for yourself. Due to some issues that I was not familiar with, they would not let me listen in on any of the classes. I was declined when I asked, but they were more than happy to show me around.
Secondly, talk to students. Find graduate students online from CGTalk, or ask the students who are in the program when you visit the school. I’m sure they will be more than happy to show you what they’re currently working on, and give you their two cents about their program.
Thirdly, research other schools. In Vancouver, there are similar programs at the Art Institute or Lost Boy Learning which have very impressive demo reels as well. VFS is not the only game in town.
Lastly, ask questions. The more research you can do about your intended field, the more you will know about how the program will work for you. For instance, there used to be a Houdini program at VFS. Houdini for those of you who do not know is a 3D software program with a strong focus on VFX. Sufficiency in Houdini is very sought after in the industry. The program has since been cancelled due to a lack of interest. So do ask questions like “Will you be able to offer me some training in Houdini?” or “Will I be able to learn Houdini instead of Maya in the VFX stream?” Asking questions of that nature will help you weigh out all your options. In the end, you’ll be come more desirable in the industry for it.
VFS has always been a place for those who have had some experience in the field.
The Verdict
Would I recommend VFS to everyone? No, like I said, it is not a school for everyone. VFS has always been a place for those who have had some experience in the field. To be honest, in recent years the school has become more relaxed about this policy. For those who do not have much experience, or aren’t willing to put in those 16 hour days, then maybe VFS isn’t for you. You might be better off doing a 3-year program at a college and learn at a less intensive pace.
Is VFS a good school? The work speaks for itself. But it’s really more of an effort from the students than VFS giving students a magic pill. Like I pointed out earlier, the best thing you can get from VFS is to have classmates who are as dedicated, passionate and talented as you are. It is absolutely amazing what you can accomplish when you are surrounded by creative people – just amazing.
The Job Hunt
Indeed job hunting is hard during this period of economic uncertainty, but the life of an artist is never certain is it? I personally am still searching for a job while doing freelance work, but many of my friends from school have found jobs all over the world. So is the job hunt hard? It depends on the person. There are jobs out there, maybe not as many as before, but a decent reel from VFS will get you job. Let’s be honest, there is no other school that can compete with VFS on the quality of the reels. Just take a look around for yourself. Maybe…Lost Boys Learning is pretty close or even better, but that’s about it.
Last Words
Explore your options, choose what is right for you, look around, see what the schools are doing, and talk to alumni about what they think of the school or how their experiences have been. Most importantly, know yourself. If you are highly motivated and are truly passionate about 3D, art, or design, maybe it’s better for you to learn on your own.
You can view my demo reel at: http://michaelVFX.wordpress.com/demoreel.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Good blog and true. Should be livelier and deserve to be advertised more. I am former VFS student, working in the industry all the time – good salary, cannot complain really as my tuition was granted by one of my ex employers. However:
VFS wasn’t a factor in finding job for me.
Ups and downs there are due to instructors change.
Be aware and ASK instructors what they did in the industry, for which company and when. There are some real laymen there to be concerned about – and still are today.
If you come as experienced, always asking for more, it can easily create animosity in some amateurish freaks among your classmates. As people pay a lot, they become frustrated, yet no-one can sell you talent.
It is much-overrated, price wise.
I know that Maya guy G.Beridge is cool, and you can learn a lot from him. It is usually enough only to take his course and you are good to go for bigger animals. Hope he is still there though.
Cheers.