When I first enrolled at VFS, I wanted to be a filmmaker. Through a series of strange events, I ended up in the Digital Design program after doing a year in Foundation Visual Art and Design.
The People
VFS is full of passionate people, both students and instructors, and that’s one of the most appealing aspects of the school. To be surrounded by so much creativity, inspiration lurking just a few desks away, is a rare type of experience indeed. The instructors know their craft, most work professionally in the design industry, and have untold volumes of knowledge they are happily willing to share with all their eager students.
However, the most counter-productive force working against all of the efforts of VFS instructors and students alike is time.
Like all schools, VFS is a business. There is overhead to be paid, wages, operating costs, software licences, so forth and so on.
Time
Like all schools, VFS is a business. There is overhead to be paid, wages, operating costs, software licences, so forth and so on. How financial equilibrium is restored, it seems, is through rushing students in and out of programs as hastily as possible. I am a fairly young person so time has never been a deciding factor in my choice of educational establishments. VFS promises results after one year of a full production program, but that’s not why I signed up.
With classes spanning 45 hours or more per week coupled with an incredibly vast amount of subjects, it can be extremely difficult to fully absorb, retain, and truly understand everything you’re being taught.
This, by far, is the most blatant and counterproductive drawback of learning at VFS.
When tuition costs can exceed $30000 a year, I don’t feel it’s fair to force students to choose what to focus on out of sheer necessity. I won’t say it’s impossible to master every course and nugget of information which is passed your way, but more than likely you’ll have to let some of that fall by the wayside, however, for such a steep price tag you really shouldn’t have to.
Lessons
My time at Digital Design was spent focussed on motion design. I absolutely love it. A triad of programs form the core of a motion designers toolbox: Adobe After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator. As motion design evolves, so must the toolset, so now Cinema 4D is also taught at VFS in tandem with said programs. I was lucky to have some amazing instructors during my time there and have learned more from them than any motion design / After Effects book I’ve ever read. This is a major strength of VFS, especially when dealing with highly technical concepts and toolsets.
Another huge component of motion design is sound design. People say the score, foley and sound effects are 65% of any film, and the same can be said for motion design. We learned how to use ProTools in combination with Reason, something I rarely get to utilize in my professional work these days, but nevertheless they were all valuable lessons and exercises. Another huge aspect of effective communication in motion design is flow, and learning to tastefully cut audio to your work or vice versa is absolutely integral to honing one’s skills as a motion designer.
I suppose I can’t complain. A week out of school I landed a job, and using the same reel I made from school moved on to several others afterward.
The Verdict
I suppose I can’t complain. A week out of school I landed a job, and using the same reel I made from school moved on to several others afterward. In the end, it all worked out. VFS has its quirks, its faults, its down-right ugly side, but it’s a great school full of spectacular people. They provide you with the tools, contacts, and resources, and in many ways it’s up to you to make the best of it. There’s no hand holding in this school, just sleepless nights, hard work, and an extremely demanding course load.
If I had a chance to go back, learn some other stuff, would I? Maybe not. If all the programs were two year programs, then DEFINITELY yes. Personally, I find value in absorbing and retaining what I’ve learned. I want to be exceptional at the things I do, not just OK at a whole bunch of things. With more time, I’m sure VFS programs could offer exactly that, but as it stands, I’m done with one year programs, but simultaneously I’m very glad I experienced it.
(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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How old were you when you started VFS and what is the job you have now! I’m 17 years old and I’ll be 18 when I “attend” this school!! I want to get into film production. Any info would be appreciated, teachers? Work?