I came to VFS to learn motion graphics. In my mind, if a school could teach me that in one year and help get me a gig in that industry, I was all for it.
In my case, a 4 year degree in design, and 6 years of industry experience working professionally in the States.
Like some students in various VFS programs, I already had experience. In my case, a 4 year degree in design, and 6 years of industry experience working professionally in the States. I was hoping it would be like a grad school of sorts, where I could hone my craft, meet similar peers, and focus on my passion. What I soon learned was that there was no “perfect program” for those who wished to specialize in just one thing.
Compromises
The Digital Design program tries to be all things to all students, so certain areas of the program become compromised as they always try to take the middle road. Keep in mind, VFS is a private corporation, and I reckon a lot of the policies are in play to appeal to as a broad a section of prospective students as possible. This keeps enrollment up, and the VFS machine running. Remember, they churn a new batch of students out every 3 months…. that has to say something right there.
The DD program is just too broad and ambitious as is.
I think because the scope of the DD curriculum is so broad, it falls victim to this “do everything, but nothing really well” mentality. Where as grads in 3D and VFX, do great placement wise, because their program is so specific and focused… the DD program is just too broad and ambitious as is. There should honestly be a distinct, motion or flash stream… and leave project management to the business program altogether. VFS could learn a lot from the school HyperIsland in Sweden… many firms in the States, constantly recruit that school for interns, so they must be doing something right.
The Business management classes for example – were pretty much rote memorization of power point slides. It’s additional stress, and wasted time. VFS believes in the value of this…that you could possibly become a project manager down the road. All it’s really good for are those students who want to be entrepreneurs. No agency in their right mind, would hire a project manager out of DD.
More of those resources could have been spent in art direction, concept, and storyboarding courses, all vital for agency success, and all were neglected. VFS teaches the technology – but your bound to be just a production artist if that’s all you’re equipped with.
To qualify these opinions, let me just say, I now work at a top agency. Looking back, I firmly believe VFS would be doing a much better service to their students if they allowed them to focus on a single thing; giving them the time and attention to learn their desired focus really really well. I don’t feel anyone will get hired being a mediocre jack of all trades, rather agencies hire hot shots – whether it’s flash, motion graphics, or programming.
While there are a few students who can do it all – and I worked with a few of them, the vast majority, like me, loved some things and struggled with other courses, time that could have been spent, refining what I was good at. You only have a year. Make it count. For $27,000 a pop – I feel you should have that control over your education and future. And at that price, I almost failed to mention the crappy pc’s with small monitors we were working on. Although this might’ve changed, every motion designer should have had at least two monitors, a G5 MAC, or the option. For $27,000 – I expected a lot more.
Staff & Students
VFS will accept nearly anyone who can afford the sky high tuition. Why they even ask for an entry portfolio is a joke. Some of the student work is just plain terrible and it stays terrible. I think the instructors are too nice to novice talent, but sadly these students are in for a bigger shock upon graduation.
There were a lot of young immature students – some straight out of high school.
There were a lot of young immature students – some straight out of high school. These people will slow you down during lecture, eating up class time, and it can’t be helped. I suppose it makes for an interesting mix/diversity, and I should just accept the fact it’s not a Masters of Design grad school.
That’s not to say that there weren’t talented people at VFS as well. If you’re lucky you will meet some of these amazing people who are just as hungry and driven as you might be. Marcos and Ryan, from dd07 had great chemistry and work ethic. The 100,000 hits off YouTube for “Duelity” is only a small sign of their success to come.
Your classmates really are the true X-factor in your success there. You’re like family, you see so much of each other… and you’ll either love them or hate them, or both. Like most social situations – it quickly branches off into talent/language/age sub groups though.
My class was unusual in that we were quite small, so the student-teacher ratio was great. Brett Forsyth and Bun Lee are amazing at relaying technical knowledge of Flash and After Effects. Hopefully, they are still there for future students.
Some Seasoned Advice
Beware of the marketing – they do it well! The work hyped by VFS is typically done by students with years of experience before they enroll at VFS. You have to be honest with yourself as to whether YOU have the talent or drive to push yourself to where you need to be. VFS can give you the tools, but it’s the students who work the late night hours on the regular who will shine in the end. As is, the teachers are too over worked to mentor you personally, so you really have to come with your A-game each day to earn their attention and time.
Whether you’re serious or not – this is your life for the next year. Some classes start at 9am with the last classes ending at 9pm. Then the homework starts. They take attendance and dock you for lates. You could fail quite easily if you missed enough classes.
The days are long so take care of yourself. Eat well and exercise when you have a chance. You will never go hungry for new info – but will quickly find it’s too much to digest. Only a few people can honestly retain – 3d, Flash, After Effects and such all in one day. The lines start to blur and you wonder if you’ve retained anything at all. Eventually I found, you honestly had to focus on some things and let other things slide. There will always be more classes and more assignments, but it may be wise to choose to do one thing and do it well. VFS seems to side with quantity before quality. You’ll quickly see how you feel about that. Some students loved being exposed to so much technology. I was more interested in doing one thing well.
VFS can get you what you need – you just have to fight for what you want, and ignore the rest of it.
The Verdict
Looking back, if I could do it all again and was still in my early 20′s, I would have gone to Emily Carr and focused on motion graphics within Communication Design. I went there in ’98…it was great, but there was no motion graphics at that time. ECUAD has a 4 year program that really cares, teaches you how to think, to really become that person. It’s a true creative community whereas VFS is just a business. ECIAD is also extremely hard to get into because artistic talent is actually a factor. With VFS, it’s money. VFS can get you what you need – you just have to fight for what you want, and ignore the rest of it.
Motion graphics students should also be aware that there are a ton of online resources to learn from, like VideoCoPilot and FXPHD.com. Like anything, those who really get good, do so on their own time, after hours. The best students at VFS always did tutorials outside of the current curriculum. It’s competitive and requires that much dedication.
Good luck to you all. You will soon find a lot of it is who you know, so definitely network. Be mindful of your reputation at all costs, the creative scene in any city is quite small.
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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