While completing my undergraduate degree at Western Washington University, I came to the conclusion that I loved film. I was a great student with a lot of ambition and dedication. I knew that the next step for me was film school. After researching film schools online, Vancouver Film School seemed like the perfect fit. It was a one-year intensive program that promised students they would learn all aspects of film production and would leave the school with a demo reel in hand ready to get into the industry. I should have done more research.
There are many, many reasons why I feel like the enormous amount of money I paid was not worth this experience.
The Disappointment
I am writing to state my disappointment in the Film Production Program of Vancouver Film School. There are many, many reasons why I feel like the enormous amount of money I paid was not worth this experience. I felt this way for most of the year while I was there, but I tried to make the best of it. I tried to extract what I could, hopeful that things would change. I was constantly told by instructors, “It is what you make it.” Which is not true. I had little control over my experience with VFS. It’s been awhile since I graduated in 2008… but I still cringe when I think about my year at VFS. And it’s even worse when I think of the amount I have to pay on my loan every month until the year 2039 for this below mediocre experience… I think that is supposed to be around the year I retire.
First of all, I would like to say that I had fun at VFS, learned a few new things, and met a lot of wonderful people. However, I am very upset with the integrity of the program. I understand that institutions always have problems and kinks to work out and that it isn’t easy to please everyone. I have heard many complaints from my fellow classmates, those who graduated before me, after me, and ex-staff members. I am simply stating the issues that have truly bothered me the most.
1. Instructors gossiping with students during class time/production meetings.
On numerous occasions during classes when we were split into our crews, our instructors would speak poorly or gossip to us about the other crews/shows and students. This upset many students, as we are all friends and would share this information. This created a loss of respect among students for their instructors. It is one thing to bring up problems that other crews are encountering, but to insult another crew is absolutely unprofessional. Also, I have heard instructors naming students who did things poorly in their pitches/proposals/assignments. I am all for giving student examples of what not to do… but an instructor should not name names of students to other students (maybe only after they graduate). It only incites more gossip and lack of willing to work with each other among the class. Students are lectured constantly for being difficult during the crewing process, when it is often the instructors who contribute to or are the cause of these issues. In an environment where you work with your small class of 25-30 students, it is hard enough not to have clashing personalities, but when the instructors are pinning everyone against each other, all hope is lost.
I want to make it clear that I very much like the instructors of this school. I would say that most of them are wonderful people. I strongly feel that they need to constantly be reminded that during classes and on school property (during student-teacher time) that they need to be more professional and considerate. Remind teachers to keep gossip to a minimum, to not name names, or make inappropriate insinuations about students. In an educational atmosphere, students should feel encouraged rather than worried about what the instructors are saying about them behind their backs to their peers.
Instructors and staff seem to label students and write them off as a certain kind of person all year.
2. Stereotyping students.
I have had some trouble trying to describe one of the issues that has truly left a negative impression of VFS for me. Instructors and staff seem to label students and write them off as a certain kind of person all year. This prevents students from growing. I was personally told by an instructor, “Everyone knows you are a fussy girl.” I feel like this was a label given to me because I am one of the few students who would speak up and question things. I had instructors make fun of me for speaking up, which is not at all a positive way to run a classroom. Also, a young man in our class who was a bit of a goofball at the beginning of the year was often overlooked for roles of leadership because of his goofball status, although he had full support from the class. When in a crewing session we needed people to step up for leadership roles, he did, but still the instructors would not allow it. These things stunt the growth of students. In an educational institution, students should be encouraged to try new things and given opportunities to excel and flourish.
3. Consistency of rules.
Another issue is the consistency of the rules laid out for students. Students are told that there are standards within the crewing process. Students need to have certain grades and acceptable attendance in order to hold certain crew positions. Then a panel of instructors make the decisions on which students get to fill what crew position on one of the films selected.
These rules are only enforced when the crewing panel feels like it. This leaves the students who followed the rules in order to achieve their best and excel in the program out in the dust. Students who complain to the administration when things don’t go their way seem to get whatever they want, even when they do not deserve it. I have no sore feelings against my classmates who got to do the things they wanted on the films, because it was not their choice. Everyone puts in whatever amount of effort, and after that it is a complete wild card. I feel like there is no integrity in the selection/crewing processes. It didn’t matter whether I followed the rules or not. Students with terrible attendance records get to direct all the time. I received a non-passing grade on the last major sound exam… yet I was a sound mixer on the last film. I wanted to hold that position and asked to be a sound mixer, but if the rules were enforced, I should have been told no. I understand that crewing is difficult, but I also think the school should not set rules that they do not enforce.
4. The program is only a year long.
This is not enough time to get a comprehensive education in film production. You merely skim the surface of each department. I could have learned all of this by simply moving to Vancouver and volunteering on a few independent film sets. The first 6 months of the year there are classes about every department and then the last 6 months the class is divided into crews to make some short films. There is not enough time to retain the information that is thrown at you. And after the first 6 months, you only get experience in the few areas where instructors place you in the film crews.
I would recommend that U.S. citizens avoid VFS all together.
5. This program is so expensive.
It is not worth the money. I would recommend that U.S. citizens avoid VFS all together. It is twice as much than what Canadians pay and if you are a U.S. citizen, it is almost impossible to work in Canada. Also, all of the connections you make at VFS are Canadian connections that you can’t really use. I know a lot of Canadians who are truly disappointed in their experience with the program and they only paid half of what I did. I could have paid the same amount for a Graduate degree, and it is still a lot of money, but at least I would have a Graduate degree and not a silly little, meaningless diploma.
6. No demo reel.
At least everyone gets a demo reel at the end of the year, or so the website says. Actually nope, no demo reel for everyone. Students have to wait for their films to be completely finished in order to use the footage for a demo reel. They have to make it on their own time AFTER graduation. Most students don’t have access to the right equipment to make a professional looking reel once they leave the school. I tried coordinating with instructors and TAs to get the footage, but it was such a headache and when a staff member said they would send me something, they never did.
7. VFS does NOT pay for everything on your films.
The website for the Film Production Program states that they pay for the budget on the student films. They pay for the equipment, and give you a small sum for wardrobe, art, etc. But students are expected to put in at least $50 per show for catering, and for four shows, that is $200. Which may not seem like that much, but when you are barely getting by living in an expensive city, and when you have already paid over $50,000 dollars of tuition, another $200 is difficult to come by. If all of the students are paying between $30,000 and $60,000 for tuition, there is no reason why the school can’t help out with a catering budget. I’m sure they could get a good deal if they do a yearly contract with a local food and beverage company.
8. Charging a finders fee for accommodation.
VFS Admin helps you get settled into an apartment in Vancouver. They tell you that there are only rentals available that are $900-1200 a month. They don’t give you a lot of options, etc. Most people end up having to move to a smaller or less expensive place because VFS set them up in an apartment they can’t afford. They’ll tell you that this is what it is like to live in Vancouver, which is wrong. There are less expensive places; they just don’t care enough to help you. They also charge a $300 finders fee to help you find an apartment when they don’t really take the time to find out what your needs are.
9. Loans.
The VFS financial department borderline harassed me into taking out my gigantic loan to pay for tuition. They said that everyone takes this size loan out and that it wasn’t a big deal. I had to find a co-signer. My mom applied and was denied. I immediately got a call from the school urging that I find another cosigner. So I had my dad apply, and he was also declined. Sure enough, another call from VFS urging that I find another family member, a grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, ANYONE! I felt so pressured and stressed out by the constant phone calls and urgency from VFS. VFS admin does not care who you are, if you get the loan approved, if you get them a check you get into the school.
10. Most Films Get Swept Under the Rug
Every student in the Film Production Program works on 5 films: a documentary, 2 Midterm Dramas, and 2 Final Dramas. Out of the five films I worked on, VFS only put one of them on the internet (YouTube, the VFS website, and other online media outlets). Lucky for me, it was a film I directed which is a huge achievement, because VFS only puts the good films up on the web. So I guess I could feel good about my directing cababilities. It’s important to keep in mind that all of the films you see made at VFS are exceptions, only the good ones get put online. Even though each class produces 17 films (each person works on 5), only about 1 or 2 of them are good enough for VFS to put up on the web. Also, the film clips and special interviews and success stories that are up on the VFS website have been up there for years. When one VFS grad gets a film break, wins an award, etc… they milk it for all it’s worth and they milk it for years and years until something else comes along.
I could go on and on about what a mistake VFS was for me.
The Verdict
I think it’s fair to presume that if you’ve read this far, then you know where I stand on VFS. But just to be clear, I would not recommend VFS. I could go on and on about what a mistake VFS was for me and how poorly students are treated. If I could go back in time… I would NOT go to VFS. The only good thing was meeting my wonderful classmates and all of the other super cool, but unfortunately shortchanged students.
A fellow VFS graduate so perfectly stated, “The ‘school’ seems to me to be little more than an assembly line, ushering people in and out as quickly as possible, while giving no thought or care to their personal well-being: past present or future. Far greater priority is given to marketing and perception than to the actual quality of the learning experience it provides. VFS is not a school. It is a product. It does not have students or teachers. It has customers and employees.”
http://esparkman.blogspot.com/
(15 votes, average: 4.73 out of 5)
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Anonymous former employee
Ingrid
robert
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