In high-school, I liked making short films. Chances were, if I wasn’t at school, I was filming, editing, or writing my next masterpiece. I had even won several student film festivals. By the time I graduated, I knew I was going to go to film school. With few choices and limited information to go on, I chose VFS. It was probably the most reputable film school an aspiring film maker could attend.
How Did I End Up at VFS?
Around the same time I learned of a scholarship contest Vancouver Film School (VFS) was sponsoring. I submitted several of my films and was selected as a $5,000 finalist. Ironically, I had entered thinking the prize would be redeemable for any VFS program. Instead, the prize was only for the newly minted Foundation Visual Art and Design stream, a program with only 4 graduating class before mine. Still, it was an opportunity worth seizing.
I would later learn that a significant number of students from our class had taken out student loans to pay for tuition.
At the time, the Foundation Program cost $14,000 so I was still $9,000 short. With this looming over my head the VFS advisor suggested I take out a student loan. In fact, the process was surprisingly efficient. Before I knew it, I had borrowed over $10,000 from the Canadian government. I would later learn that a significant number of students from our class had taken out student loans to pay for tuition. We eventually came to the conclusion that it was probably in the best interest of VFS for students to be able to pay for the program, even if they couldn’t afford it.
Learning the Basics
The Foundation program is exactly what it sounds like. In fact, it has since become the prerequisite to attending any of the production programs. It is structured in such a way that when you graduate, you should be able to transition smoothly into film, animation, 3-D, or any other major programs. You will take several beginner courses in a variety of media aimed to build your perspective within art. Aspiring illustrators will make films. Film makers will draw live nudes. 3-D modelers will practice acting.
This is the strongest argument one can make for the Foundation program: you can sample before buying.
This is the strongest argument one can make for the Foundation program: you can sample before buying. This proved very true for me. I was fresh out of high school and had idealistic notions of what I could do in film. As the terms progressed, I realized that film wasn’t for me. Speaking to teachers, students, and working in productions made me realize that it wasn’t creating the films that I loved; it was the editing. It was working with computers and learning the nuances of all the different programs. And because Foundation offered a variety of courses I was able to transition from film to digital design.
Choosing Your Path
In the last few terms of the program, after sampling all the media forms, students are given the opportunity to choose a “stream” where they will spend the last few months producing one portfolio piece. From there, students only attend “advanced” classes related to their particular stream. This however is the program’s Achilles heel. Students will never learn enough about that particular stream to produce any quality work. As such, the best work is always created by those with prior experience. This sentiment was shared within our class. For many, they felt they had wasted ¾ of the program on classes they did not need. Acting, writing, art history are important, but are not necessarily relevant when it comes to animation or design. If students could stream earlier, therefore allowing them to learn more about their respective fields, the Foundations Program would be much more successful.
The Verdict
Now for the most important part, I would recommend this program….but there is a caveat, I paid only $9,000. The Foundation Program now costs $19,750. Considering, this is supposed to be coupled with another VFS production program, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody able to pay for both programs back-to-back. For this reason alone, I cannot justify anyone spending close to $20,000 on the program.
I would recommend this program….but there is a caveat, I paid only $9,000. The Foundation Program now costs $19,750.
I will however acknowledge the role that Foundation had on my learning experience. As somebody who knew nothing about art and design, it brought me up to speed with the current trends in each industry. Animators will learn ToonBoom, film makers will learn After Effects, and 3D animators learn XSI. Coupled with all the theoretical classes, Foundation definitely provided me with a solid base to move forward from. And these are the types of students I hope will attend Foundation. If you come in with little or no knowledge of art and design, the $19,750 might be worth it.
As for those that do have experience, I would say skip it and attend a production program directly. If you can’t prove to the advisors that you’re ready for the program, save your money and learn as much about your field in your spare time as possible. Build up your portfolio and then come back when you’re truly ready. I believe the people that are most successful in any VFS program, are those that already live and breathe animation, design, or film. They know what they want to become, and VFS is a just a means of getting there.
Take a look at Foundation’s Showcase for example. At the time of this review, there are 13 videos. I know first hand that 3 of these students had prior experience coming into Foundation. In fact, my video is up there. For these 13 successes, there must be hundreds of Foundation Alumni, yet their work is nowhere to be found.
A Few Last Words
VFS is the right place only for the right people. You must live and breathe art and design. You have a year to dedicate yourself to learning as much as possible. The premium you pay reflects the amount of time you will have to produce your portfolio. The hardware, software, and teachers are all there, but without the motivation, drive, and talent you can only go so far. The VFS advisors won’t tell you this. They get paid whether you’re capable or not. Save your $19,750 unless you are ready, you’d be wasting it otherwise.
As for me, I was to attend the Digital Design program but realized I could not afford the price tag. Ultimately, I chose a 4-year degree instead of a 1-year diploma and am now attending SFU’s SIAT program. There are of course setbacks to this way of thinking and you can find out more by reading my review of SFU’s SIAT program.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Aditya Talwar
SPGR
Mike
CRH
derek
Good read, Michael. I totally agree on a lot of points – the price, for the most part.