Full Sail University

I've found I've always learned far more from working side by side with working professionals than any type of a school. A school is good for theory. Working side by side with a professional teaches you how to get around obsticles and what you need to know to be valuable in your field.
 
An interesting perspective, Maazer.

So you believe if you had spent the (what is it; two years?)
working on sets you wouldn’t be anywhere near where you are today?

I actually chose the film route on a hunch that I'd enjoy it. I've had no previous teachings, or thoughts other than an interest in editing. Never had a dream of being a Speilberg. I was interested in Full Sail's game development program, but was swayed once I took the film tour. It was a life change, and I couldn't be satisfied any other way.

If I hadn't attended the school, I definitely wouldn't be where I'm at today. I'd probably be a struggling musician with an AA degree. I think that regular film programs teach a lot of theory and not enough tech. You need tech knowledge - that's how you survive in the real world. Sure, everyone should know a little theory, but it's the hands-on stuff that gets you work.

Though this has never prevented me from getting work, and hate saying this on this forum - I may be the only film grad who hasn't seen Pulp Fiction.
 
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If you really want to slog through it this thread has been running on GearSlutz for five years now.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/moan-zone/72522-full-sail-graduates.html

In acknowledgment to this thread, you can't blame a school for a poorly educated student. You must blame the student. I work with other grads all the time in LA. They're hit or miss, but this is judging by their work ethic and attitude. Immediately after graduation, I've been able to walk onto sets and easily adapt to every aspect of the gig. On my first gig of a 35mm short film, I worked my way up from set PA to Camera PA by the end of the day.

It's a matter of how you apply yourself. I had a lot of schmucks and schleps in my class that surmounted to nothing. They slept and played flash games on their Macbooks all day. I've networked with the best kids in the class and currently work with them on my own projects here in LA. Like I mentioned, it's how you take in the experience and apply it in the real world.
 
Full Sail University is a waste of time and money.

http://fullsailuniversityreview.blogspot.com/
read it and repost it. Friends don't let friends spend money on a crappy education

I HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT THIS SCHOOL. The only people that seem to be happy with their Full Sail education are either young, naive, students currently enrolled or young, naive, recent grads. Either way, both groups are too young and inexperienced to know any better. The school is a big money-making machine for Jon Phelps, Garry Jones and the rest of the dirtbags that own the school and real estate surrounding it.

The only thing I can think of that would be more foolish than physically attending the school would be to enroll in on-line classes. Search on-line.... they are still hiring instructors for this degree program. Sometimes I wish I had thought up something as stupid as an on-line digital cinematography degree.... shit, PT Barnum was right and Garry and Jon and working the angle. Anybody out there up for a few games of three card monty?

You can find forum threads that go back years and years about how awful the education is at this place. Full Sail has had well over 30,000 graduates and you hear from a very, very few of them afterwards. Every year Full Sail has their Hall of Fame dog and pony show. They march out the same few people and give them the red carpet treatment hoping that they can convince the outside world that Full Sail is awesome and worth $80,000.... you too can become an overworked, underpaid day laborer in some branch of the entertainment industry... and if this is what you want, you don't have to spend the money on a crap education to get it.
 
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