Good school to study post production

Dumb-Ask · 6th June 2007, 10:55 PM

Hi, I'm looking for a very good audio post production course that would last for about 1 year.it has to be less then $15K for an international student like me and can be anywhere in the world. I know how to use a DAW and done some video audio work and would really like to take it to the next level. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

georgia · 6th June 2007, 11:09 PM

Hi, screw the schools. They are mostly a waste of your money and time for post. I have yet to see an intern with even a remote understanding of what post is really about come out of a school. We get interns from just about *EVERY* post , music, recording, film school and/or college in america and the EU, we get interns from South America, Aus, Asia, Pacific Rim, NA, EU, UK.... don't waste your money. Find an internship program at a post facility and spend the money on a rig and books. Between a good internship program and the toys/books you'll get way more knowledge for your money... PLUS.. a big PLUS.... you'll have practical knowledge and resume/CV fodder.

cheers
geo

introvert · 7th June 2007, 12:00 AM

I attended Full Sail. While it did provide a decent foundation when I landed my first internship, I learned far more in three months as an intern (and more time following that as an assistant) than I did in a year at FS. And don't get me started on the ratio of tuition to gear time. Bleh.

I would definitely recommend following Georgia's advice here. There is nothing that can substitute for A) spending time on the gear and B) having someone experienced nearby to learn from. The trick is to find someone to work under that wants to teach you and doesn't mind questions (although, of course, knowing when and when not to ask is something an intern had better learn quickly). Some engineers are secretive, protective bastards. Others are totally open and willing to teach and help. My experience was that, if I handled my duties extremely well and never complained (despite having to bring people lunch, refill coffee, be a patch monkey, etc), the engineers were totally into helping me learn things. Eventually they trusted me enough to let me into the facility at night to work on my own projects. Every morning I'd have a question or two, they would answer, and the next night it would continue. I barely slept, but it was invaluable.

I came out of Full Sail a bright, talented guy with a somewhat decent amount of audio knowledge. Five grizzled, grumpy old audio guys turned me into a pro. My time at FS wasn't totally useless, but it wasn't anything I couldn't have learned on my own, had I known where to look. I cannot encourage you enough to find an internship somewhere.

santacore · 7th June 2007, 05:40 AM

I agree with the others, forget the schools. Instead, put that money towards gear and at the same time get an internship at a desirable post house. I'm serious, buy yourself a Pro Tools rig, get some books, and start learning and practicing at home. That combined with the internship will take you far. The internship with not only teach you tons of technical skills but it will also teach you very important social skills which will be invaluable. Social skills are just about equal with technical chops if you want to have a successful career. I wish I did this instead of giving my money to a school. If things don't work out you can always sell your gear, you can't do that with a diploma. Good luck!

DISCERN · 7th June 2007, 06:07 AM

You could try AFTRS. The Australian Film, Television and Radio School. They have courses in sound design, location recording and other aspects of production. The good part about the school is that they have students that focus on every disciple, from screen writing to directing, to film score writing etc, so you actually work with a lot of different people is very professional situations. Its quite often that students even get nominated for industry awards based on the work that they do at AFTRS. They have some nice gear too... A full 5.1 mix suite, Protools HD equipped studios, 2inch analog multitracks, seperate dedicated music, foley, and mix theatre studios, and video formats from digital right through to 35mm analog film.

Might be right up your alley.

JamieMB · 7th June 2007, 02:35 PM

Vancouver Film School has a course in Sound Design and ffeatures guest lecturers such as Randy Thom.

Sound Design for Visual Media - Training in Foley, Location, Music, and Game Audio using Pro Tools

bluestarbass · 7th June 2007, 07:34 PM

I think the tricky part is he asked for a school for post production. That is alot harder than finding an audio production school. For the record I agree with georgia. Especially as it applies to post production. I do have a degree in audio production. Im not saying its a waste of time, theres just alot of people graduating and those jobs are becomming fewer and fewer. Luckily I went to an actual college instead of a trade school and now I have a job in an unrelated field, something I couldnt do comming from a trade school, or at least that paid this well. I always thought the best way to learn post is to just learn under someone whos done it forever. If paying them makes you feel better then do it.

bluestarbass · 7th June 2007, 07:37 PM

nevermind I got post production and mastering confused. As you can see im not into post production at all, just audio production.

Dumb-Ask · 7th June 2007, 09:59 PM

Hi tnx everyone, these are really good recommendations. I did send some emails to some places but I think they keep getting many requests like mine from people that speak better English and can write a better cover latter, i might go to an English course first lol. Do you know any studios that are looking for interns at the moment? BTW, VFS will cost me a lot more then what i have to spend since im an internationals student and i think you have to be australian or an australian resident to study in AFTRS.

TWoZ · 8th June 2007, 03:38 AM

I went to Full Sail and loved it. Granted, post was only for 1 month, but most of the rest of the year was spent on building pro tools chops. Really helped me, personally. Had a great experience.

Soundproof · 8th June 2007, 07:39 AM

I think that education isn't at all needless and a waste of time. But I do think that you have to do a whole lot more than get a degree to accomplish what you're after.

I'm studying the fine art of film sound here in Helsinki and the whole program takes four years to complete. At the same time I'm working in a pro audio store in which I mostly spend my time building Pro Tools systems etc. And as of last month I've had my own little business starting up...

Whew, thank God it's Friday.

santacore · 8th June 2007, 03:50 PM

Good training at a school is definitely not a waste of time. I just feel that there are better ways to spend the $35,000+ dollars it costs to go to a school like Full Sail. Granted, Full Sail graduates are much better prepared then your average intern. But, the bottom line is most people still have to go through a lengthy internship before they get a low paying position. Sure I'd rather have a college graduate as my intern, but 5 years down the line is there going to be that much of a difference between the skill set of the Full Sail guy versus the average hard working guy. It's more about how bad you want it and how hard you're willing to work to get there. Bottom line, most guys would be better served using that $35K towards a new car, full HD rig, digital console, and tons of books and accessories.

soundfx · 8th June 2007, 04:07 PM

This is an echo of above.

Santacore has it absolutely right. I went to Full Sail as well, and while I gained a very broad introduction to post, it was in no way the true preparation I needed to do the job. Somehow, I managed to land an engineering position right out of school and with no experience, though that is totally the exception. I had never even considered doing post before Full Sail (wanted to be a music mixer). I do credit it with the intro, but I think most have a direction in mind already.

My true education happened on the job. So apprenticing as an intern is the way to go. Also, you will typically get hired as an intern based on your personality and drive, rather than on what school you went to. I could care less whether my intern went to Full Sail or UCLA. I can tell in five minutes whether the candidate is bright enough and desirous enough. AND if me or my clients are going to interact with them in confined spaces, I want to know that they will WANT to be there and won't drive me up the wall.

The amount of information available to us all is unprecedented in human history. Learn all you can for free and get an internship and work your way up. There is NO educational substitute for being in the studio and learning from those who already know.

Henchman · 9th June 2007, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieMB

Vancouver Film School has a course in Sound Design and ffeatures guest lecturers such as Randy Thom.

Sound Design for Visual Media - Training in Foley, Location, Music, and Game Audio using Pro Tools

\

Don't waste your money on VFS.
Remember, even Kevin Smith (clerks, etc) dropped out.
I've yet to run into a VFS graduate who knew what he was doing.
As far as CDIS (now the Artinstitue) waste of time and money as well.

Most of the people teaching at those schools have very little realworld experience, and alot of them are in fact ex-students who got hired right out of school to teach.
One of the guys where I work went to school at CDIS and knew more about Pro-Tools than the instructor.

nop · 10th June 2007, 09:44 PM

I think it's very subjective thing. Everyone have the same chance? Everyone have the same way to understanding something? How many people have a real experince in the realworld. How long you teach yourself to know everything in the post world? Is it good or bad that we have someone who wanna share their idea/experience(even it just a little thing. Don't they suppose to get something back? what we working for?).

what you pay for, it will turn to you or not it depend on yourself, isn't it?

ps. sorry for my poor english

Henchman · 10th June 2007, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nop

I think it's very subjective thing. Everyone have the same chance? Everyone have the same way to understanding something? How many people have a real experince in the realworld. How long you teach yourself to know everything in the post world? Is it good or bad that we have someone who wanna share their idea/experience(even it just a little thing. Don't they suppose to get something back? what we working for?).

what you pay for, it will turn to you or not it depend on yourself, isn't it?

ps. sorry for my poor english

I was taught absolutely nothing, zip, nada, about post-production in the school I went to.

Dumb-Ask · 10th June 2007, 11:18 PM

thank you for sharing your thoughts on this guys

soundguydave · 11th June 2007, 03:57 PM

Columbia College Chicago has the best sound program I know of. They have concentrations in all aspects of sound, music, post, live, acoustics, and they have great faculty to back it. The post department works with the film department, and there are an endless supply of student films to be mixed. Now its not a trade school, so it takes a few years to get through, but in the end you get a BA in sound and you also have taken general academic courses.

Henchman · 11th June 2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundguydave

Columbia College Chicago has the best sound program I know of. They have concentrations in all aspects of sound, music, post, live, acoustics, and they have great faculty to back it. The post department works with the film department, and there are an endless supply of student films to be mixed. Now its not a trade school, so it takes a few years to get through, but in the end you get a BA in sound and you also have taken general academic courses.

That makes way more sense instead of some quick, bang it out course.
At least then you coem out with a general recognized degree.

santacore · 11th June 2007, 05:42 PM

Quote:

I was taught absolutely nothing, zip, nada, about post-production in the school I went to.

The same with me, although at that time I didn't know much about post-production. I think finding a good program at a university is the way to go. Something like what soundguydave mentioned would be ideal. That way you get the university degree and a good education in post. That degree will probably help you a lot when the time comes for an internship or job. Most employer's prefer hiring someone that came from a 4 year college over a trade school. That's what I should have done, but I was young and stupid.

TWoZ · 12th June 2007, 11:01 AM

"Most employer's prefer hiring someone that came from a 4 year college over a trade school. "

I disagree with that statement.

In fact, I haven't found a single company/person who cares where someone comes from or what degree they hold -- only "what have you worked on?" or "Oh, you're HIS son, huh? You're hired."

In my experience, the degree doesn't mean anything.

soundguydave · 12th June 2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

"Most employer's prefer hiring someone that came from a 4 year college over a trade school. "

I disagree with that statement.

In fact, I haven't found a single company/person who cares where someone comes from or what degree they hold -- only "what have you worked on?" or "Oh, you're HIS son, huh? You're hired."

In my experience, the degree doesn't mean anything.

I agree totally. But for those of us that never worked on anything, and whose parents aren't somebody important, it can help to go to a reputable school that has good internship contacts. Then you add the "Oh, you worked for him/her?" scenario. It worked for me. But again, everybody will have a different experience and if somebody is talented and driven, they'll make it.

georgia · 15th June 2007, 01:55 AM

Hey,

I've got a Masters in Business Admin and a BS in Information Technologies... Doesn't do me a lick of good in this business.

cheers
geo

Henchman · 15th June 2007, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgia

Hey,

I've got a Masters in Business Admin and a BS in Information Technologies... Doesn't do me a lick of good in this business.

cheers
geo

True.
But if things went completely sideways, you'd have something to fall back to.

Me, I'm hooped. I simply HAVE to do well in this business, because it's all I've got.

zenkonami · 15th June 2007, 02:53 AM

Have to agree with Georgia on top on this one. Nothing beats raw experience. I went to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Arizona. It is, like all schools, what you put into it that counts. I learned a lot of theory, and got some good hands on BUT I still felt completely unprepared coming out into the "real world" (and I did quite well at school.)

Best thing I really got out of school was the network of people I'll know for the rest of my life.

But I think if you can put the money in the gear, and start with small simple projects, you might be better off when it comes to post. See if you can convince someone to take you on an internship for free so you can see behind the scenes, or even just hang out at a post facility (what's the worst they can say...no?) Build clients, build contacts, learn how to use the tools by actually doing it and trying stuff (college student projects are a great place to pick up work for free, so the pressure is lower when starting out) and of course, use gearslutz! Ask questions!

I figure you got this sussed by now. Save your $15k for tools. Though I'm glad I learned what I did and met who I did, sometimes I wish I'd saved my $15k for tools.

-Zen

soundguydave · 15th June 2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgia

Hey,

I've got a Masters in Business Admin and a BS in Information Technologies... Doesn't do me a lick of good in this business.

cheers
geo

Are you being sarcastic? I would think having a business degree would be a tremendous asset, especially to those who wish to run their own studio. And the IT degree couldn't hurt either.

My philosophy is the more you know to give an edge over the next guy, the better. What if it came down between to candidates for a job, and they have the same audio experience. The studio manager can then look and see that this candidate has a degree in IT, so they can also help me expand my network later down the road.

Sound Chaser · 15th June 2007, 04:33 PM

There is a place for school.

While I definitely agree that most media schools are a total waste of money, it depends on your situation.

Like many people, I have been an audio music engineer for 20 years. I am now trying to make the jump to film/post. I will be attending a post graduate course at Sheridan which is Canada's premiere school for film. The cost is $10K for two semesters.

This program, short in duration and very intense will quickly fill in all the holes in my knowledge. It will also give me a post graduate education, which more and more large establishments are demanding. I already have a ton of gear and a high end editing station. I am also interning at Rogers communications, the second largest broadcaster in Canada.

In spite of this and my advanced age, I have elected to go to school.

Henchman · 15th June 2007, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sound Chaser

There is a place for school.

While I definitely agree that media schools are a total waste of money, it depends on your situation.

Like many people, I have been an audio music engineer for 20 years. I am now trying to make the jump to film/post. I will be attending a post graduate course at Sheridan which is Canada's premiere school for film. The cost is $10K for two semesters.

This program, short in duration and very intense will quickly fill in all the holes in my knowledge. It will also give me a post graduate education, which more and more large establishments are demanding. I already have a ton of gear and a high end editing station. I am also interning at Rogers communications, the second largest broadcaster in Canada.

In spite of this and my advance age, I have elected to go to school.

If you want to get into post, try and get an internship at a post facility. That will do you way more good than an internship at Rogers.
I understand they're building a huge new Film Stduio in town, that they are hopign will bring bigger work to Toronto.
However, I also know that alot of peopel have been leaving there. becasue teh works has really dried up.
I suggest you get some kind of degree. That will help you get a residence Visa when you move to where the work is. IE, London, LA or New York.

BTW, what is your "advanced age".

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6th June 2007, 10:55 PM	#1
Dumb-Ask Gear nut Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: brazil Posts: 76	Good school to study post production Hi, I'm looking for a very good audio post production course that would last for about 1 year.it has to be less then $15K for an international student like me and can be anywhere in the world. I know how to use a DAW and done some video audio work and would really like to take it to the next level. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Cheers, __________________ Eduardo Amaral

6th June 2007, 11:09 PM	#2
georgia Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NY NY Posts: 524	Hi, screw the schools. They are mostly a waste of your money and time for post. I have yet to see an intern with even a remote understanding of what post is really about come out of a school. We get interns from just about EVERY post , music, recording, film school and/or college in america and the EU, we get interns from South America, Aus, Asia, Pacific Rim, NA, EU, UK.... don't waste your money. Find an internship program at a post facility and spend the money on a rig and books. Between a good internship program and the toys/books you'll get way more knowledge for your money... PLUS.. a big PLUS.... you'll have practical knowledge and resume/CV fodder. cheers geo __________________ ms georgia hilton mpse cas Creative Director World Wide Audio Inc NY NY www.leviathan.us.com www.globalaudio.net www.imdb.com/name/nm0385255/resume When I am laid in earth, may my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast. Remember me, but ah, forget my fate. - Dido and Aeneas,* ARIA*

7th June 2007, 05:40 AM	#4
santacore Gear addict Join Date: May 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 380	I agree with the others, forget the schools. Instead, put that money towards gear and at the same time get an internship at a desirable post house. I'm serious, buy yourself a Pro Tools rig, get some books, and start learning and practicing at home. That combined with the internship will take you far. The internship with not only teach you tons of technical skills but it will also teach you very important social skills which will be invaluable. Social skills are just about equal with technical chops if you want to have a successful career. I wish I did this instead of giving my money to a school. If things don't work out you can always sell your gear, you can't do that with a diploma. Good luck! __________________ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1219697/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endID=27239921

7th June 2007, 09:59 PM	#9
Dumb-Ask Gear nut Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: brazil Posts: 76	Hi tnx everyone, these are really good recommendations. I did send some emails to some places but I think they keep getting many requests like mine from people that speak better English and can write a better cover latter, i might go to an English course first lol. Do you know any studios that are looking for interns at the moment? BTW, VFS will cost me a lot more then what i have to spend since im an internationals student and i think you have to be australian or an australian resident to study in AFTRS. __________________ Eduardo Amaral

7th June 2007, 12:00 AM	#3
introvert Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 259	I attended Full Sail. While it did provide a decent foundation when I landed my first internship, I learned far more in three months as an intern (and more time following that as an assistant) than I did in a year at FS. And don't get me started on the ratio of tuition to gear time. Bleh. I would definitely recommend following Georgia's advice here. There is nothing that can substitute for A) spending time on the gear and B) having someone experienced nearby to learn from. The trick is to find someone to work under that wants to teach you and doesn't mind questions (although, of course, knowing when and when not to ask is something an intern had better learn quickly). Some engineers are secretive, protective bastards. Others are totally open and willing to teach and help. My experience was that, if I handled my duties extremely well and never complained (despite having to bring people lunch, refill coffee, be a patch monkey, etc), the engineers were totally into helping me learn things. Eventually they trusted me enough to let me into the facility at night to work on my own projects. Every morning I'd have a question or two, they would answer, and the next night it would continue. I barely slept, but it was invaluable. I came out of Full Sail a bright, talented guy with a somewhat decent amount of audio knowledge. Five grizzled, grumpy old audio guys turned me into a pro. My time at FS wasn't totally useless, but it wasn't anything I couldn't have learned on my own, had I known where to look. I cannot encourage you enough to find an internship somewhere.

7th June 2007, 06:07 AM	#5
DISCERN Gear addict Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 401	You could try AFTRS. The Australian Film, Television and Radio School. They have courses in sound design, location recording and other aspects of production. The good part about the school is that they have students that focus on every disciple, from screen writing to directing, to film score writing etc, so you actually work with a lot of different people is very professional situations. Its quite often that students even get nominated for industry awards based on the work that they do at AFTRS. They have some nice gear too... A full 5.1 mix suite, Protools HD equipped studios, 2inch analog multitracks, seperate dedicated music, foley, and mix theatre studios, and video formats from digital right through to 35mm analog film. Might be right up your alley.

7th June 2007, 02:35 PM	#6
JamieMB Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 191	Vancouver Film School has a course in Sound Design and ffeatures guest lecturers such as Randy Thom. Sound Design for Visual Media - Training in Foley, Location, Music, and Game Audio using Pro Tools

7th June 2007, 07:34 PM	#7
bluestarbass Gear addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 324	I think the tricky part is he asked for a school for post production. That is alot harder than finding an audio production school. For the record I agree with georgia. Especially as it applies to post production. I do have a degree in audio production. Im not saying its a waste of time, theres just alot of people graduating and those jobs are becomming fewer and fewer. Luckily I went to an actual college instead of a trade school and now I have a job in an unrelated field, something I couldnt do comming from a trade school, or at least that paid this well. I always thought the best way to learn post is to just learn under someone whos done it forever. If paying them makes you feel better then do it.

7th June 2007, 07:37 PM	#8
bluestarbass Gear addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 324	nevermind I got post production and mastering confused. As you can see im not into post production at all, just audio production.

8th June 2007, 03:38 AM	#10
TWoZ Gear Head Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 72	I went to Full Sail and loved it. Granted, post was only for 1 month, but most of the rest of the year was spent on building pro tools chops. Really helped me, personally. Had a great experience.

8th June 2007, 07:39 AM	#11
Soundproof Gear nut Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hellsinki Posts: 82	I think that education isn't at all needless and a waste of time. But I do think that you have to do a whole lot more than get a degree to accomplish what you're after. I'm studying the fine art of film sound here in Helsinki and the whole program takes four years to complete. At the same time I'm working in a pro audio store in which I mostly spend my time building Pro Tools systems etc. And as of last month I've had my own little business starting up... Whew, thank God it's Friday. __________________ Tomi K.

8th June 2007, 03:50 PM	#12
santacore Gear addict Join Date: May 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 380	Good training at a school is definitely not a waste of time. I just feel that there are better ways to spend the $35,000+ dollars it costs to go to a school like Full Sail. Granted, Full Sail graduates are much better prepared then your average intern. But, the bottom line is most people still have to go through a lengthy internship before they get a low paying position. Sure I'd rather have a college graduate as my intern, but 5 years down the line is there going to be that much of a difference between the skill set of the Full Sail guy versus the average hard working guy. It's more about how bad you want it and how hard you're willing to work to get there. Bottom line, most guys would be better served using that $35K towards a new car, full HD rig, digital console, and tons of books and accessories. __________________ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1219697/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endID=27239921

8th June 2007, 04:07 PM	#13
soundfx Gear nut Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 131	This is an echo of above. Santacore has it absolutely right. I went to Full Sail as well, and while I gained a very broad introduction to post, it was in no way the true preparation I needed to do the job. Somehow, I managed to land an engineering position right out of school and with no experience, though that is totally the exception. I had never even considered doing post before Full Sail (wanted to be a music mixer). I do credit it with the intro, but I think most have a direction in mind already. My true education happened on the job. So apprenticing as an intern is the way to go. Also, you will typically get hired as an intern based on your personality and drive, rather than on what school you went to. I could care less whether my intern went to Full Sail or UCLA. I can tell in five minutes whether the candidate is bright enough and desirous enough. AND if me or my clients are going to interact with them in confined spaces, I want to know that they will WANT to be there and won't drive me up the wall. The amount of information available to us all is unprecedented in human history. Learn all you can for free and get an internship and work your way up. There is NO educational substitute for being in the studio and learning from those who already know.

10th June 2007, 09:44 PM	#15
nop Gear interested Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 6	I think it's very subjective thing. Everyone have the same chance? Everyone have the same way to understanding something? How many people have a real experince in the realworld. How long you teach yourself to know everything in the post world? Is it good or bad that we have someone who wanna share their idea/experience(even it just a little thing. Don't they suppose to get something back? what we working for?). what you pay for, it will turn to you or not it depend on yourself, isn't it? ps. sorry for my poor english

10th June 2007, 11:18 PM	#17
Dumb-Ask Gear nut Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: brazil Posts: 76	thank you for sharing your thoughts on this guys __________________ Eduardo Amaral

11th June 2007, 03:57 PM	#18
soundguydave Gear maniac Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 290	Columbia College Chicago has the best sound program I know of. They have concentrations in all aspects of sound, music, post, live, acoustics, and they have great faculty to back it. The post department works with the film department, and there are an endless supply of student films to be mixed. Now its not a trade school, so it takes a few years to get through, but in the end you get a BA in sound and you also have taken general academic courses.

12th June 2007, 11:01 AM	#21
TWoZ Gear Head Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 72	"Most employer's prefer hiring someone that came from a 4 year college over a trade school. " I disagree with that statement. In fact, I haven't found a single company/person who cares where someone comes from or what degree they hold -- only "what have you worked on?" or "Oh, you're HIS son, huh? You're hired." In my experience, the degree doesn't mean anything.

15th June 2007, 01:55 AM	#23
georgia Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NY NY Posts: 524	Hey, I've got a Masters in Business Admin and a BS in Information Technologies... Doesn't do me a lick of good in this business. cheers geo __________________ ms georgia hilton mpse cas Creative Director World Wide Audio Inc NY NY www.leviathan.us.com www.globalaudio.net www.imdb.com/name/nm0385255/resume When I am laid in earth, may my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast. Remember me, but ah, forget my fate. - Dido and Aeneas,* ARIA*

15th June 2007, 02:53 AM	#25
zenkonami Gear nut Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Hollywood Posts: 106	Have to agree with Georgia on top on this one. Nothing beats raw experience. I went to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Arizona. It is, like all schools, what you put into it that counts. I learned a lot of theory, and got some good hands on BUT I still felt completely unprepared coming out into the "real world" (and I did quite well at school.) Best thing I really got out of school was the network of people I'll know for the rest of my life. But I think if you can put the money in the gear, and start with small simple projects, you might be better off when it comes to post. See if you can convince someone to take you on an internship for free so you can see behind the scenes, or even just hang out at a post facility (what's the worst they can say...no?) Build clients, build contacts, learn how to use the tools by actually doing it and trying stuff (college student projects are a great place to pick up work for free, so the pressure is lower when starting out) and of course, use gearslutz! Ask questions! I figure you got this sussed by now. Save your $15k for tools. Though I'm glad I learned what I did and met who I did, sometimes I wish I'd saved my $15k for tools. -Zen __________________ -Nick www.mmexperiment.com "It don't mean a thing to me unless I see it on TV So just launch that satellite and get it right" -- ChromaKey

15th June 2007, 04:33 PM	#27
Sound Chaser Gear nut Join Date: May 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 97	Never knock an education There is a place for school. While I definitely agree that most media schools are a total waste of money, it depends on your situation. Like many people, I have been an audio music engineer for 20 years. I am now trying to make the jump to film/post. I will be attending a post graduate course at Sheridan which is Canada's premiere school for film. The cost is $10K for two semesters. This program, short in duration and very intense will quickly fill in all the holes in my knowledge. It will also give me a post graduate education, which more and more large establishments are demanding. I already have a ton of gear and a high end editing station. I am also interning at Rogers communications, the second largest broadcaster in Canada. In spite of this and my advanced age, I have elected to go to school.