Best College for learning Visual Effects

[GammaAzazel]

Hey, I have been searching the internet for a few weeks, if not a few months, trying to find some good VFX schools, and by far, the 15 pages of this thread has been the most helpful, even if the posts are outdated and the schools have changed. I would really appreciate some advice or information regarding some VFX schools I've collected since reading here.

FULLSAIL
ART INSTITUTE OF L.A.
SCAD - SAVANNAH GEORGIA
SHERIDAN - ONTARIO
Academy of Art -San Fran.
Gnomon - L.A.
Seneca - toronto, canada
Vancouver Film School
VIDEO SYMPHONY

Out of these colleges, which are the top 3 - 5 that stand out and are the best?

[TyDeL]

FULLSAIL
ART INSTITUTE OF L.A.
SCAD - SAVANNAH GEORGIA
SHERIDAN - ONTARIO
Academy of Art -San Fran.
Gnomon - L.A.
Seneca - toronto, canada
Vancouver Film School
VIDEO SYMPHONY

Out of these colleges, which are the top 3 - 5 that stand out and are the best?

Hey Gamma! I'm a fairly recent grad from AAU, and I've been doing pretty well in the industry so well, I can give you some more current insight, but it's of course going to be skewed by my own experience and conversations.

Just want to make the point that no matter which school you go to, the biggest factor on how well your education goes is you. Things you want to check into for the different schools is: their curriculum, and teachers, and the final product that is coming out of students their senior year. If you know what you want to specialize in within the VFX industry this will help even more, as the schools programs are dependent on the teachers who set them up and teach them.

Academy of Art - I certainly won't claim it's the best, I'd say it's up there in the top 5. I have many issues with the place, but bottom-line is that I can attest that the tools and resources are there if you can make use of them. There is certainly no hand-holding, teachers are mixed bag. You get the benefit of every teacher having industry experience, but that experience may be 5-15 years out of date. Has a strong foundation in traditional arts, you'll barely touch a computer for your first year or two, but this is what drew me to the school. I'd say AAU is a strong school to go to for Animation and Compositing. Unfortunately the Pixar employees have mostly withdrawn from teaching here as they have been for several years, but there is still a very strong curriculum for animation starting with 2D and beyond. I think the most unique thing about the Academy is that it really pushes towards collaborative and real-world projects. Compositors actually work on independent movies and music videos, Lighters work on Animation thesis projects, etc. Academy also seems like a great place for a Masters, lots of good classes and knowledgeable teachers. I have some issues with the curriculum, some of the teachers, the costs and the Lighting program which I focused on, but overall I was satisfied with the tools I got while I went there. I know quite a few animators that have gotten jobs out of school, including at Pixar, and I know several Lighters and Compositors from my class that are in the industry.

SCAD - The lighting program here has gone through the roof in the past few years. I've been seeing SCAD grads in Lighting everywhere, and their reels are very impressive. If I had to do it over again, and knew I wanted to get into Lighting, this would probably be the place I'd choose. Outside of Lighting, Shading, TD's, I haven't seen anyone else from SCAD, so I assume they don't have much of a curriculum for Compositing, Animation, Texture Painting, etc.

FULL SAIL - I've always been skeptical about this place, I visited it for a tour and I felt like I was on a used car lot, and I never looked back. The appeal of a 4 year degree in 2 years sounds great for the over-eager, but I don't think they have the best reputation. That said, I've met a lot of people from Full Sail, some really talented. Mostly Lighters, Compositors, Roto Paint Artists and Modelers. I think it might be a good option if you already have an artistic and technical background, if you're already vaugely familiar with the software, maybe you've been doing Gnomon Workshops and Digital Tutors projects and you kind of get the basics, then I could see a 2 year rushed degree working in your favor. If you want more baby-steps, I'd look elsewhere.

RINGLING - You left this school out, I think it's probably the most respected in the industry, it's the only one that requires a portfolio to get into, and their curriculum is intense. I've met quite a few people from here in the Industry, the curriculum is set up to make your own short film from the ground up. Starting with concept art, storyboards, modeling, texturing, animating, lighting, the whole deal. Sounds pretty intimidating, but awesome at the same time. I'm always a little jealous of students that went here, even though Lighting is pretty much non-existent. If you lean more towards the artsy side than the technical side, I'd consider them.

TEXAS A&M - I knew nothing of this school, but I've come across quite a few random people from here everywhere I've worked. It's much more of a technical/engineer oriented school. If you are more interested in the technical side of things, being a Technical Director, Shading Artist, Look Dev, Tools, etc. I'd check them out. I've heard one of their projects is to actually write your own render engine. Benefit of a background like that is you'll be vital to any company, and will have a much easier time finding work and holding a job.

can't really comment on the other places you listed, and I can't really rank them or pick a top 3 without knowing what your focus is. But I'm sure I gave you enough info to get a good idea, good luck!

[RiaFX]

The Best VFX School is in Vancouver Canada called Lost Boys Studios - School of VFX.

I have to say in my experience not all school are created equal. I have had several friends that have attended VFX schools ( I will not name names but they are the big players, you know who they are) and wasted a lot of money. Three of those friends transfer to Lost Boys Studios - School of VFX ( after spending too much money on the others school ) and they finally received a good education at Lost Boys and are now working in the industry.

I wish I had known back then so I could have saved them the time and money in the first place. So, if you are looking for a really good VFX school please check them out.