Visual Effects Degree: A Good Investment?
Many film schools now offer visual effects degrees in addition to the standard film school degree. Technically, this is a much sounder investment than a film degree, as jobs in the VFX industry are ample and should continue to grow as 3D technology gets more popular and CGI becomes part of nearly every major movie made.
Consider that the original Total Recall made back in the 90s didn’t employ many computer based VFX pros. The explosions and effects from those days were mostly models and actual pyrotechnics. But now that the movie is being remade (unfortunately) you can bet your ass the payroll includes tons of VFX artists for explosions, gunfire, and backgrounds galore.
But once again, as with film, the internet and the availability of cheaper technology and training has turned things upside down.
Visual Effects Jobs: Degree or Reel?
When I first got to LA I had a temp job doing data entry at Activision (thanks to my prestigious film degree, I’m sure). Part of my job was to file and sort resumes from candidates for programming and, more importantly, 3D artist and VFX positions at the company.
Across the board, I was shocked by what I saw. (This was 6 years ago, before I realized what a waste college is). The incredible portfolios and resumes in front of me rarely included any formal training in After Effects, 3D Studio Max, Maya, or any of the other VFX software that was around back then. Sure there were some students who went to art schools, but many of the most in demand applicants were just kids who taught themselves how to do these things.
And I realized that many of these under 25 year old geeks were being pursued by major companies for 6 figure positions.
Once again, the main factor had nothing to do with the schooling itself, but rather the quality of the images, animations, and effects you could create.
Cut to 2012, where a few thousand dollars can buy you your own multimedia workstation with professional VFX software and training tutorials. The big question is: what’s the difference between training yourself on these platforms versus school?
The simple answer is: about $85,000.
Many sites offer online training and walkthroughs training you in about every geeky specialty you can imagine. Other software companies like RedGiant include detailed tutorials on how to use their software.
At the end of the day I believe that a driven, smart, creative young person with a thirst for VFX can teach themselves a lot faster and cheaper than attending any school.
HOWEVER, compared with film school it seems like a much better investment. It’s completely absurd to pay $40,000 a year to learn where to put lights in a scene or what an f stop does. But paying that much to get personalized instruction on these complex computer programs makes more sense. Additionally the job placement stats for these majors is pretty darn good with good reason, these jobs are in demand.
By the same token, you can always find experienced VFX artists who are offering their expertise up for much less online. Personally, when I see what some kids are able to do with just a little bit of toying around with After Effects, it blows my mind. Consider this video “Cardboard Warfare”:
These guys used some imagination and some simple After Effects techniques to create realistic gunfire and action. They also used social media to make the video viral and it has more than 5 million views, all with no film school.
This other video from some guys in Italy is inspired by Dragonball Z. Fast forward to 1 minute for the good action, but they combined some FX with some decent fight choreography. If they’d shot this on a higher res camera and actually had a story it would be a kick ass part of a movie… again with no film school:
And this is just from a couple of people who probably got free training off the internet.
I suggest checking out http://www.fxphd.com/, which only costs about $300 for 3 classes and compare their cirriculum to whatever is offered at the film schools that are charging $40,000 a year and see what you think.
And finally there is videocopilot.com which has one of the best free AE tutorials available. And I’m sure the same info they give away for free here costs a ton in film school.
Best Re-Edited Trailers/Movie Sequences
I’ve seen my share of bad trailer and scene recuts on youtube. You can usually tell if one is a dud right when you click on the video, because there will be a big fat red bar showing how many people dislike the recut.
But every so often people get it right. These examples are relatively old, but still hysterical in my mind. First off you’ve got the Luke Skywalker OCD clip:
This is a great exercise to challenge yourself with. Finding moments, beats, or reactions from famous movies like this innocuous scene from “Star Wars” and changing it around so it has a completely different meaning.
These video recuts definitely work best for dramatic or serious movies, and the intended outcome is usually humor. Think of your favorite dramas and imagine what you could change up in certain scenes to make it seem a lot more ridiculous.
I think the scene that inspired the OCD clip was actually this re-cut of Darth Vader being an asshole. Check this one out:
Now so many people are trying to recut and spoof famous films that it’s really a good exercise to make one that doesn’t suck.
Another great example is this trailer that won a genre switch trailer contest. The idea was to take a movie of a particular genre and re-cut it so it looks like a trailer for a movie from a totally different genre. In this case the editor used the Stephen King/Stanley Kubrick horror movie ‘The Shining’
When you watch this vid you’ll see a ton of other trailer re-cuts but none of them really capture it like “The Shining”. This one that tries to make “Nightmare on Elm Street” a comedy kind of works, though the voiceover could be better.
The music is really key. The final sequence where she is beating up Freddy, that music is PERFECT. The opening Third Eye Blind music works too though it goes on a little too long and is a little too loud. If the opening music were a little more subtle and instrumental, then went into the Boogeyman song I think it would have been better.
But in general, these are great fun. I had yet to see one successfully cut of a comedy that turns it into a serious… until I saw this brilliant re-cut of “The Hangover”. Check out how tight this is and how the music really does all the work:
So… do you have a favorite movie you’d like to re-cut? Or is there a great re-cut trailer that I missed?
Pathetic Film School Job Opp. List 1/12
As an alumni of NYU Film School I was just transferred to the Tisch Alumni Career network, which basically puts you into a database that collects thousands of jobs ops from big job websites and conglomerates them into one place. I think it was too much work and cost too much money for the school to have any dedicated, competent industry connected person actually building and nurturing relationships within the biz anymore.
Anyhow, if you’re thinking of going to NYU (or any other film school), take a look at this sample of recent job ops:
Remember, Thousands of Grads Fighting Over These Opps
Okay, so first off there are clearly some dance and fine art opps in there. But that’s nothing new, you’ll typically see irrelevant jobs mixed in with the scraps of real film work available. But still, these are prime job opps from a very expensive school!
You’ve got… Research Assistant, Visitor Assistant, Greeter… (kind of like at Wal Mart!) PR Manager, Sound Technician for a theater….Assistant, Assistant, Researcher, Assistant. Awesome.
Of course, one of my students just got in touch with a local filmmaker and is now editing, shooting, and gripping on high def commercials with no previous experience.
I don’t care what your SAT score is, you are completely brain dead if you apply to schools that provide job opportunities like this. Isn’t one of the big selling points on film school that it gets you “connected”? Bullshit. Most incoming freshman have no idea the lame job opps available after graduation, but if you’ve reached this page you can no longer live in ignorance.
Film schools do not take care of their graduates. Take “Film School Secrets“, save yourself a shitload of money, and learn how to get on real film sets for free and start your career the smart way.
Sherlock Holmes Has Kicked Ass for Centuries
I just watched “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows” and I must say, well played. Guy Ritchie seems to have focus grouped the heck out of the first movie and decided to eliminate everything audiences didn’t like from the previous installment out. That includes Rachel MacAdams, who has very little screen time in the new movie.
No, the new Sherlock Holmes movie has a lot more in common with “The Naked Gun” and “The Matrix”. than “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. There’s a joke about every 30 seconds or so and even though it’s extremely violent the underlying tone is playful, like you’re spending 2 hours with that hilarious guy from the bar who is always getting sloshed and making great jokes. In this case, that guy is Robert Downey, Jr.
Downey’s Holmes is an opium smoking maladjusted genius. His ability to “see everything” carries over into fighting scenes where we get Matrix esque slo mo explanations of each hit and dodge and tarry. In this entry, Holmes is up against the rival of so many classic Doyle stories: Professor Morirarity, who just may be out to engineer a “World War” between all the great powers of Europe in the late 19th century.
The movie delivers laughs and enough plausible suspense for everyone in the theater to cheer and gasp when all the right notes were pushed. Towards the end the incessant camera movements got a little ridiculous and the audience I was with started laughing during a scene that was supposed to be climactic action… but hey, what can you do?
The movie did make me reflect on the Holmes legacy, as my 22 year old companion had never heard of his Holmes as a literary character. (In fact, when asked if she liked the first movie she said, “It’s hard for me to say, because I was mostly just staring at Robert Downey, Jr.) The character has been a huge hit since the stories were written in the late 1800s by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Like the author in “Misery”, Doyle grew tired of concocting mysteries and wanted to write something more serious, so he killed of his most beloved character. There was a public outcry and Doyle brought Holmes back to life later.
The character was brought to life in many movies in Britain over the years, but none so loudly as Guy Ritchie’s interpretation.
The public seems to love mysteries and really smart people who can figure them out. Perhaps it’s an expression of a desire to actually make sense of our own lives. The theme has followed with the staggering popularity of shows like “CSI” and “Numbers” which employ the same formula of setting up a mystery and having someone who seems smarter than us use their brain and science and deduction to figure things out.
However, my favorite Holmes movie is one from the 80s, during my childhood years. “Young Sherlock Holmes” is a movie directed by Barry Levinson that imagines the meeting of Holmes and Watson and his first real case. It’s actually a very tight thriller with some real character, and some scary moments involving a hallucinatory poison dart and witchcraft.
The movie is a cult classic, with over 138 reviews on Amazon and a 4.5 out of 5 star average rating.
I actually prefer this movie to last year’s Sherlock Holmes, even though both were enjoyable. The older one has a little more imagination and less flash to it.
My Thoughts on a Liberal Education
I keep getting questions from students and parents regarding college. Though many people are starting to realize that film school is a waste, the next question becomes “well, then what should I major in?” Rather than respond individually to these many inquiries I have decided to republish this response I sent to one of my students.
A also highly recommend everyone check out the following websites and articles:
1. The Huffington Post’s ongoing chronicle of Unemployed College Graduates:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/21/the-unemployment-chronicl_n_653641.html#undefined
2. This article on how 85 percent, yes eighty five freaking percent of college grads are moving home in 2011! That’s right, even with their degrees, most students can’t even figure out how to make enough money to pay rent. Read the in depth study:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/college-graduates-moving-home-debt_n_861849.html
3. This recent article on the top 11 most unemployable majors:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/08/the-11-majors-with-the-hi_n_1081625.html
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Hi J,I can appreciate your situation with your Mother, even though I come from a different background. I used to argue with my Mother as well. In my family we all went to college, but I still have two cousins who graduated from school and have no idea what they are doing.
First, read this article: http://www.martynemko.com/articles/americas-most-overrated-product-higher-education_id1539 I find that the issue of college is more about class differences than anything. People who didn’t go have this perception that they “missed out” on something. Truthfully, I don’t believe college makes you “well rounded” at all. It is a cultural myth. What it does provide, for a lot of people, is 4 years of a summer camp type environment. You live in a dorm with other people your age. There’s a lot of sex, drinking, and drugs. And some classes. The best thing that I got our of college was losing my virginity 1 week in. That was awesome. But as far as the classes in college impacting your life, this is a complete myth I believe. I went to NYU and graduated in 3.5 years with honors. I took classes in physics, English, film, history, and anthropology. Were some of these classes interesting? Sure. Were some boring? Absolutely. Did any of them help shape me into the person I am today? Not at all. And personally, I hated writing term papers and taking tests. It’s such nonsense! College courses are just a more intense version of high school courses in these subjects. Longer papers, etc. Personally my real growth in life occurred after school in the world. I lived in Hawaii, in the woods of Northern California, met interesting new people and learned about life by living it. I took continuing education classes and meditation classes and read books and learned a ton about life. Never at one moment did I think back to any of the classes I took in school. I think the idea that college makes you “well rounded” is a cultural myth from the 70s and 80s. People I know who were douchebags before they went to college didn’t change much from taking some literature classes. At NYU they were so pretentious and said that “their students make better films” because of the liberal arts classes. That’s such horseshit. No 20 year old makes a film of any depth or substance because he read “Huckleberry Finn” for the 10th time and wrote a paper on it. Also there is tremendous cultural pressure to go to college. I know one blogger who tells people not to send their kids to college, and sometimes he gets death threats because people are so weird and emotional about this issue. Like it’s blashphemy to speak out against going to college as a viable life choice. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-altucher/dont-send-your-kids-to-co_b_409900.html But this pressure to go to college, in my opinion, is as prevalent and destructive as the pressure to get married. If you aren’t old enough to know people who feel pressure to get married, take note. It’s the same kind of weird cultural pressure. But we have a divorce rate of over 50% and student loan debt averages $34,000 per student. It’s lots of hype with no substance. I suggest avoiding the herd mentality and do your own thing like the other success stories. You’re already on the right path. You needn’t be worried about missing out on college. It won’t make you “well rounded”. If you are really arguing with your Mom about this, then that is not a good reason to go to college anyway. It sounds like you’d only be going because she thinks you should. How can you expect yourself to sit through lectures and write papers if you aren’t there for you, but for another person? You can always go to college if you want. Let’s say in a couple of years you feel you really want to go, you can apply and go. There’s no “age limit”. (FYI My Dad went back to law school when he was 40 and then went on to become a judge. So it’s never too late to return to school!) That’s my opinion on the topic. At the end of the day it’s your life and you get to choose how it goes. Whew, I get worked up about this! Alright, we’ll talk soon. Best, Seth Quoting J [Hide Quoted Text]
Hey Seth,Also in the argument with my mom about a degree, she constantly says I’m “I’m cutting short my education and a degree would make me more well rounded”. What is your opinion on it making you more well rounded?
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I also think that because many high school students are not taught the basic skills of how to pay rent, get a job, use their credit cards, buy groceries, etc. college becomes a “transition” where an 18 year old learns how to take care of themselves in certain ways, while still having the whole thing paid for and living in a secure environment. It’s like training wheels.
I know at NYU the best thing was having a room away from home and having to handle my own meals, making my own schedule, etc. without my parents doing everything for me.
But at the end of the 3.5 year summer camp I was still thrust into the world with little guidance as to how to survive. I picked up my own skills because I ended up living in an apartment in NYC, but my friends who lived in dorms had to fly by the seat of their pants to make the transition to “real world” living.
I had a lot of fun in college, but it’s an absurd amount of money to pay for both “liberal arts” classes and pretending to be an adult.
Film School Rankings Are Meaningless
Film School Rankings are absolutely meaningless in the real world of film production. It’s like getting a gold star for going poop as a toddler. You feel excited and proud that you got in to this school (your gold star), but making doo doo as a kid don’t mean squat as an adult.
Similarly, film school rankings skew the reality for most young people. You’d think that going to an NYU, USC, or AFI would lead to some kind of advantage in the film business, but it’s rarely true. Film School rankings are a myth. Unfortunately, the myth is a real as Santa Claus thanks to publications like the US News and World Report and the Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter just released it’s top25 list of film school rankings back in July 2011. They mention that “everybody knows about the industry infiltration of USC and UCLA”, then seeks to highlight other film schools that also have industry “clout”.
This is what “clout” really means in the film business. If a school has clout it means you have a higher likelihood of getting an internship with a production company are having an industry pro speak at your classes. It doesn’t translate into a $50,000 a year advantage. Some schools like USC have excellent internship connections, but then again so does a community college like Orange Coast CC in Orange County. But what’s even crazier is that most internships and film industry experience never comes through college, it comes through meeting people and making connections on your own.
Film School Rankings Skew Reality
My friend Pete Atencio was shooting videos at the Oscars ceremony, interviewing celebrities, just a few months after dropping out of film school. How? He starting shooting his own stuff, shared it with people, impressed them, and got hired more and more. Pete was smart enough to drop out of school.
But because of Film School Rankings, people go nuts trying to get into these “name” schools. Then, if you go to a place like NYU, let’s say, you graduate and the job opportunity board looks like this:
These are the kind of pathetic job opportunities available for grads of schools that have the highest film school rankings. NYU recently discontinued its job placement service altogether and now has it’s grads compete with students from other schools on a “Monster.com” type job search engine.
USC grads don’t fare much better. For all the fanfare about that school, unless you get lucky you are going to be hustling your ass off like everyone else trying to find an in. In reality, this is the kind of opportunity available for film school grads:
And don’t you know about 1000 students from UCLA, USC, NYU probably fell over themselves for this opportunity. Truthfully, this kind of a job is a great opportunity to learn about film. You get to be on a set and see how it works for real instead of working on some retarded 10 minute student film that is costing you $50,000 in tuition.
However, look at the skill requirements. “Must be able to drive the DP to the shoot”. That’s the kind of skills required to get going in the film industry. You also might want to learn how to make coffee or pick up dry cleaning, because even grads of schools with the highest film school rankings like USC end up doing that. Here’s an in joke from Kevin Smith illustrating this point:
Waterproof Video Camera
Got a great movie idea, but all the action takes place underwater? Probably not. But still, having a waterproof video camera can be pretty cool.
And nowadays you can get your hands on a waterproof video camcorder that you can not only take underwater but also captures HD images and costs less than $200. Let’s get to the candidate for best waterproof video camera:
Waterproof Video Camera #1: Kodak Playsport ZX3
The Playsport ZX3 by Kodak has been a bestselling waterproof video camera for years. Recently, Kodak came out with the brand new ZX5…. but we’re still sticking with the older ZX3. Why? Because for some weird reason, the sensor on the older ZX3 is actually bigger than the newer model. Which means better video, hands down. Hopefully in their next update, Kodak will get it right and put a bigger sensor in the newer model.
The ZX3 cost about a c note, but it gets full 1080 HD video. It also takes 16:9 5 megapixel still shots as well. It’s waterproof to 10 feet underwater. You can store up to 10 hours of HD video with a 32 GB HD card.
The ZX3 also has over 1100 customer ratings on Amazon with an average score of 4 out of 5 stars.
Here are some things people had to say:
And here’s some sample video from the Kodak ZX3 of some snorkeling in Hawaii:
Click here to check out the ZX3 Waterproof Video Camera on Amazon for 30% off!
Waterproof Video Camera #2: GoPro HD Hero Cameras
The Playsport is a great option for most consumers. But if you’re seriously hardcore about underwater filming and need to go deeeep… then check out a GoPro HD Waterproof Video Camera.
GoPro has an entire line of waterproof video cameras that retail for around $200. That’s comparable to a Flip, but much more rugged. There’s a basic model, then one for your helmet, your surfboard, an ATV, motorcycle, and pretty much any other cool sporting event you can think of.
You can check out the entire line of GoPro waterproof video cameras on Amazon by clicking here!
But for basic underwater shooting, the GoPro HD Naked Model is the most popular. This waterproof video camera does not mess around. It’s durable, with an impact resistant housing, and is waterproof waterproof for up to 180 feet(!) It also features attachments to mount the camera on a helmet, a motorcycle, boat, ATV, or any motor vehicle.
It’s also got a super wide angle lens and shoots at 60fps for fluid fast action sports video.
This waterproof video camera has over 290 customer reviews on Amazon with an average 4 out of 5 star rating:
Click here to check out the GoPro HD Hero Naked waterproof video camera on Amazon!
Finally, here is a clip from one of our favorite movies. It’s an underwater fight scene from “Top Secrets”, by the guys who directed “The Naked Gun!”
That shows you just what you can do with a good waterproof video camera!
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