Special Effects schools - worth it?

Pigeonnuggets

New Member
So I'm curious; I plan to attend a special effects school/program in PA. I hear classes themselves are superb. But job placement/job search after the school ends, has been mentioned numerous of times to be fruitless and lacking, I know FX is typically an unstable line of work, but, is it worth it to get an education in the craft? Or is it better to pursue the craft yourself, on your own time?
 
I personally believe the Tom Savini school is a huge waste of money.... You can learn everything from hands on trial and error at half the cost of the school because they only teach the basics from what I understand.



The Dick Smith Advanced course however is absolutely worth it.
In the words of the great Rick Baker:


"If you're going to include a diploma in your portfolio, make sure it's the one that counts.
The only one that counts in my book is the one that comes from
Dick Smith's Advanced Professional Makeup Course."
- 7-time Oscar winner Rick Baker
 
First off, when you say "Special FX school", what type of FX? If its the Savini school as mentioned above, that is Makeup Fx, not Special Fx. Two very different departments on a film crew, and two entirely different skill sets. What specifically do you want to learn how to do?
 
If it's an Art Institute you'd be better off just flushing money down the toilet and all they cover (at least years ago) was makeup/prosthetics, and model making.
 
ya that's a tough one.

A LOT of the Art Institute graduates never end up employed and if they do it's several
years later or they are doing gigs for freelance next to nothing or free.

There's so much competition right now.

I was extremely lucky to land a post production job 12 years ago.
 
Try contacting the Stan Winston school of character arts.
I think the people there can advise you on this subject.
By the way They have some really great instructional videos/streams available on their website all done by first class people in this field.
 
8 Perf- Creature suits, silicone, mask making, foam latex, beauty and character make ups, etc, etc. I already make creatures as of now. Just need to brush up.

SlipKnot- Ohh!! Duly noted, that actually sounds a ton more manageable, too. Thank you.
 
While I've been lucky that I've been able to pick Tom Savini's brain several times, I learned majority of what I do by trail and error and by paying attention/assisting on set. Plus we live in such a great age where we have so many resources available for us on the internet.
 
Dick Smith course all the way......don't waste money on anything else in my opinion. All the experience and life's work of the master himself encased in 3 information packed volumes.....I'm currently a student myself and I would thoroughly recommend it if you are a self learner and have a reasonable area where you can work.
 
ya that's a tough one.

A LOT of the Art Institute graduates never end up employed and if they do it's several
years later or they are doing gigs for freelance next to nothing or free.

There's so much competition right now.

I was extremely lucky to land a post production job 12 years ago.

Which one did you graduate from? I was at the Pittsburgh one and they did amazing stuff but the school has lost so much standing with companies that they won't even give grads a once over half the time.
 
Which one did you graduate from? I was at the Pittsburgh one and they did amazing stuff but the school has lost so much standing with companies that they won't even give grads a once over half the time.

I almost attended Seattle Art Institute, but I'm all self-taught and worked my way up from the bottom to the top over 6 years.

But the Art Institute grads I've met told me of their experiences.
(we get interns from there a few times a year)
 
i think being self taught makes you appreciate it more too, not to mention if something goes wrong and you get side tracked you're not paying a loan 20 years later.
 
I've actually thought about doing the Savini school, but after looking at the cuuriculum, I realized that I've already taught myself how to do a lot of the coursework. If you want to have the name on a piece of paper, go for it, but it's not worth the debt, imho.
 
I'm currently taking the master program at The Makeup Designory in new york. its amazing I'm about to graduate & i have a few jobs already lined up plus the school always has people coming to them looking for artists i really recommend it its not a waste of money.
 
i have just graduated from the royal conservatoire of scotland majoring in props and i feel as though it has helped me massively. i new nothing about this craft when i began so i suppose i noticed the benefit a lot more. Also, in scotland the government pays for our uni fees so it was a win win situation.
 
I attended the Makeup Designory in California, and I really enjoyed the program. I think it depends a lot on what sort of learner you are. For me, having someone there to show me the basics and help me troubleshoot was awesome--I still go in and ask the teachers for their opinions when I come up against an effect that I'm struggling with. I also made some really great friends there who I can talk shop with and exchange work with (they refer people to me when they're booked, and I do the same for them). The school career center connected me with my first major job, but also I was proactive--stopping in the career center to talk to the staff, showing up to classes on time and working hard, and being prepared for a freelance career (I was freelance in another career before I went into makeup).

I think that makeup effects are a hard industry to break into whether or not you go to school. For me, the networking and basic schooling was worth it, but I watched a lot of my classmates wash out of the industry after we finished school. Don't expect your degree to mean you'll automatically get a job, but if you're a question asker and a dvd course won't suffice, then school may be something to consider.
 
I can't remember who (may have been in an SWS video or something from ADI), but it was stated that there's so many schools now that just pump people out into a job market that can't currently cope, that most people can't find a steady gig.
 
I know someone who apprenticed sort of on a set of an indie movie before realizing it was NOT what he thought he was getting into, so decided to not go to school or pursue a career in it. You may want to see about doing something like that?
 
Thanks for your feedback, guys, thus far.

I guess I'm worried. With the recent surge in popularity in effects and makeup, and the effects artists being churned out, that I might not be able to make it. Don't get me wrong, I would expect to make a comfortable living, at the very best. But I recognize that is not the case with the currently saturated market and few gigs..

Creating monsters and creatures for films and productions is a dream, and I currently do make masks and costumes on commission. I believe in myself and my ability in the skillsets I have and work to soon acquire. If I can't find gigs or films- I'll make them myself. But I digress.
 
In this case, I would say that FOR NOW skip the school and see what you can do on your own. Since it seems to be more a labor of love that you hope to turn into a career, but would be doing even without it being your day job.

After a while, if you build a big enough and good enough portfolio, you might get some gigs. Or you can choose to go to school to learn more of the basics if you think you need to.
 
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