Doubting the Viability of Vocational Arts Education? Don't.

One of the hardest and most frustrating things about being at a vocational college -- any vocational college -- is combating the stigma that students at these institutions are not cut out for anyplace else. And, as anyone who has ever attended art school is intimately aware, saying that our particular vocational college is for artists tends to ellicit an even more skeptical reaction from the non-believers. (Or, as I like to call them, the "pre-converts.")

From the very beginning of my time here (I've been at Flashpoint Academy for a little over 7 months now) it was evident that this was not the case with our students. Intelligent, well-spoken, creative, and extremely driven, the picture of your "average" Flashpoint student is anything but average.

I've seen them do amazing things. They've made festival-winning movies, produced music videos for national acts, developed video games that have impressed even your most prestigious game development companies, and created animations for real Hollywood features. A far cry from those at Le Institut de Refrigeration Repair, Flashpoint students constantly raise the bar not just for themselves and their classmates but for vocational education as a whole. It’s a truly remarkable thing to be a part of.

Recently, more than ever, I’ve been blown away by the work ethic and sheer talent I’ve witnessed around me. It occurred to me that even I, one of the foremost proponents of Flashpoint’s educational model, was not fully aware of the gifts our students have. Want to be impressed? Read first-year student Emily Greenquist’s winning entry into the Game Career Guide Game Design Challenge, or fall into second year student Pete Stilwell’s short story, “Embers.” While you’re at it, check out the amazing review of film alum Michael Noens’ latest feature film, Coasting. I dare you to find a more concentrated crop of talented young minds anywhere – 4 year colleges, I’m talking to you.

In short, the students at Flashpoint are proving that vocational and art education isn’t just for those who can’t make it anywhere else. It’s for those who wouldn’t waste their time doing anything but the things that move them. To me, although few paths are less traveled in traditional education, there is no more proven formula for lifelong happiness and success. And if this isn't how we should measure the value of education, then I don't know what is.

Attention Unemployed Veterans

I just received word that the school I work for, Flashpoint Academy in Chicago, is able to give some unemployed Veterans a truly unbelievable deal on a great education.

I've been told that the exact details of the program should be reserved for phone conversations between prospective enrollees and the admissions team, but what I can tell you is that some incoming vets may qualify to receive completely free tuition for both years.

For more details, please call admissions at 312-332-0707. (Make sure you check out our website first, too.) They'll be happy to tell you more about the program and let you know if you or your loved one may qualify.

For those of you who are new to our school, Flashpoint Academy offers two year, fast-track programs in film, animation, recording arts, and animation -- great industries that have lots of job openings in Chicago and elsewhere.

The Flashpoint program consists of a 40-hour per week curriculum, where students report to our downtown campus at 28 N. Clark St (Clark and Washington) from 9am until 5pm Monday through Friday. The program is structured like a full time job to maximize the quality of your time in the classroom, teach you the skills you need quickly, and launch you into the workforce with a great work ethic and an expert knowledge of the very latest technologies.

I'm extremely passionate about Flashpoint and our programs, and I highly recommend looking into this school no matter who you are. It's a great place to learn the skills that are in high demand, and that are also fun, creative, and high-paying.

Web: http://www.flashpointacademy.com
Phone: 312-332-0707

Summer High School Institute at Flashpoint!

I just got the information about the new summer school programs at Flashpoint Academy. Here is the link to the website, where you can read about the programs and download an application:

DATES:
June 22 - 26 July 13-17 August 10-14
Monday - Friday, 1pm-4pm

All High School Summer Programs are one week long and held at Flashpoint’s main campus and production facilities. You must be a current high school student and over the age of 16 to attend a Flashpoint summer program.

For more information, contact Admissions at 312-332-0707.

Choose from:

• Introduction To HD Film Production
• Broadcast Bootcamp
• Game Design Workshop
• Create Your Own Machinima
• Studio Recording Workshop
• Animation & VFX Workshop
• Sound, Image, Time & Space Workshop

Film/Broadcast

Introduction to HD Film Production
This week long, hands-on program is designed to give high school students an introduction to film production and filmmaking techniques. Over the course of a week students will take a project from ideation and conception to finished short-film all as part of a team.

Broadcast Bootcamp
In this Broadcast Bootcamp course, students will create their own “How To” videos that will appear on the Flashpoint Academy Howcast Channel. Over the course of a week, students will select topics from the Howcast library, cast and shoot a 2-minute “How To” video, add graphics, voice over and music, and upload it to the Flashpoint Channel on Howcast.

Game Development

Game Design Workshop
The Game Design Workshop offers an introduction to modern game design. This professionally guided hands-on opportunity leads a select group of attendees to the creation of a design appropriate for today's consoles. Life-long gamers will evolve game ideas coupled with the fundamentals of play mechanics during this one-of-a-kind workshop. This learning experience involves the creation of physical prototypes, group critique, and design iteration. Finally, at the end of the workshop, diligent attendees leave with the completion of individual professional-quality game concept documents!

Create Your Own Machinima
The Machinima Workshop offers those interested in all forms of digital media development to immerse themselves in a professionally guided effort toward completion of one of the latest forms of digital storytelling. This form of entertainment involves the use of today's game engines in creating dynamic storylines. Game characters represent actors and 3D game levels work as virtual sets. Attendees work in groups to create unique stories, storyboards, and scripts. From there, groups coordinate efforts in Flashpoint Academy media labs to work as camera operators and actors. Next, editors and sound designers add and finalize completed QuickTime™ files. At the end of the workshop, all films are screened and students leave with copies of their work, implementing modeling and texturing to compositing creations into film.

Recording Arts

Studio Recording Workshop
Students will begin the week with an introduction to sound systems used for the recording and playback of professional audio. Topics and collaborative hands-on training include: an overview of the music recording control room and studios, signal flow, operating level, gain structure, basic acoustic principles, microphones, microphone preamplifiers, equalizers, compressors, and the concepts and methodologies of multi-track recording. Students will also engage in aural awareness and critical listening exercises. The last part of the week will be devoted to tracking,
overdubs, and mixing sessions of a 4-6 piece pop ensemble. As the Institute concludes, students create compact discs of their projects to Red Book Standard specifications.

VFX and Animation

Animation/VFX Workshop
The VFX/Animation Workshop offers an introduction to the complex but powerful world of creating Visual Effects (VFX) and Animation using computer graphics. This professionally guided hands-on opportunity leads a select group of attendees to the creation of a character which is modeled in 3D using the latest hardware and software, and then made to move using a custom skeleton. Once that is completed, attendees learn how to composite their creations on top of moving footage, creating a convincing illusion that the two were photographed at the same time. At the conclusion of the workshop, hard working attendees leave with the completion of an animated character that they created which they added into footage taken during the week of all the attendees. You get to share screen time with your creation, as if he/she/it really existed!

Core Studies

Sound, Image, Time & Space
The Sound, Image, Time & Space Workshop is a week-long immersive program that explores the four media building blocks, and how they are employed by media artists to create emotion and meaning for their audiences. Students in the workshop engage in a series of exercises and experiences designed to build sensory awareness and observations skills, essential tools for all media artists. Screenings and collaborative projects introduce students to many of the fundamental concepts that are at the core of filmmaking, recording arts, animation and game
development.

Urban Rebirth, Just In Time for Spring

Ah, Chicago in the springtime. Love is in the air, "Caution: Falling Ice" signs line the downtown streets, and the boys of summer very nearly throw out the first pitch on the South Side. It's a beautiful time to be alive, and I'm right here to witness it all.

Until recently, I had been working "up north," in a small town just outside of the city. There, the coming of spring is marked in more obvious ways, in the look and scent of the landscape, the re-emergence of robins, daffodils, and Crocs. Here, where the light off Lake Michigan pierces the gaunt giants of Mies Van Der Rohe and Sullivan, spring comes in the form of colorful silken scarves, damp sidewalks, and a sudden abundance of asparagus on lunch menus.

To me, though, the most palpable difference is in the attitudes of the people one passes on the street, on the L platform, even in the elevator. I am among the many who have developed a subtle spring in their step, but for me at least it's not just the weather.

About three weeks ago I started a new adventure at a new company, and what an adventure it has been. Flashpoint Academy in Chicago is by far the coolest place I've ever worked. As an English and History major from a traditional four year university with a passion for the 17th century, I never before envisioned myself fitting into such a mainstream and modern culture as the one they have at Flashpoint. Not only is this college physically along the major artery of business downtown, but the company's corporate and educational models are absolutely bleeding-edge. It's different than what I expected for myself, but as I come to love it a little more every day, I can't think of a better place to turn over a new leaf -- or whatever the digital equivalent of a leaf would be.

This blog is going to be a place for me to share my Adventures in Urban Living; to chronicle my experiences and share them with those interested in all of the things my job allows me to learn. My blog will touch upon all of Flashpoint's disciplines; film and broadcast, recording arts, animation, and game development; as well as events in Chicago, personal anecdotes, and some periodic bragging about Flashpoint, our faculty, our students, and our soon-to-be-alumni.

Thanks for stopping, and until we meet again, have a beautiful spring!