Anyone ever heard of this school?

[Rob]

http://www.platt.edu/digitalvideo/bachelor+of+science/media+arts

It looks like a good school for what we do. I'm thinking about going. Thoughts?

[Dragon Powered]

I've heard of Platt due to my interest in graphic design, but I can't say I've heard either good or bad.  Before enrolling I'd say check out what some of their graduates have done, if you can find any.  The Platt College I was looking at was in Ontario though (www.plattcollege.edu), not San Diego.  Not sure if they are the same.

Video Example:

How are you going to commute to San Diego?

[Rob]

According to their video on YouTube (They Refer to themselves as "Platt College San Diego") they aren't a national college and are just the one school. So I guess they aren't affiliated with the ones in L.A. and Ontario which seem to be affiliated with each other.

As for commuting... some personal things have changed in the last few days and some opportunities have opened up. Nothing is certain... but I'm exploring options right now and one of those options may be to move to the west coast and go to a school like this.

I hope.

[Funderbunk]

I have some problems with their description of what software is used[1] for what and what's industry standard[2], but it looks pretty good to me.

[1]After Effects is a Special Effects application, calling it a program for Motion Graphics is grossly understating it's importance and ability.
[2]Final Cut Pro is not industry standard. Over 80% of all A.C.E. editors use Avid Media Composer or similar Avid product.

Not huge gripes. I suspect it's just trying to make it sound more accessible and interesting. All multimedia schools do that.

EDIT: Also, try out different audio editing software. ProTools is industry standard, but as far as I've heard from people who do audio editing, well, they refer to it as "Fischer Price MyFirstProTools".

[Rob]

I've actually already completed the Adobe certified training for Premier Pro (an older version but they don't change that much in a coupe years) and I've been using Sonar for years. So I already have a couple similar programs that I'm familiar with. I've also fooled around with Adobe Audition a bit as well although I'm certainly not trained in it.

I do know there are different versions for ProTools. One costs a few hundred bucks and then there's the studio version that runs into the hundreds of thousands.

I've also got my self taught training in Animation: Master so I have some basic understanding of 3D programs as well.

As far as industry standards go though... I've found it often depends on who you ask and how much they are getting paid. Ray Charles (before he died) used Sonar to re master his greatest hits album. Slipknot has used Sonar in the studio as well. And I can't tell you how many independent film makers use Premier Pro (although the move to Avid over the last couple years has not gone unnoticed).

But I do agree with you that After Effects is a lot more than a motion graphics program. Of all the programs I've messed with AA is the one I wish I had learned more about. I've barely scratched the surface. 

[Funderbunk]

After Effects is on my list of things to get better at. Thankfully, VideoCoPilot isn't going anywhere.

[Gar]

Community college also allows you to have madcap adventures in which events continually conspire to evoke events not dissimilar to those found in assorted film genres, for increasingly unlikely reasons!

[Rob]

I got my Associate's degree from a community college before transferring to a state university for my B.S.

They are certainly cheap and I'd wager the quality of education is there in many cases...

But most community colleges don't have recent graduates who worked on Avatar and Megamind. This school obviously has some serious play in the entertainment business. And that appeals to me. But that also means that the people who graduate are top notch because you don't get to that level without knowing what you're doing.

As far as the money goes... A lot depends on what happens with the Veterans Administration. If I get into a specific program (that I'm technically outside the eligibility period for already) called Vocation Rehabilitation the government will pay for everything... and I mean everything... even school supplies, computers, programs... everything.

Right now I'm red tape farming. We'll see how it goes.

[Funderbunk]

It's true. In most multimedia entertainment schools, it's still going to end up with you learning more from your fellow students and by yourself than in classes.

I know someone who went to the most prestigious school here in Holland and dropped out later. Her assessment of it was "they only accept people who already know how to do everything. I can deliver the best students that way as well."

[Gar]

Community college also allows you to have madcap adventures in which events continually conspire to evoke events not dissimilar to those found in assorted film genres, for increasingly unlikely reasons!

Man, I have no idea what colleges you've been to, or what movies you're talking about. My personal experience so far has been kind of dull!  :D

...

:-[

It's a brief synopsis of the TV show 'Community', which is really very funny and worth watching.