Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale: Combining Creative Skills with Technical Know-How
The Video Production (VP) and Digital Media Production (DMP) programs at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (AiFL) in southern Florida provide the creative and technical training needed to help students succeed in the highly competitive fields of television, film, and broadcasting. While AiFL distinguishes itself as an art school as opposed to a technical school, it encourages its graduates to become proficient with state-of-the-art digital tools. To help students reach their career goals, the VP and DMP programs boast award-winning and nationally accredited instructors, as well as the latest technology.
The VP and DMP programs offer different degrees - an Associate of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree, respectively - and share faculty and facilities. All students receive instruction on AiFL's two Windows-based Media Composer Adrenaline systems running on HP XW8000 computers as well as on seven Avid Xpress Pro systems that run on dual-processor Macintosh G5s.
According to Dr. Amy Friedman Phillips, program chair of the Communications and Media Production department at AiFL, the decision to invest in Avid solutions was based on the systems' industry-standard interface and the company's reputation for providing powerful, platform-independent solutions that are used worldwide in the film, television, and broadcast industries. "Avid develops well-known products that are backed by a solid company. And, practically speaking, they give us a turnkey system that prepares graduates for the marketplace," she says.
"Avid develops well-known products that are backed by a solid company. And, practically speaking, they give us a turnkey system that prepares graduates for the marketplace."
- Dr. Amy Friedman Phillips, Program Chair, Communications and Media Production, Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
Tools for Artists
One of the key goals at AiFL is to ensure that graduates are fully prepared to immediately enter the job market and be productive. So far, the school has hit the mark. Graduates from the VP and DMP programs are currently employed in a wide variety of organizations. These include broadcasters such as Telemundo, Univision, Fox SportsNet TV, Clear Channel Communications, and local station NBC6 WTVJ. AiFL graduates have also landed jobs at production companies such as Discovery Networks, Imagination Entertainment, Platinum TV, the Tube Network, and Tricom Pictures.
In order to achieve the goal of marketplace readiness, the VP and DMP programs focus on developing the creative abilities of students through the use of state-of-the-art technology. Phillips, who makes the purchasing decisions for both programs, believes it is important that the AiFL programs keep pace with the latest technology that Avid has to offer, such as the Media Composer Adrenaline systems, which combine legendary reliability with features such as one-step color correction and support for mixed resolutions on the same timeline - all powered by the Adrenaline accelerator with speedy real-time processing. She explains, "Our students need to be trained for a competitive marketplace. We need to prepare our graduates to enter the industry with high-level skills. Because we are an art school, our graduates aren't simply technicians. They are creative editors who need tools that will enhance their creativity."
She adds, "The Media Composer Adrenaline is a turnkey system that offers reliable, professional editing features with speed and efficiency, plus high-end audio and graphics tools. The students edit their interactive DVDs and portfolios primarily on the Media Composer Adrenaline [systems] because they offer advanced features such as 24-bit audio, as well as 11 real-time video streams."
Classes in both the VP and DMP programs are extremely hands-on. While students learn production theory through lectures, the Avid systems are used for most of the project work and practical learning. As a result, students come away from their coursework with final portfolios and demo reels created on the editing systems found in professional settings, as samples ready to show potential employers.
Students receive instruction on the Avid systems in Introductory and Advanced Nonlinear Editing classes. Whether using the Avid Xpress Pro software with its industry-standard interface and full complement of audio, effects, and editing tools, or the Media Composer Adrenaline system, with its advanced editing toolset, students can learn one system and immediately transfer their knowledge to another, enabling them to focus on the creative task at hand. By the time students have completed the Advanced Nonlinear Editing course, which consists of two lectures and two labs per week, they have a thorough grounding in a wide range of editing techniques, including the layering of video, integration of graphics and visual effects, use of multi-track audio, and digitizing.
The final project in the Advanced Nonlinear Editing course is worth half of a student's final grade. While this project is an individual portfolio, students are encouraged to work in teams to mimic a real-world workflow. According to Phillips, "They assist one another with shooting and directing and provide general help on one another's projects," says Phillips. "However, students prefer to edit their own work."
The final project in the Advanced Nonlinear Editing course is worth half of a student's final grade. While this project is an individual portfolio, students are encouraged to work in teams to mimic a real-world workflow. According to Phillips, "They assist one another with shooting and directing and provide general help on one another's projects," says Phillips. "However, students prefer to edit their own work."
"Because we are an art school, our graduates aren't simply technicians. They are creative editors who need tools that will enhance their creativity."
- Dr. Amy Friedman Phillips, Program Chair, Communications and Media Production, Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
Award-Winning Faculty
The VP and DMP programs have assembled an impressive group of instructors with both academic and field experience to guide students. Says Phillips, "Our instructors are working professionals. Every one of them is or has been involved with the film or television industries." Their work has earned them the most prestigious awards in those industries, including Emmy, Telly, and Clio Awards.
Joe Del Sordo, the instructor responsible for teaching all levels of the Nonlinear Editing courses, began his career as a film editor. He spent some time as an online tape editor and then became a nonlinear editor. He has been working with Avid's technology for more than a decade, and when AiFL purchased its first Avid system nine years ago he became a certified Avid instructor.
Del Sordo spends many hours both during and outside of class helping his students understand the full capabilities of the Avid systems. According to Del Sordo, his students' favorite features in the Media Composer Adrenaline system include the export capabilities, real-time effects layering, expanded effects capabilities, and the overall speed. During the course of their educational experience, students often notice that editing on an Avid Xpress Pro or Media Composer Adrenaline system is faster than on other products. "The Avid is definitely faster and more reliable than Final Cut Pro for the projects we do," he says.
Because of his dedication to his students, Del Sordo's freelance editing work has tapered off since he began teaching, but he keeps up to date through classes offered by Avid, such as the Advanced Avid Media Composer Effects course, which he took last year at Future Media Concepts, an Avid Authorized Education Center in Miami. He also takes advantage of AiFL's policy to encourage use of the Avid systems to create community-based, non-profit projects.
He has worked on community projects ranging from DUI and voting awareness to boating and marina safety. According to Phillips, many VP and DMP faculty have used AiFL's Media Composer Adrenaline systems for a variety of clients, including the Memorial Cancer Institute, Broward Meals on Wheels, the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, and the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, for which they produced the Telly Award winning promotional tourism piece 'Waverunner.'
Keeping Pace with Technology
Moving forward, Phillips hopes to purchase an HD camera for the VP and DMP programs. She would also like to upgrade at least one Media Composer Adrenaline system to a Media Composer Adrenaline system and upgrade the Avid Xpress Pro systems to the latest HD-capable versions as well. This would help familiarize students with the 16x9 format as well as with the general characteristics of high-definition material. In the meantime, AiFL already owns several Sony and Panasonic HDV cameras that allow students to shoot in widescreen and start learning about hi-def media. Once the HD editing workflow is in place, AiFL will offer even more powerful student programs. Says Phillips, "Students will easily be able to edit their HD projects, and this will make them even more industry ready."
*CREDIT: Courtesy of Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale