Full Sail University

[renegadeblack]

Since I don't see anywhere else that would seem appropriate to post this:

Anyone go/went to Full Sail University? I'm looking to go for lighting specifically. Comments?

[soundlight]

Do a search. There are probably almost a dozen posts on this topic.

[derekleffew]

Moving this thread to the Education forum. renegadeblack, CB member RickySmith is currently attending.

Type (or cut 'n' paste) "full sail" site:www.controlbooth.com into google.

[porkchop]

There are a few other post out there that I can think of off the top of my head, but I haven't said anything of real worth in any, so I'll post on this one.

I've never been to Full Sail, I've never seen the campus, I've looked at the curriculum, never taken classes there, but I work with 3 grads and to me Full Sail seems like a technician amplifier. What I mean by that is, if you are a douche and you only care about very specific topics and have no common sense. You will be a douche that knows a lot about things few others care about, with no common sense but think you know everything. If you are an all around tech, with perhaps a specialty you're looking for, looking to learn how to do the job well then you will absorb a world of information and be a useful technician.

Full Sail gets beat up because it is a school focused purely towards theatre and no matter the program no school will turn out 100% good technicians in 100% of peoples eyes. So each "poor" tech looks bad on the school where at other bigger schools that tech might still be as worthless but not be as critically looked at. Personally I would say the experiences that can't be taught in a classroom that you get at a 4 year university are worth the extra money, but that's not what you asked.

As a final statement i would say you will get out what you are willing to look for and put in. If you only want to know a very specific bit of theatre and not pick up some of the overall knowledge that can be picked up in school you are also not likely to pick that up in the field. If you go to learn everything you can, it'll be like condensing years of good worthwhile experiance into a much smaller time. Either way remember just cause you learned it one way doesn't mean it's the only way.

[Edrick]

What kind of questions do you have about the school? I attend the school for the Bachelors in Film Program and I'm also employed by the school as a Behind The Scenes Tour Guide so any questions you need answered I can get answered for you.

Trust me I'm not afraid to give an honest opinion of the school either even though I do work for the BTS Department.

As far as specifically for lighting goes, if you're looking to go to a school for a theater program where you want to do lighting design for plays or are you looking to do lighting for concert and events? The Show Production Associates program is full of students who either would like to go into the theater industry after graduation or have come from High School Theaters and that's how they got interested. Depending on the type of lighting you want to do will depend on if Full Sail would be the best choice or another school. It is perfectly feasable to attend the school and do Show Production with the intention of working in the fine arts world doing theater. However Full Sail would probably not be the best choice for that as we don't have a theater. You can based on the information you receive (as long as you put the effort into it) learn enough however to go into that industry.

Now if you want to do lighting for concerts or events then by all means you defiantly will learn a lot and be able to do that. Any who, if you could let me know more specifically what type of "lighting" you want to do I can better answer your question. Also note however that there is no "lighting" specific type of degree and there is no fine arts bachelors all the degrees are Bachelors of Science as you will be receiving the technical aspect of everything with some theory based. However no wear as much as a Fine Arts.

[renegadeblack]

Originally Posted by Ricky Smith

What kind of questions do you have about the school? I attend the school for the Bachelors in Film Program and I'm also employed by the school as a Behind The Scenes Tour Guide so any questions you need answered I can get answered for you.

Trust me I'm not afraid to give an honest opinion of the school either even though I do work for the BTS Department.

As far as specifically for lighting goes, if you're looking to go to a school for a theater program where you want to do lighting design for plays or are you looking to do lighting for concert and events? The Show Production Associates program is full of students who either would like to go into the theater industry after graduation or have come from High School Theaters and that's how they got interested. Depending on the type of lighting you want to do will depend on if Full Sail would be the best choice or another school. It is perfectly feasable to attend the school and do Show Production with the intention of working in the fine arts world doing theater. However Full Sail would probably not be the best choice for that as we don't have a theater. You can based on the information you receive (as long as you put the effort into it) learn enough however to go into that industry.

Now if you want to do lighting for concerts or events then by all means you defiantly will learn a lot and be able to do that. Any who, if you could let me know more specifically what type of "lighting" you want to do I can better answer your question. Also note however that there is no "lighting" specific type of degree and there is no fine arts bachelors all the degrees are Bachelors of Science as you will be receiving the technical aspect of everything with some theory based. However no wear as much as a Fine Arts.

I am mostly looking for theatrical lighting. They had a rep come give a presentation at our school and that was the general impression I got that they don't really have anything for theatre lighting design. If I remember correctly he did say that there was something along the lines of that I may be able to find something that would apply, but nothing specific for it. Would you say that there are students who go there for light design?

[Footer]

Originally Posted by renegadeblack

I am mostly looking for theatrical lighting. They had a rep come give a presentation at our school and that was the general impression I got that they don't really have anything for theatre lighting design. If I remember correctly he did say that there was something along the lines of that I may be able to find something that would apply, but nothing specific for it. Would you say that there are students who go there for light design?

If you want theatre, as in the art of theatre, Full Sail is not for you. Full Sail is catered towards music production, not lighting the stage. It is more of a technical program then a design program. If you want to be a lighting designer, go to a 4 year school.

[renegadeblack]

Originally Posted by Footer

If you want theatre, as in the art of theatre, Full Sail is not for you. Full Sail is catered towards music production, not lighting the stage. It is more of a technical program then a design program. If you want to be a lighting designer, go to a 4 year school.

That was the general impression that I got. Any suggestions? Anyone?

[derekleffew]

If you want to be a professional lighting designer (and are sure, and who is when they're 18?), go to a school that has professional lighting designers. NYU Tisch School of the Arts comes immediately to mind, as does North Carolina School of the Arts, Carnegie-Mellon, Yale, etc. However, there's a school of thought that says one should get a liberal arts education before going for an MFA in design. See this post from this thread, and look through the many others in the Education forum.

[Edrick]

For that I would avoid Full Sail I'd go to an actual Liberal Art / Some type of Art School. You won't learn about theater lighting design here you will learn concert lighting and if you want to take it on your self to learn theater lighting you can apply your knowledge but a 4 year college / regular art college would be more beneficial.

Plus let me warn you and everyone!

WARNING: Full Sail is a BUSINESS, the people you speak with before enrollment, admission representatives, BTS Tour, and the people who go around to different states trying to get students to apply are all sales people they are meant to get you to the school and they will sell it like a car.