Berkeley Digital Film Institute (BDFI)
After my search for graduate programs that had a digital film focus and the freedom to be selective with projects (ie:documentary) I felt at a great loss.
However, those of us, whom want to focus on production and career VS. history and theory, may not feel "at home" in an academic setting. For example, it took me 6 years to complete my BA. Honestly, I learned more during my freelance work on the side than ever in lecture.
One afternoon, following a failed attempt at the GRE (graduation requirement examination) I ended up visiting digital film schools in the Bay AREA. My first stop was BDFI, then onto SF digital and finally Academy of Art. Initially, I was leaning towards the academy of art- soley for the Masters Degree. The other programs, offer a certificate and a reel of work.
The part of me, that is socially influenced, felt fear going into a program that lacked the saftey net of a degree.
However, after visiting all 3 schools, there was no doubt in my mind that Berkeley Digital would be my next adventure in life. Hopefully one that will lead to growth for my company and aid my passion for docs in finding a higher purpose.
If you have passion, a degree or not. Excell academically or not. This is an option that should be considered. I have been coming to this site for two years now in my search to take my love for video to the next step. Ironically, the program I have chosen was not on LOAFS at all. It is a brand new film school. CHECK IT OUT HERE.
Best of Luck to all, I will post again... once I am deep into the program to give the goods.
Review Submitted by: Mandy (unverified)
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Comments
5 months in...
Hello Again-
I am thrilled that the school is now on LOAFS!! Awesome. Well, as an insider I can honestly say, this is an incredible program. I am leaving in one week to shoot on location in Guatemala for 6 weeks and will continue back in the spring.
I am able to bring this film into the school and have access to beaitiful artists for feedback thru-out the process. I have to say it is a family environment. One where you will live and love filmmaking as it should be---not about grades... about skills and improvement, critique and personal growth.
Check out the new blog on the website for students tales.
http://berkeleydigital.com/news/
I have been tat BDFI.
I have been tat BDFI. Terrible school. Take your money and go to a real school.
To the Idiot Who Posted this Slam
Hey, moron, you forgot to tell the people that there were only 25 people in the program in January of 2008, and that 2 cameras and 4 edit suites for 25 people were more than enough, since the edit suites were empty more than half of the time, and the cameras were sitting in the issue room more than 50% of the semester.
Maybe you were just pissed off because when you came in one minute before your shoot and there wasn't a camera there, that you forgot that your other classmates had actually PLANNED for it.
Considering that one student who had only been there for 25 weeks just got signed to a major music video directing contract in LA, and that another female student who's in her third semester just got an $18,500 grant to keep going on her "student film" should tell you what kind of school this really is.
UC Berkeley to BDFI
I'm a student at UC Berkeley, and I'm currently helping out at the school. UC Berkeley is a great school, but if your looking to get some real hands-on experience in film-making, then is the school you have to check out. If you are in the San Francisco Bay area and looking to make your way your mark in the film industry, you will get all the knowledge and skills you need at BDFI.
I'm just volunteering at the school helping out the students, but just being in the atmosphere of future film makers has given me so much experience. Imagine what more if you actually attended the school. Check out the site,
www.Berkeleydigital.com, and take a look for yourself.
To The Idiot Who Posted The Retort
Inventory - Cameras - CONSTANTLY out without being checked out to students who take them away from other students trying to work on their school assignments to work on their private video shoots and the dean looks the other way neglecting the students who are actually trying to accomplish their goals and work there at the school. Cameras WERE NOT in the school 50% of the time so I'm calling shenanigans on that little statistic there. (Perhaps you mean 50% of the time you came in to use them. There were NUMEROUS complaints to the dean about the lack of cameras and their being gone.) Cameras advertised on the website and promised upon arrival to the school are NOT at the school nor was there a plan to obtain them, only aspirations.
- Editing Suites - Hard drives being taken, for students without their own hard drive to bring in, randomly erased media because of improper maintenance and rules on the systems. The one good thing I can say is that the suites were almost always open, the other problem is that AVID isn't taught and the industry standard is STILL AVID despite the word of the dean there.
- Students - There were great aspiring filmmakers who attended this school and did something with themselves with LITTLE TO NO help from the school itself. They did their own work (Some while using the cameras and not even checking them out as I've stated above.) and had put in their own time away from school.
If you attend this school be prepared to put in more footwork to obtain basics then you do at other surrounding schools such as the Academy. The dean of BDFI had a dream of running a film school and took it on himself without having the proper knowledge to effectively run a school and the students who are lied to are the ones that suffer.
Comment on the Improper Information in the Above Post
Addressing the comments in the above post:
"Cameras advertised on the website and promised upon arrival to the school are NOT at the school nor was there a plan to obtain them, only aspirations."
BDFI has had the 2 Panasonic HVX200's for five years, and it is a matter of record that BDFI was the first school in the United States to teach the Red One 4K camera in its' upper division classes.
There is no representation on the website that BDFI owns a Red One, it only states that it is currently teaching the Red One 4K camera. The Red One has in fact been used on more than 20 senior thesis projects, some of which were paid for by the school.
Cameras were, in fact, on the shelf in the issue room significantly more than 50% of the available checkout times. Anyone who says otherwise is absolutely lying.
"Hard drives being taken, for students without their own hard drive to bring in, randomly erased media because of improper maintenance and rules on the systems"
There isn't a film school in the United States which can completely control the malicious intent of any student who wishes to destroy the media of fellow students if those students have left media, unprotected, on a school machine.
It is a reasonable expectation that students bring their own hard drives and back up their own media.
"The one good thing I can say is that the suites were almost always open, the other problem is that AVID isn't taught and the industry standard is STILL AVID despite the word of the dean there."
Anyone who states that Avid is still the industry standard is confusing the concept that, yes, Avid is still used as a mastering tool for final assembly of shows in Burbank, but that only represents a tiny minority of the editing being done every day in this country, and that, in fact, Final Cut has almost entirely replaced Avid as the editing tool of choice for Producers and Directors, nationwide. It is disingenuous to state the the vast majority of editors and post production facilities is using Avid. This is not true.
It is obvious here that one individual has a serious grudge against the school, but people should go to the website and read the hundreds of affirmations and testimonials on the blogs section, and read as well the feelings that the other students at BDFI have for their school.
Considering that dizi izle
Considering that dizi izle one student who had only been there for 25 weeks just got hanimin ciftligi izle
signed to a major music video kurtlar vadisi pusu izle
directing contract in LA, and that another female student who's in her third semester just got an $18,500 grant to atese yurumek izle
keep going on her "student film" should tell you what kind of school this really is.