FLASHPOINT'S APPROACH TO TEACHING DIGITAL ARTS
Welcome to Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences.
Flashpoint is a brand new, bleeding-edge Digital Media Arts College, unlike any other college in Chicago.
Flashpoint offers two-year programs in Film/Broadcast Media, Recording Arts, Visual Effects/Animation and Game Development. Here are a few reasons why Flashpoint is different:
At Flashpoint we teach the concept of workflow—meaning our students will learn what it takes to complete a project from conception through post-production. We teach workflow because it is the type of experience the entertainment and business industries want and demand.
This translates to students spending half of their school day working in their given discipline, and the remainder of their day working closely with the other departments on a school-wide, yearlong production.
This yearlong production takes place at Flashpoint's state-of-the-art 32,000 sq ft production complex. Two weeks a month the facility—which features multiple soundstages, Avid suites, graphics bays and mixing rooms—is used for school projects.
The other two weeks, Flashpoint's production complex is a working facility. Real productions take place at which select students will intern. Exposure to the industry and on-the-job training begins year one.
This unique method teaches students professional conduct and problem-solving skills, and makes them more commercially viable upon graduation. Simultaneously, Flashpoint has a dedicated staff working directly with employers on job placement.
To accomplish these goals, students are expected to attend 40-hour class weeks, taught in pods of 24 students. This equates to an additional 1000 hours of intimate class time, per year, when compared to a traditional four-year college.
Flashpoint’s intensive approach exposes students to real-world equipment and software, real-world working conditions, and real-world timeframes. All in an effort to make sure students are confident, prepared and well suited for a real-world profession.
Discover the college where a digital dream becomes a direction in life—Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences.
FLASHPOINT ACADEMY FAQ
WHO ATTENDS FLASHPOINT?
Flashpoint is geared for those individuals with a passion for anything digital, a desire for creative expression, a story that needs to be told, or an imaginative spark that needs ignition. For those students that aren’t thinking pre-med or pre-law or any "traditional" pre-determined path. Students that have the potential, but have yet to find the proper focus. No preparatory classes are required; Flashpoint’s nurturing staff has crafted a curriculum that starts at square one. The only necessities are a high school diploma, self-motivation and a willingness to embrace all that the future has to offer.
WHY GO TO FLASHPOINT?
Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences, is like no other college in Chicago, the Midwest or, arguably, the country. No other college lets students devote their full attention to a creative passion that, at another university, might be a fraction of the curriculum. Flashpoint is resolutely committed to preparing the next generation of digital professionals. This has led Flashpoint to create an aggressive, 40-hour-a-week, two-year program that puts students on a film set, behind the camera and in the sound studio from the moment they walk through the door. This allows students to focus only on what is necessary to take the next step. What is that next step? Those who seek careers as game developers, computer animators, filmmakers, or sound engineers can look forward to a highly rewarding future in every sense of the word.
WHAT ARE CLASSES LIKE?
Flashpoint's curriculum has four departments: Film/Broadcast Media, Recording Arts, Visual Effects/Animation and Game Development. Each department is led by a group of industry professionals experienced in precisely what it takes to both enter and excel in the digital entertainment industry. Small classes utilize only the most cutting-edge technologies-as well as Flashpoint's 32,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art production facility, featuring multiple sound stages, Avid edit suites and mixing rooms-to familiarize students with the same software and equipment they'll encounter upon graduation. Students are encouraged to express their own creativity on several projects within the department. Then, throughout the course of the year, a school-wide project is produced. This allows departments to collaborate and skill sets to cross-pollinate, while teaching students the highly marketable concept of professional conduct and project workflow. When a student leaves Flashpoint, he or she will have experienced firsthand how a major production is successfully completed, from start to finish.
WHERE IS FLASHPOINT?
Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences, is perfectly located at 28 North Clark in the heart of Chicago's Loop, footsteps to CTA and METRA trains from the North, South and West, and minutes from interstates I-290, I-94 and I-55. Chicago is the nation's third largest entertainment market, and Flashpoint sits directly on the pulse of the city's own thriving music, film, theater, advertising and game industries.
Animation Programs
- Visual Effects and Motion Graphics
Film Programs
- Broadcast Graphics for Video Production - Associates
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Hands-on. Working with professionals. Real-world experience. Collaboration.
These are some of the words and phrases that define an educational experience at Flashpoint Academy and the Film Program is all about it.
From screenwriting, storyboarding and pre-visualization to lighting, cinematography and using state-of-the-art film and high definition cameras, Flashpoint’s Film Program allows you to step into every role of a production. You will benefit from an intensive hands-on experience in all aspects of directing as you take the reins of an in-progress film production. Then immerse yourself in other areas of Flashpoint's curriculum as you edit, post-produce and sound design a finished film.
- Film - Associates
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Hands-on. Working with professionals. Real-world experience. Collaboration.
These are some of the words and phrases that define an educational experience at Flashpoint Academy and the Film Program is all about it.
From screenwriting, storyboarding and pre-visualization to lighting, cinematography and using state-of-the-art film and high definition cameras, Flashpoint’s Film Program allows you to step into every role of a production. You will benefit from an intensive hands-on experience in all aspects of directing as you take the reins of an in-progress film production. Then immerse yourself in other areas of Flashpoint's curriculum as you edit, post-produce and sound design a finished film.
Music Programs
- Recording Arts - Associates
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Sound is everywhere around us—in nature, cities, houses, offices, vehicles, and open spaces. It’s also enormously impactful, often greater than one may be aware of, as it is easy to be mostly taken by visual stimuli. The Recording Arts Program at Flashpoint Academy is focused on opening up your ears and mind to this incredible sonic world, guiding you through the process of understanding, hearing, analyzing, and using sound to tell a story.
Our Program carefully targets knowledge and practical experience to afford students an interactive and hands-on learning environment with audio from the outset. We have selectively chosen areas of focus and expertise for providing our students with the necessary tools to start meaningful and fruitful professional careers. Our State-of the-Art facilities include specially designed recording spaces for music (tracking studios), sound for picture (ADR / Foley), narrative (voice over), post-production rooms (editing, mixing, mastering), sound design rooms (sound synthesis, complex signal processing), and labs equipped with individual digital audio workstation systems and an array of virtual sound processors and instruments.
Rather than spending four or more years trying to concentrate on a specific area of audio production, design, or creation, Flashpoint’s Recording Arts Program will provide you with intense, immersive training to purse audio careers ranging from designing sounds for films, games, and interactive digital media to recording and mixing music to capturing production sound and audio assets in the field for films and games.
We believe our students share our passion for sound, in all its glorious incarnations, and each will define one or more areas of focus to suit individual goals – recording engineer, location recordist, post-production engineer, sound designer, etc. Whatever your audio passion may be, our mission is to help you fulfill your potential for a successful career with the right pieces of knowledge, skills, and above all professionalism, which is no less important in the market place than a trained ear or skill set. No other program will allow you to interact with fellow student-film makers, game developers, or animators, giving you the opportunity to build an impressive portfolio as you gain your education – and in just two years. Whether your first love is recording a band or bringing a film or game scene to life through sound, Recording Arts at Flashpoint Academy will give you an invaluable hand in preparing yourself for the great and exciting journey ahead.
Video Game Design and Development Programs
- Game Software Development - Associate
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Do you have a passion for games?
If so, you can be a part of this exciting industry. There are many challenging roles you can play in the game business, and the foundation you will find at Flashpoint Academy will prepare you as a top candidate for those entry level spots. If you want to be a producer, writer, designer, artist, modeler, coder or any of the other dozens of possible roles that our training can prepare you for in this field, here's some of what you can expect in our professionally driven game development, game design and game production school in Chicago. If you're not yet sure what it is that you want to do, our program will give you a great start so that you can find success in your area of specialization.
Flashpoint Academy's two year course of study features:
Critical training in professionalism and teamwork appropriate to the industry
Transmedia collaboration
Building online student portfolios
Hands-on workflow with professional digital asset management systems
Training and creative content building with key tools such as 3D Studio Max, SoftImage XSI, ZBrush, MudBox, Adobe Creative Suite (including Photoshop), Dreamweaver MX, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Developer Studio, plus various modding tools for cutting-edge game engines
Development of written and oral communication skills primary for success in team-based professional environments
Side-by-side work with game professionals and actual contracted work with companies throughout many industries
Interfacing with local studios in Chicago including Midway Games, Wideload, Pop Cap Games, Day 1 Studios, and others, including work with the International Game Developer's Association
Ultimate innovation and creativity in all things while understanding all aspects of the business - Bring true life to your digital dreams!
Learn More About Flashpoint Academy - Chicago
An admissions advisor can provide more information about:
- courses and curriculum
- tuition and financial aid
- career opportunities
- starting dates
- admissions and applications
Mission Statement
Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences, is committed to the advancement of higher learning in the field of digital arts and entertainment technologies. Surrounded by peers and educators with a passion for the future, students at Flashpoint can pursue two-year programs in Film/Broadcast Media, Recording Arts, Visual Effects/Animation and Game Development. But education is just the starting point. The desire to do things differently, to offer solutions that are revolutionary and bold, is more than our mission; it is at the core of our very culture. We have engineered our departments to simulate the converging digital entertainment industries, not a traditional school. Isolated "administrators" do not control our coursework. Instead, world-class professionals share their knowledge to develop each curriculum. Real-world tools and techniques, the latest technical developments and trends, and hands-on experience are seamlessly integrated into every class. In this way, the efforts of each participant reflect the highest levels of taste, style and technological acumen. Digital entertainment is an expanding, ever-evolving, trillion-dollar industry, worldwide. And Flashpoint is putting its students at the forefront, igniting creativity and preparing the next generation of digital professionals by blazing a new trail to success.
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