Nestled in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, Florida, sits Full Sail University. Known as a technological and creative playground for artists and designers alike, Full Sail offers incredible opportunities for anyone looking to take their passion for entertainment and turn it into a career they love. Students can grow in areas such as Animation, Film, Design, Music, you name it. SVN takes a closer look in this month's School Profile.

Their programs:

Unique to Full Sail, students can learn traditionally and receive an on-campus degree or virtually with an online degree. Students can receive their Bachelor's in Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Film, Show Production, and in many more artistic areas.

Film

In Full Sail’s Film program, you’ll work side by side with a unique group of people who share your passion to make great films. They believe there’s no better way to learn than by doing; that’s why your coursework will put you on-set, behind the camera, and in the editing suite. You’ll get hands-on experience working each position on-set on a variety of different small-scale assignments, enabling you to get a feel for the role that each crew member plays in a production.

The process begins just like it does in Hollywood, with vital preproduction work: you’ll learn what it takes to flesh out a film’s story, finalize scripts, and create storyboards. You’ll also prepare budgets, schedule shoots, and hold casting calls for your onscreen talent. When it comes to learning how to shoot film, you’ll be using the same professional gear that’s used in Hollywood, from 16mm, 35mm and HD cameras, cranes and lighting rigs to Full Sail’s own multi-locale backlot.

In their editing labs and suites, you’ll learn the postproduction process, by cutting, rearranging, and enhancing footage, recording and editing additional dialogue, sound effects, music, as well as adding visual effects and titles.

Once you’ve experienced the filmmaking process through the multiple projects assigned to you throughout the program, it’ll be time for you to assemble a crew and create your own 35mm film, from preproduction through postproduction. After you’ve brought your script idea to life and screened your film for your classmates, family, and industry professionals, you’ll have another valuable asset for your reel – something that shows Hollywood and the rest of the world just what you’re capable of when you prepare to enter the film industry.

Production

There are people who love standing in the audience during a live show, gig, or convention; and then there are those who get a rush from making it all happen backstage. If you’ve found yourself paying just as much attention to a band’s light show as you have their music, you’re probably one of those people. Every successful live event relies on a team of hard working, technically skilled professionals working behind the scenes to make sure it’s a success.

The career opportunities in the world of live events extend beyond just the arena rock show; environments from corporate conventions to theme parks all utilize a combination of sound, lighting, and video equipment to put on a performance, event, or presentation. Full Sail thinks the best way to learn how a show is run is to get your feet wet in a real-world environment; that’s why Full Sail’s Show Production degree program is designed to give you a hands-on education to prepare you to work in any of these live settings.

Operating at the front-of-house console, you’ll mix the on-stage sound for live bands in one of their state-of-the-art live venue facilities. Their Show Production degree program will also show you how to design and program lighting systems (and learn what to do when something goes wrong). You’ll also study how to design and install the proper audio and visual components to any room you may encounter, from a stadium to a classroom. The degree also includes concert media design, as you’ll design, engineer, and manage a full-scale multimedia concert in Full Sail Live, their state-of-the-art performance hall.

The work that you’ll do in the Show Production degree program is as close to professional live production as you can get while still in school. As you work with fellow students and instructors who all share your passion for live event production, you’ll develop the technical skills you’ll need to launch a career in this industry and transform a night (or day) at a show, gig, or convention into an unforgettable experience.

Facilities

Full Sail believes that dull environments produce dull ideas. So whether you're working, studying, or just relaxing on campus, they've strived to create inspiring spaces designed to ignite your create spark.

FSU offers a variety of opportunites on campus for students of all majors including the backlot, a space on campus that gives Film students a smorgasbord of exterior locations to shoot any genre, Art & design studios, a computer animation center with many computer labs, a digital arts center, the dubbing stage, the entertainment business center, the game design center, an HD & live capture studio, virtual sets, and a web design & development center.

The Campus is 191 acres of pure creativity.

Student Life
The demographics of FSU are made up of students from 50 states and 57 countries.

The area of Winter Park that surrounds Full Sail University offers numerous housing options for incoming students. There are over 50 apartment complexes within a 5-mile radius of Full Sail’s campus, many of which are within easy walking distance from the school.

If you’re planning on attending Full Sail, you’ll need to start making living plans. While Full Sail does not offer on-campus living arrangements, they do employ a Housing Coordinator who is dedicated to providing you with information about these affordable accommodations.

Full Sail’s housing coordinators work with a local real estate company to provide detailed information about the area’s many nearby housing options and help you figure out what housing arrangement is best for you; they can also provide you with a roommate list of other students looking to share housing.

Admissions
 
Full Sail University is a unique school, and their admissions process is also unlike that of most other universities. Their Admissions department is committed to helping you throughout the entire process, guiding you through each step and answering any questions you may have along the way.

The first step in the enrollment process is to schedule an interview with an Admissions Representative, which will give you the opportunity to ask them any questions you may have, and, most importantly, determine whether Full Sail is right for you. Anything that's on your mind – from housing and scheduling to curriculum and financial aid. They want you to make an informed decision when it comes to one of the most important choices in your life.

Bachelor’s Degrees:
You must have a High School diploma or GED from a recognized and accredited school to begin a degree program at Full Sail. You’ll also need a letter of recommendation. Your admissions representative will provide you with the form for this letter, or it may be downloaded once you have enrolled.

Full Sail Advantage
Some things to consider
At many schools, it can be difficult to calculate the real cost of your education. There's a single-semester price, but you have to calculate that over many semesters, tuition may rise from year to year, and then there's the cost of books, parking passes, and materials. At Full Sail, they present the entire cost (tuition and fees) associated with their degree programs

Half the Time

-Graduate in about half the time it would take you to get a traditional University degree.
-Begin your career sooner, giving you a head start on income and repaying loans.

Locked Tuition
-Tuition is locked for the duration of your program and doesn't rise from semester to semester

What's Included?
-All reading materials are included in tuition.
-All media and supplies are included as well.
-Full Sail's degree programs start every month, so you don't need to wait for the fall to begin your education.

For more information on Full Sail University, visit their website at fullsail.edu or go right to the Admissions page at http://www.fullsail.edu/admissions/overview