DVI at sf state

A basic intro. to digital video over 3.5 months, thru the SFSU College of Extended Learning. Not worth the $ 10,000. it costs (cash!). The director named C. is a good guy. Craig cares a lot about the program and the students and tries hard to keep a handle on things but he has another job too. The other director Ph. seems like a nice guy but is passive-​aggressive & seems to like the hotties in his classes. When I went there, he let them talk on & on even tho they really did not know what they were talking about getting all giddy & taking up the rest of the class’s time. He does know his stuff but is not current w/​what’s happening in the land of dig video.
There are some guest teachers too. The directors pretty much know how to teach but they don’t know much about cross-​platform or even indie filmmaking. They are all about the LA industry. They don’t know much about online media or distribution either tho we tried to get them to teach the basics. They are very old school. The other teachers know their stuff but they really do NOT know how to teach. At all. We had part of a day audio software class t& no one understood what the guy tried to teach — i mean NO one. Classes start late & they let people talk in side conversations during the classes & the teachers are not prepared — the equipment doesnt work or they forgot some lecture material. I’m NOT exaggerating at all. Happens most days!!!
Basically, when you make the video projects, you are left to your own devices. No one is available to talk to about how to do it or how to avoid problems. We asked for help & they told us to talk to other students! They give you basic info about shooting, video, etc but then your on your own. You get some lab time to play w/​the software but there is no one there in the lab to help you, so we tried to learn from each other which took up our individual time. The one good thing is they do have decent equipment for you to use and you get to use it right away. But that’s not worth the cost. They need to seriously revise the program on a lot of levels. I didn’t get much respect for my other skills that I brought to the program (multicultural teaching, non-​profit video work) and they ran right over me anytime i tried to say something on those subject when they came up. Then they let the hottie types give their opinions, tho they were not educated on the topics. It felt a lot like disrespect to me. there is no one to complain to and when i tried somone in authority told me that the directors don’t like to get feedback. There is NO evaluation method, no feedback forms. Some guys in my class said «it’s a SCAM!».
You will get the basics but it might not be a very pleasant experience and your time will be wasted a lot. They missed a lot of chances to teach what we really wanted, stuff I talked about here above. Many people bitched about DVI on the side but then acted nice to the teachers — not letting on the stuff they complained about a lot. That’s because these guys can write references for you & help you find jobs — no one wants to alienate them.