SAE Institute

HE was pushing 26 and it bothered him that he did not even have a diploma.

Mr James Michael Peters wanted to follow his heart. He was passionate about music, so he enrolled in the SAE Institute to pursue a Diploma in Audio Engineering.

He said: "I grew up in a musical family. My brother is a bassist and I play the guitar. I've been interested in the technical aspects of mixing music as well."

Mr Peters said he chose the school mainly because of its unique accelerated programmes.

"You obtain a diploma in one year and in the second year, you immediately start on your degree. Time was a major factor for me, so I opted for this school instead of going to a polytechnic," he said.

Having obtained his diploma, he is now pursuing a Bachelor in Recording Arts.

With its heavy emphasis on practical knowledge, the course delves into all aspects of audio production. Among other things, Mr Peters picked up live and studio recording, mixing, studio acoustics and the application of current technology.

PRESENTATIONS

Aside from getting to work with various up-to-date music appliances, giving presentations was very much a part of the course.

He said: "For every assignment, we have to give a presentation and we articulate what we learnt in each module. This is a very useful tool as it prepares us for what is to come in the workplace.

"It is not enough to have technical aptitude. You also need to learn how to pitch ideas to clients and convince them that you're the best person for the job."

The school offers students a choice of four majors: animation and games programming, film, multimedia and audio.

Accelerated courses are possible as the school offers programmes with no semester breaks. It is rigorous but ideal for students who want to get a degree fast.

While Mr Peters is pursuing his first love, Mr Nicholas Talbot, 40, enrolled in the school as he wanted to embark on a second career.

After 20 years in the advertising industry, Mr Talbot decided to take the plunge and explore film production.

He obtained a Diploma in Digital Film Production from the SAE Institute last year and is now pursuing a degree in the same area.

Film production students learn digital video techniques, web design, camera theory and techniques.

Said Mr Talbot: "When I started, it was all rather overwhelming. I knew nothing about computer programs.

"One year on, my confidence has soared and now I'm comfortable with using all the software. I can even come up with some special effects."

Mr Zoel Gan, 32, is another student at the SAE Institute hoping to pursue a second career. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Interactive Entertainment.

Mr Gan, a former senior technician in the air force, decided to focus on his childhood passion - computer games.
As part of his course, Mr Gan learnt how to create two- and three-dimensional images for television, film and computer games.

Despite finding the programme challenging, Mr Gan said the rigour of the course is what sets it apart from other programmes.

"The school squeezes a three-year programme into two years. It is definitely not easy. But I've picked up a lot in a short span of time," said MrGan.

"And this is what we can expect at an actual workplace - working to very strict deadlines."

A beneficial aspect of the programme is that it teaches students about workflow processes.

He explained: "Anyone can learn animation by reading a textbook and drawing, but the workflow techniques that we learn set us apart from others.

"An amateur might discard an entire design and start from scratch, and this wastes a lot of time.

"We are taught ways to save files so we don't have to start from scratch and we can modify a design."