I recently switched over to using the Adobe CC and wanted to get familiar with the video editing software so I signed up to take PR 101 and decided to also take AE 101 since I was coming in from out of town. I was a little concerned about taking both of classes but after talking to Joe he said I should be fine since they were both intro level courses. I am glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed both courses and would recommend them to anyone who has currently done some type of video editing in the past and wants to switch over to Adobe. There were only 3 students in the Premier Pro class which was great. I think there is a max of six but having 3 gave us more individual attention and we were able to cover a lot of material. It was an introductory course but I feel I was able to learn a lot of what the software is capable of doing and how to accomplish it and where to go for further online training and help. We received a classroom book with a CD of all the course work which will come in handy when I am at home and want to practice. Besides learning a lot about the software I feel we were given a lot of real world experience advice which is invaluable. Since we only had 3 students in the class the instructor Tyrone, was able to tailor the course to each of our needs. He started the course out with getting everyone's background and experience level and seeing what each one of use wanted to get out of the class. I for one can say I was completely satisfied with the course. Our AE101 course only had 2 students which was great for us. Chris was our instructor and really tailored the class so that we both got exactly what we wanted out of it. I was much less experienced that the other person in the class however we were both able to get a lot out of the class. I was more or less looking to get familiar with AE and what could be done and some of the newer features where as the other student had used it in the past and was looking to fine tune his skills. I think we were both able to accomplish our goals. With the training farm keeping the class size 6 or under gives them a lot of flexibility to tailor each class. Even though AE was a rather complicated program were were able to complete the assignments in the book and come up with some great results. Anytime one of us had a question or wanted to figure out how to do some special effect, Chris made sure were were able to see how it was done before we left. Again we received a AE book and training lessons to take home and practice with which is great. After leaving the class it really stirred up some creativity and I couldn't wait to get home to start working on my own projects. Overall I would totally recommend the training farm as a school to further whatever skill you might want to learn or polish. It's a great facility in a wonderful location with great instructors. I am looking forward to taking another class soon. read more

I took the Final Cut Pro X 200 course (5 days) at the Training Farm with instructor Scott Strong. I was familiar with FCP overall, but with the new version of X, I felt I needed to take a few steps back and learn it in a new way. THE FACILITY The facility was nice, clean and had a contemporary feel to it. The iMacs we used worked properly (no one else in my class had any issues with theirs. There were some perks: coffee, cookies/candy cups on your desk each day (brought out the kid me), and they provided us with a map of recommended lunch hot spots near by. 1 more perk: The bathroom is painted green, so If you have time, go in there and shoot a somewhat descent green screen video on your phone and work on your keying skills. THE CURRICULUM: The Training Farm followed/taught from Apple Certified lesson plans and even provided us with a textbook (DVD included) to take home. It was great that the lessons we were interacting with each training day got to go home with us vs. leaving literature there and attempting to recall things learned from our not so awesome hand-written notes. THE INSTRUCTOR: Our instructor was Scott Strong...Dude was quite impressive. We learned from a 2 time Emmy Award winner who has worked on some of my favorite shows growing up (I did my research). My favorite thing about him was that he inspired all of us by showing us the infinite potential that applications like FCPX and Adobe After Effects has by showing examples of them being used in today's popular films. He covered the lesson plans thoroughly, he answered all of our questions, and he was super patient with those students in the class who had a little trouble keeping up from time to time. He even offered some other cool tips outside of our lessons plans which was a mega plus. Overall, he was a genuinely great guy with a ton of knowledge in his field. THE CLASS Our class had 5 attendees which was perfect because you get more attention from the instructor when needed as opposed to larger class sizes. Everyone in the class was nice. There was this one guy who was a bit of a talker. I don't even know him, but I could tell you his entire life story. (Oh wait, he left out the name of the nurse who cut his umbilical cord, so I take that back!) Thank goodness Scott was great about keeping the class on track. OVERALL It was a great experience, I left with value that exceeds the course cost and I will certainly be back to take another course! Looks like I will be taking After Effects. I know they specialize in motion graphics training, but I would like to see them add Adobe Illustrator to the course list). read more

I'm a 15-year audio production professional looking to add video editing skills to expand my employment opportunities. It took very little research to see that Final Cut Pro was pretty much THE software to learn...basically as prevalent in the post-production world as Pro Tools is on the audio side. I went online looking for schools, and after reading about six-week courses at some places, and one-on-one courses at others with suspiciously high numbers of 5-star reviews, I went with a one-week FCP 200 course at The Training Farm. What sold me was the fact that they are one of only two training centers in NYC that are Gold-certified by Apple. Registering was a breeze via their website, I got a discount for early registration (at least 30 days prior to the course), and I was informed the Friday before start that I was the only one registered for FCP 200 that week, so it would be one-on-one. That did mean cutting down the instructional days from 5 to 4, but I was assured that if I needed the fifth it would be available for me. Turns out, I didn't. The facility was clean, efficient, and funky (in a good way...very downtown studio-y). I had my own speedy iMac, a course textbook (mine to keep!) and all the coffee I could want. They also leave little treats on your desk each day. Nice touch. Scott was my instructor...great guy! Really knowledgeable, personable, patient, and amenable to my learning speed. I had some concerns about my learning speed in the first day or two, and he addressed them and gave me good advice. I've never used video editing software of any kind before stepping into class, and I feel comfortable with FCP X now..."beginner comfortable", but I'll get there with practice. (Note: this course is for Final Cut Pro X, not FCP 7, which is a different animal but one that is still highly-utilized in production houses. Hopefully X continues to garner greater acceptance, as it really is a better option, IMO) Scott's advice to not take the certification test right away, and instead study the book for a week or two is right on the money. I'm about to schedule my Level One test and feel I should pass it. All in all, I think I made a wise choice going with TTF. If I continue onto FCP 300/Level Two certification or Avid courses, I will very likely do them at TTF. read more

I've worked in the video-editing industry on and off for 10 years. Mainly working off of FCP these past few years, I wanted to start applying for some assistant editing jobs that were Avid based. I was a bit weary to take the beginning 101 course (after all, I had worked on the Avid for 5 years). However, after the first day, I'm glad that I did sign up for the 101, because so much has changed in the Avid industry since 2006. While in the classroom, we reviewed and "loosely" followed the outlines of the textbooks. However, if I had a question about something that wasn't included in the textbook (pretty much everything is included though), my instructor was happy to go off the outline and spend time assessing my question. And if there was something in addition to my question that he felt I needed to know, he made sure that I understood all of the variables. It was also very cool that I received 2 textbooks to take home with me, which include a disc with project files for practice. My instructor helped me set up the trial mode of Avid Media Composer on my labtop, which has been a godsend for practicing for my upcoming job. Being an assistant editor, a lot of things can go wrong when one setting isn't right. There's a lot of importing and exporting...which makes practice important. My instructor encouraged me to bring my labtop in so we could download the trial version of Avid Media Composer and practice with some of my own file formats. When something didn't go as planned, he directed me on how to troubleshoot. He also suggested forums and word searches in case I get into a predicament in the future, which all will help late at night when no one is around to ask. After having hesitancy about getting back into the TV industry again, my instructor's pleasant personality and enthusiasm was just the right boost for insuring that I know "a lot more" than other assistants out there, especially having taken a course from The Training Farm. I will definitely be taking courses from here again. read more

I am glad that I came to the Training Farm to do the Mac OSX server course. After asking my colleague, who mentioned to me that he preferred the Farm over another training institute here in NY due to the small, dynamic class he was in, I convincingly signed up for the three day intensive. It was indeed a small class, in fact, one other student had cancelled her/his participation, so I had practically a private course - where I could slow down areas that were challenging and speed up where needed - with an instructor who was very capable, patient, and adaptive to my learning needs. While some areas of the course material were challenging, I never felt completely lost or uncomfortable. I think one particular good thing about the instructor was that he made me confident and comfortable that I could handle the material, and as a beginning administrator seeking to apply these skills directly into my working environment, I really left the course with a sense of understanding on which I can confidently build further (there's only so much you can do in three days, I suppose - but I am very curious to read more and think that the course has definitely lowered the perceived threshold of starting with books and information saturated with jargon). The training center itself is small, personable, clean, and accessible. I prefer this much more than a large institution with gigantic classrooms: you have much more one-on-one time with the instructor (or in my case where I lucked out and practically had a private course), and it feels much more dynamic - where you have a much more engaging relationship with everyone else in the center. I hope more courses will be added in the future (Intermediate/Advanced Filemaker Pro, anyone?) - but in the meantime, the Farm will have me coming back for more. Prices are competitive with other institutions. Comes highly recommended. read more

My overall experience at The Training Farm was great. The location was in a convenient location in Midtown near Grand Central and Bryant Park. The Training Farm office and classrooms were clean and well-equiped with all the necessary equipment. The class I took at The Training Farm was Avid's introductory MC 101 class. Prior to taking this class, I didn't have any significant editing experience, but the combination of the course and my instructor allowed me to ease into Avid Media Composer and the editing industry. I was fortunate enough to be the only one in the class so I was able to gain a little more information and was tailored to my pace. The class pretty much follows the book (they provide the book) chapter by chapter, which is not entirely a bad thing. By following the chapters in the book during class, I was able to review the lesson after class and come in the next day with any questions. During the lesson my instructor would refer to some of her professional instances that were applicable to what we were learning about in that lesson. My instructor was an actual professional editor with experience working on current television shows and other projects. She was friendly and had a passion, not just for editing, but for movies. We were able to recommend movies and resources to each other during any down time we had. I am planning on going back to take the second Avid course to become a certified user. Beyond that I might continue to take their advanced classes to become a certified professional or even cross train to other programs they offer. I would highly recommend taking classes with The Training Farm if you are pursuing a new career or the next level in your career that depends on a certain proficiency in these programs. read more

I headed to the Training Farm based on a recommendation from the Apple website and from some independent research I did on the internet. They lived up to all my expectations! I took the Final Cut Pro X class followed by the Motion class...both were fabulous! My trainer for Final Cut Pro X, Scott, was amazing. His knowledge of the industry as well as his thoughtful teaching directly led to my successful passing of the Apple Professional Certification exam. I am a former teacher myself, and his skill in handling students was exemplary. Amy was my trainer for Motion and she too exemplified good teaching practices! Her knowledge of the subject area was second to none and she would go above and beyond to assist me, not only in Motion, but in preparation for the Final Cut exam as well. Both Amy and Scott made The Training Farm a worthwhile expenditure and I would highly recommend classes from them in any content area. The facility was comfortable and easy to get to and from. I have never been to Manhattan, but was welcomed and felt at ease the entire time I was there. They provided snacks and all the coffee I wanted (thank goodness!). They provided recommendations for lunch as well as a map to locate the places to eat. Joe, the office guy, was very helpful and would provide me with anything I needed, including motivational support for the test! Overall I rate The Training Farm 5 out of 5 stars for their knowledge, hospitality, and facility. If you are considering training classes for your job or just for yourself, go to the Training Farm and you won't be sorry! read more

I completed the After Effects 101 class a couple weeks ago at the Training Farm. Overall it was a fantastic experience, from the registration for the class all the way through to the receiving of my diploma. Starting at the beginning: I loved how easy their website was to navigate and it was simple for me to choose the class, register, and pay. I immediately got a confirmation email with extra details. A few days before the course, an employee called me to verify my registration and follow up with details about coming on the first day. I love that kind of follow up! The class itself was great. The instructor was a seasoned industry dude with a great sense of humor. The class size was amazing - there were only five of us!! I wish all my classes in college had been like that! The Training Farm itself is well set up - they always had coffee and tea ready, plus water and snacks. There was even a map on my desk with suggested lunch locations near by. So well thought out :) The content for AE 101 was great - I feel very comfortable with the program now. My only complaint/constructive criticism would be it would've been great to have more hands-on work. The instructor took us through a lot of examples, but we were creating things from the book instead of free flow/stuff we thought up ourselves. It would've been helpful to have an assignment like: "Create a block of text that animates in for five seconds then disappears" and then be let loose to do it ourselves -- therefore cementing what we were just taught. But other than that, it was a great class. read more

I just took a 5 day Avid class here, it covered the MC 101/110 Comprehensive Study of Editing with Media Composer 6.5. I have been a Final Cut Editor for the past 7 years and finally wanted to get some Avid training under my belt to help expand my work opportunities. I took a bus into NYC from NJ each morning and was able to easily walk to The Training Farm from Port Authority in under 10 minutes; so commuting was a breeze for me. A LOT got covered in the five days, it was essentially an in depth overview of all of Avid. I don't think I'm ready to start cutting after this class, but I know all the areas of Avid and could definitely become an Avid editor with a little more practice on my own. Attempting to learn Avid was a daunting thought for me, but once we got started each day, that nervousness went away quickly. Amy, our instructor was SUPER patient and answered everyone's questions as they arose in class. She was very knowledgeable and helpful. I took the certification exam on the last day of class and Amy stayed through the lunch break and after the final class to review with me to better prepare me for the exam. I know she didn't have to do that, but she genuinely seemed like she wanted to. The facilities were clean and state of the art. The staff was helpful and played great music in the lobby/break area. They provided snacks and as much tea/coffee/water you could drink. I would definitely use The Training Farm again in the future. read more

This wasn't my first experience with software training, but it was certainly the best so far. The class was After Effects Level 1 and my instructor, Scott, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He didn't have a problem answering questions and even demonstrating aspects of the software that weren't strictly part of the lesson plan. As a person who usually has a lot of ambitious ideas but not a sufficient amount of time to teach myself the know-how, being able to pick Scott's brain throughout the sessions was much appreciated and very effective. This is not to say that the lessons and tutorials aren't appropriate and comprehensive-- I believe that they are. Even though my personal experience with AE was probably a little bit ahead of a true beginner, I was eager to start from scratch and unlearn some bad habits while also picking up tips and tricks along the way. A small class size also helped make the experience extremely worthwhile. If I were to criticize anything, I suppose it would be the slightly sluggish performance of the software on the iMac in class. I believe the software crashed once on me and once on the instructor, but it never really became an issue. I've had Adobe products crash on much more robust systems. The Training Farm also has a convenient location and clean, welcoming environment. Top-notch all around... if I can get my employer to pay for further courses, I'll be back! read more

I attended the Intro to After Effects course and had an amazing experience at The Training Farm. My employer had sent me to the three day training course, and it turned out to be quite a valuable class. First location is great, just a quick walk from Penn station. Second, the facilities are great and all of the staff are SUPER friendly and willing to help you with anything. I had a little bit of experience with After Effects prior to the class, but it was great to learn the program step by step with a true professional. Not only was the curriculum laid out in an easy to understand manner, but the instructor Scott was great about letting us just "pick his brain". Any question or demonstration the class would like to see, he was ready and willing to show us the best way to accomplish it. I think the greatest part about the intro course, is that you learn A LOT of workflow tips that make using the program much easier. When I got back to my desk at work, it was much easier to dive into the projects I was working on with a much clearer understanding of the After Effects workflow. I would say even if you have self-taught After Effects to yourself and feel you are familiar with the program, you should still consider taking this class. There is nothing like learning from a true professional who knows the program in and out...and The Training Farm is the perfect place to do this! read more

My office sent me to the PS 201: Advanced Photoshop CS6 at The Training Farm. I actually work in an industry that minimally utilizes graphic design and this ended up being the perfect class for me. To start, The Training Farm website did an excellent job of describing the class levels to help direct me to which class I should take. I've had experience working in Photoshop for a bit of time and knew that the second level was where I needed to be. Even still, the instructor -- Chris -- contacted me weeks before the class to gauge my experience level, leaving me more confident about the class to come. On the day of the class I wasn't let down! The small class size (2 people) and knowledge of my experience level, why I was taking the class and how I wanted to use what I was about to learn allowed the instructor to cater lessons to meet my needs. He even threw in some tidbits not in the regular curriculum that I've already used in my job. I also want to call out, that it was obvious they wanted us to get as much as we could out of this class. I came with a very specific question about the program and when it couldn't be answered right away (due to the complexity of Photoshop) an answer was sought out for me beyond the classroom and brought to me the next day. I definitely recommend taking classes here! Great atmosphere, great teachers. read more

I recently took the Avid Media Composer 101 training course over a three day period, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each day went from 10-6. The class was extremely small - just myself and one other student. The instructor, Chris, was a professional editor with years of experience as both an editor and a teacher, and it showed. We moved through an entire textbook's worth of material in those 3 days, and although the pace was swift - it had to be in order to cover this much stuff - I never felt rushed. Chris was great at explaining how each tool worked, why it was (or was not) particularly useful, and I felt at the end of the course that I was ready to start editing on the Avid. I really enjoyed that Chris took time to teach us related information like capture cards, cameras, codecs- things not in the book but directly related to the software. Chris' style was casual but highly detailed and informative and he made each day fun and relaxed while still managing to teach us a huge amount of information. The computers we used are top notch, and the space itself is comfortable. I enjoyed the class so much that I signed up for the Adobe Premier 101 class immediately. Highly recommend The Training Farm, and I suspect I'll be back for more even after the Premier workshop. read more

I recently attended a Mountain Lion Support Essentials class at The Training Farm. I am extremely happy with my experience. The office building is a typical NYC looking office building from the exterior, but it instantly transforms once you step through the doors at The Training Farm. They have a very nice space. The classrooms can accommodate about 8 students, which is great because the class size stays small and allows for more interaction with the instructor. The staff at The Training Farm was fantastic. David and Joe did a great job of communicating information about the training before, during, and after the class. Our instructor, Tyrone, was not only personable but did a great job of covering the training material and answering questions on the fly. The bottom line is that I'd definitely recommend The Training Farm to anyone looking to learn something new or brush up their current skill sets. Its proximity to Penn Station gives it a great location whether you are an NYC area native or someone coming from out of town. One tip... Be sure to ask to meet their Floor Manager, Bruce. read more

I personally think The Training Farm is great. Small and weird location, the elevator experience was scary, but other than that it's a great class. I took the MC 101/110 class and the teacher was AWESOME. Gave us time to learn and time to practice. Very helpful, patient, and he wasn't boring, he kept my interest the whole time! And that's not easy to do. It's a nice small class, they give you textbooks, and snacks! I could bring my lunch or eat out at lunch time - the place was very accomadating. I enjoy small classes, because it means more attention for me! I've been to this school and The NY Film Academy and I must say, this is 10 times better. I learned more, and not only that the staff at The Training Farm was extremely helpful - they helped me with my resume and gave me advice on how to pursue an assistant editor positions. Just overall pleased! If I need another class I would definitely go back. read more

I recently took the Lion 101 OS X Support Essentials class for a project for work. The class was very well put together and the instructor was well versed in Apple technology. The instructor provided real world scenarios in with the apple lessons to delivered the material in a more useful way than just reading word for word out of a book. This way it kept your attention and make the learning experience enjoyable. The facility its self is a nice space with newer equipment that is well maintained. The class rooms are smaller which is nice to keep the number of students to the instructor down to something like 5 to1. I like this because I have taken classes elsewhere and the instructor to student ratio has been 20 to 1 and you don't get the personal one on one like I received at the Training Farm. I am looking forward to taking more training classes through the Training Farm. read more

I took Photoshop 101 with Scott. I was terrified to learn the program, since it didn't seem intuitive to me at all! However, Scott proved to be an excellent teacher and PS6 mentor. He was very much in tune with my strengths and weaknesses as we moved through the syllabus, adjusting to where I needed more or less time, and showing me different ways to approach a method if I didn't understand it the first time. He was so patient, knowledgable, and approachable. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone looking to learn the ins and outs of this program. The Training Farm is the ideal environment for this course. It's centrally located, clean, and professional. Joe answered all of my questions promptly and thoroughly. I plan to recommend The Training Farm to all the rest of my colleagues ... the ones I haven't already shown off my new skills to, anyway :) read more

I learned FCP 7 a few years ago, but I haven't really been involved with editing since then. My employer sent me to The Training Farm to learn FCP X, as we will be incorporating that into our work in a few months. I had an excellent experience with my instructor, Scott, and everything about the facility was great as well. The only thing that didn't go quite as planned was that while I had signed up for the 5-day course, the only other person in my class had signed up for the 3-day course. Since I was comfortable with the Final Cut material after 3 days, Scott took that time to show me how some other programs relate to FCP. All in all, I had a really good experience here. The curriculum was clear and well taught. Everyone I met was very knowledgeable and helpful. I'd definitely recommend taking a course here, despite the terrifying elevator. read more

I recently took After Effects 201 at The Training Farm and was thoroughly impressed with both their facility and the instructor Scott Strong. The environment was very laid back and Scott was very mindful of his pace and made sure we felt confident in understanding what was being taught before moving on to the next topic. I've taken several Adobe products training session at other training outfits, The Training Farm stands head and shoulder above the others. I've been a corporate trainer for several years and when it comes to marrying the right environment with the trainer, I believe The Training Farm nailed it! A simple gesture as having an electronic "post-it note" on the home screen letting the participants know, "that if the temperature is not satisfactory let them know and they'll change it." It's the little things that matters. read more