Add pictures of supplies for live courses and in the library

Does it bother anyone else that we spend hundreds and when it comes to knowing what the actual supplies are before a live course. We see the name copy and paste and hope we have the right item. Maybe it's just me because I'm a beginner but my struggles being a student on here is the fact that every project is intermediate and not for beginners so trying to find what I need from four videos for one project that there is a video on. But you need to already know how to mold and make armature and more. Just a thought from someone trying to get the most out of this site. Also please make a recently viewed course playlist. It can be hard looking for a video you recently watched and have to go down two pages to find the video. Go out of the tab to find supplies and go back to the site. Love the school but there are still a lot of headaches. Anyone feel the same?

Answers

  • I'm struggling to find a lot of supplies too , even more since I do not live in the United States.

    I do think that having a picture or a direct link to the materials could be helpful! It does not sound like a terrible idea, but I know that this is slightly more time consuming as well for those making the lists :/ 
  • Hi Sam,

    If you ever have questions about supplies, the forums are a great place to reach out to us.  We completely understand that finding specific supplies can be challenging, especially when uncommon materials are used, or band names/products are not available in your area.  That's why we are here to help you find stuff!

    Direct linking to supplies is a challenge because retailers often add/remove products from their catalog, might not have the best prices, the items might not be available for specific regions, links go dead over time, etc.  We do often mention in our lessons where specific supplies can be purchased, but we understand those options may not work for everyone.

    That said, we are here for you, so if you are having trouble hunting down a specific supply we are happy to help.  And our forums have members form all over the world, so often someone here will know a local brand name, supplier, or alternative.

    /Chris
  • Hey Chris thank you for being here. I think adding a photo of all of the supplies on the course page might really help. I know at least when I'm searching for supplies and I find an expensive supply I want to make sure I'm buying the right one being used in the course. It can be just one photo of them all but I think it would really help excpecially for live classes.
  • edited February 2019
    My pleasure!  I've passed word along to the team.

    As an effects artist I know how stressful it can be hunting down expensive or uncommon products/materials.  Products get discontinued, brand names change, formulas change... it's a never-ending challenge we all battle with, so we'll do our best to help you find stuff! :smiley:

    /Chris
  • Thanks I think that will help a lot. Ironically I'm pretty sure something I just bought for a live class was the wrong item. Luckily I think it was cheap so I can just bite the cost but with shopping online. Returning can be a pain. 
  • Also, for "Recently Watched" I've passed word along to our development team, so we can see about getting a playlist added to individual account pages, like the favorites list.  For now you can use the "Continue Watching" list on the homepage (https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/) which has similar functionality.

    /Chris
  • Hi Chris,
    What would be nice is if the list of supplies the students taking the tutorials live get were available somewhere.  I understand suppliers change, but I'm watching BJ Guyer and all of his original students were given a supply list, so it should be somewhere.
    With regards to the site, why not organize the courses in tracks:  Puppet track, animatronics track, armor tracl, body painting track, etc.?  It is kind of a pain to have to scroll down, down, down to find the next part in a course! 
    Overall, my wife and I are happy with the course.  But it could be so much easier to use if it was organized better.  If you finish part 1 of a course, it should automatically take you to part 2, if you don't want to watch it, fine, but it would make more sense if the site was more student/user friendly.
    Thanks!  We plan to watch almost everything!
    Kent
    P.S.  I'd also like to say, that, while I understand you're a working shop, when filming, it would be nice if there wasn't the noise of guys talking, dropping metal, running equipment, etc.Maybe that was only BJ's classes?

  • Hi Kent,

    Our courses have a materials tab on the main course page that lists every material and tool used in the lesson.  If you ever see something that is not on the list please let us know and we'll be sure to update it!

    We do have a structure similar to tracts we call "Learning Pathways" where you can track your progress through a series of related courses.   As new courses are added to a library we will be adding them to their related Learning Pathways and in some cases creating new pathways.  Check that out and let us know what you think.

    https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/pathways

    We do have a few puppet making Learning Pathways:

    Puppet Making Basics:
    https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/pathways/puppet-making-basics-online-courses-for-beginning-puppet-builders

    Puppet Making:
    https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/pathways/puppet-making-online-courses-for-intermediate-to-advanced-puppet-builders

    We are always working on improving our site, and we greatly appreciate any feedback and suggestions.  I can't speak to any specific changes as some are still in development and testing, but we are focused on making our site as intuitive as possible.

    As far as the background noise in some of our older lessons we completely understand.  Those lessons were filmed in a working shop environment, which comes with its own unique pros and cons.   We now film our lessons in a quiet and controlled studio environment, unless the lesson requires going on-location.

    Thanks again for your feedback!

    /Chris
  • Hi Chris,
    Once again, thank you so much for your quick response.  Just before I read the comments, I found the learning pathways <blushing>  I apologize for being so... well, just for not knowing the site better! 
    I will find the lists! Keep up the good work - I will be on here for a long time - I can see that!
    Best -
    Kent

  • Hi Kent,

    No worries, glad you found the pathways!   

    Let us know if you have any questions and enjoy the courses!

    /Chris
Sign In or Register to comment.