Took a break

Ok so I i know I had only just started on the blog catch up but i took a break for an hour or so..  not to chillax and sit on my back side but to a talk that was at the university today. One taken by Senior Animator Carla Prada of Microsoft's Soho Studios.  

Not usually one of my usual's ide attend as it was more animation and game based, and the number of VFX students were low. However after going over some of the projects Carla had worked on made me realize that the industry we're applying for is not a fixed route, she went in as a 2D animator, went on to games like tonic trouble, tv shows like Angelica Anaconda then moving onto first person shooters like Haze. starting in 2D and moving through to digital animation and games is a huge leap, highlighting the fact that you have to be easy with how you work. Don't just sign your self up to one thing straight away, make your skills stretch as far as possible.

She covered a few things that most of us were all aware of, for example the way that you essentially become the directors bitch.. do what your told

- even if means recreating the scene you just spent weeks on, 6 times over, to create something you actually think is crap and the director likes :/ 

- How important it is to have the base knowledge 

Though she studied as a 2D animator and went on to 3D/games etc, she mentioned that her 2D work/skills weren't wasted. The 2D skills are the base, the life drawing, understanding anatomy etc, basically all the things that were drummed into us for 1st year and the start of second. Later she brought up this same concept of getting the grounding skills, saying that your forever learning. Talking about her experiences with motion capture, At first the decision to use mo cap was one animators shunned however after a while she enjoyed the technique as she learnt this whole new world of movement that can be used and understood to enhance animation. 

She also covered a few points..

- Getting into industry - how you reel should look, how long it should be, what work to include etc. One thing I never get over is how basic some peoples reels are?! like without doubt her reel was really good, but aesthetically, its .. so ....basic? I totally get that with good artists, their work sells them, not the dressing of they're reels/websites/cv's etc but.. meh I guess its just me, I quite like to see a well designed pleasing theme/look/style when presented with work.. (probs the 2years of graphic arts kicking in there i suppose) 

- looking for work - she went over a few places to look for work and what kind to look at, interns, networking etc

- Some basic interview knowledge, its always dam good to actually know about the company your applying for.. don't just turn up not knowing the difference between the company and Sainsburys :/ Its also a good idea to take a hard copy of your reel to leave it behind, or have some crit when there.

Its good to know what software the company uses, even if you just trial some different packages so you not a complete dunce when they stick you in front of houdini when your a maya expert. 

Another good thing to be aware of is situations they might put you in, scenarios, they want to get the most out of you so they'l want to know if you can work well in teams, can problem solve and sometimes whether you can lead if the opportunity ever came up.

She also went over some tips for when you start your first job but its all pretty common sense, i think if i write any more il be going into biography territory.

Overall it was a good talk to attend, someone asked a good question, " is there any skills that you would go back and learn if you had the opportunity?" and she said the more technical skills, rigging and skinning came up as she said she has a technical artist sitting along side her when she works to tweak or fix any problems.    .. which reminds me, i really need to get that rigging reel finished :/