So I got up at 10 today (on a Saturday, i know) because i work nights. Nothing glamorous, stocking shelves. Your asking why I do this? (no? well ill tell you anyway) because it leaves my day free.
It leaves me with a whole lot of daylight to work on my 3d, ill admit, some days are harder to get motivated than others, and generally I do 3d on weekdays, but my current situation gives me the freedom to work towards getting a job.
But the sad reality is that most people never make it. Here in Sydney alone, i counted 5 schools with 3d courses, whether it be for film or games. And since i went to one (i graduated 2012) i know that we had about 3 or 4 art classes (for artists, not programmers) of roughly 30 people. So lets assume that each of those schools puts out 3 graduating classes a year, thats around 450 fresh faces competing with each other for work in a country were VFX studios can be counted with 2 hands.
On average, Animal Logic has about 10 - 15 openings at any given time. When a student graduates, not only do they have to compete with their fellow alumni, but also the slew of working professionals out there already, and if a whole year passes by then the following year they have to compete with another 450 students.
Couple this with the state of the industry, with studios undercutting each other and not being able to support their staff and thus shutting their doors, the situation doesn't look promising, not to mention the take 22, where in order to get work you need experience, and experience only comes from working.
So where do i sit in all this?, well i work as a freelance sound recordist, production assistant and sometimes editor on corporate projects, i havent had the fortune of getting in with many companies but have a steady client that swings one or two jobs a month my way. not ideal, but at least im working.
The whole 3d thing is a little more promising, a few weeks ago i had the fortune of attending a portfolio review with the head of recruitment from Animal and Luma Pictures, the information i walked away with can be found in multiple places, just google "what i need on my reel" or something like that, no matter how many times people ask what do i need to get a job, the answers are always the same.
Although the specific information i got regarding my reel was far more valuable. The guy from Luma Pictures basically said, use realistic textures and render in vray, for all the stuff thats just ambient occlusion on my reel, and to relight the cottage scene and render it better.
The Animal Logic lady, Patricia Kung i believe? Basically pushed me towards projections and matte work.
So why do i fing this information valuable? well, its basically a cheat sheet, do this and focus on that and ill be more competitive, now im not saying that if i do all this ill get a job right out of the gate, but i have a goal and a path that will get me to where i want to be. And thats far more valuable than the vague information you get in most sites.
So here i am, with a goal and direction, lets see where we go from here yes?
for those that are curious, here is the link to what i showed them.
https://vimeo.com/54896525
No comments:
Post a Comment