Working in VFX - My Honest Experience

My name is Agatha, I'm currently a digital artist and illustrator, however I used to work in the Visual Effects (VFX) industry as a texture arting for the past 4-5 years.

In this video I run through:
*How to get into VFX:
I studied in the UK, so I did my secondary schooling, then went onto college to study a BTEC in Art and Design. I then went to University to study Computer Animation Arts. You don't need to be artistic to get into VFX, you can get a more technical job by learning programming, physics and maths.

*How to get a job:
I got small jobs here and there in small CG companies, then was able to make a break into the VFX world, working in a post production house in London Soho. I did this by shear determination, creating a showreel that showcased my skill set and sent out a LOT of applications. It's 60% your effort and 40% luck and perseverance .

*What is working in VFX like:
Working in VFX is like working in any office. It's not as glam as it sounds. It usually consists of an open plan office, with no natural light due to the confidentiality and secrecy of the projects you work on. As well as the lights hitting the screens may change how you perceive colour. You're given a wacom tablet and off you go.

*A typical day in VFX:
You get in check your emails, you crack on with your job, then in the middle of the day or in the end of the day you go to a meeting called dalies. So you go to your dalies and there you show the work you've been doing and everyone in the room critiques it or helps with any issues you may have. People from the departments that directly effect your work go to this meeting also so you can talk out any problems when it comes to handovers and so on.

*Do you meet a lot of famous people:
No not really. Working in VFX means you're at the end of the pipeline for film making, so meeting actos is unlikely though it does happen once in a while. You're more likely to meet directors, producers and popular artists.

*How to keep getting work in VFX:
VFX is heavy on networking. You have to network. Meeting a lot of people and getting to know everyone is important so when people move which they often do due to contracts being short, they will keep you in mind and maybe put in a good word for you when you come to look for a new job.

*Pros of VFX:
- You get to travel lots due to tax breaks in different countries.
- You get to meet loads of people
- You improve your interpersonal skills as well as your networking skills
- It's a creative industry
- You can win awards (Oscars, BAFTAs ect) if your film is nominated for VFX
- When you're not a runner or a junior the pay is great

*Cons of VFX:
- Contracted work. Almost all work is contract base which means 1 year (a great and rare contract) to 6 months is considered good. Contracts can be as short as 3 months to weekly contract updates which can be stressful since most placed that have VFX post production houses are cities that are expensive like London.
- Travel. If you don't like to travel or don't want to have to uproot your entire life every couple of years or so this is a negative.
- Living in expensive and big cities. Some people may enjoy London life. I found it to be more like a giant sarlacc pit of money.
- You may have to start off as a runner which means making coffees and having no actual contact with CG or VFX. Also the pay is disgraceful.
- In London Unpaid overtime is common. Rarely do companies pay overtime. This is London specific however.

*Tips for those looking to go into the industry:
- Learn the different areas within VFX (texturing, modeling, compositing, rendering, lighting), and pick a top 3, learn as much as you can and develop your skills within these areas.
- Create a portfolio that reflects the jobs you want to do.
- Focus on realism. Cartoony stuff is fine for animation, or perhaps you worked on some complex lighting in a cartoony 3D animation. However generally with VFX they're looking for realism, object integration and seamlessness.
- Learn some basic programming. Sure you may be looking to go into animation, modeling or texturing, however knowing some basic python or mel (for maya) is always beneficial for saving time.

This is all from my own personal experience.

Hope you enjoyed it :)

■ You can find me on:
- RedBubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Agat...
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/agathaling
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- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PincelStudio/

■ For any business enquiries, or to do an Artist Interview contact me on: contact@pincel.co.uk

Видео Working in VFX - My Honest Experience канала Agatha Ling