I used to hate it when people told me ‘ohhh yes mate, your 3 years at uni will go so quickly’. I didn’t believe it at the time but now I’m one of those people: ‘ohhhhh, yes my friends. Your 3 years at uni will go so bloody quick. You’ll be sitting on your sofa with pint and a packet of Rowntrees Randoms, writing a little something for the CGAA blog, thinking…..what the hell just happened?!
You’ve got to make it as enjoyable and challenging as possible, so you can collect your scroll at the end, and not care you’re dressed like a plonker in a Harry Potteresque outfit because you’ve only gone and smashed it!
I’ve got a few bits of advice I think you can all benefit from. This course is a really tough one but at the same time, it’s really rewarding.
Having a working method that suits you is really important - whether you choose a 9am-5pm working day and the rest of the night to do whatever - or working solidly all week, but with the weekends to drown yourself in Snake Bite. You need to find a method that works for you because everyone is different. For the hardcore students, tell your flatmates and parents you’re going on a 15 week trip to Asia, buy lots of ready meals from Asda (it’s the cheapest - usually £1 or 3 for 2), stock up on some Rooster, a few packs of sweets, then lock your door.
In all seriousness, make sure you have time to enjoy yourself - and get out the house, well away from computers. Get your heart pumping, otherwise you’ll end up a corpse. Go for a jog, play some footy, go swimming or something. Give your brain a break from Maya and use your legs.
Coming up with ideas can be really difficult so choose a subject that interests you. Working on a 15 week project which you hate is pointless. You’ll go mental. Having an emotional connection with your work will give you the incentive and inspiration to create something immense.
Don’t forget that this is your gig. You won’t get many opportunities after uni where you play every role, the director, art director, production manager, concept artist, cg Artist, tea lady - even the cleaner. Give yourself a raise: for every 30 seconds of animation you complete, eat a whole trifle.
Keep your ideas simple. Don’t try pulling an ‘Inception’ plotline out the bag because you’ve only got 3 minutes max. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. I came very close when doing my final two projects. It’s like trying to force too much turkey down your neck at Christmas; very tempting with a bit of cranberry sauce, but lay off the turkey, and save room for pudding. It’s about knowing your limits. Spend the time getting your films perfect instead of producing something long and fragmented that loses its punch.
Becoming a master of problem solving is really helpful, especially in the 3rd year. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can clone Alan - I’m still working on that. If you can find other ways around problems it will make life a lot easier; google it, ask a mate or do what I did and cleverly conceal the problems so nobody sees them. If it’s out of shot, forget it. It looks like you new guys and girls have a quality community spirit - which is great - utilize it as much as you can.
Be consistently brilliant in all your projects - obviously because of the grades, but also because it gives your tutors a better picture of how you think, your style and what you can achieve. When you come to pitch your ideas, having them 100% behind your project and ability is a massive confidence boost. Earn your stripes and you’ll have no problems.
Since I finished uni, a fair few opportunities have come my way. There’s a lot of freelance work out there if your portfolio looks good - and if you do a good job then they’ll come crawling back with more gold. Because this course isn’t just 3d based, I’ve found myself doing hand drawn illustrations for a fella in Holland alongside the 3d stuff, which is great – a bit of a variety - like Revels.
I’ve done a few jobs for the sculptor and art film maker, Hilary Koob-Sassen. Somebody recommended my work to him. I went for a quick interview with a few other CG guys, who turned up with briefcases and pale Maya faces. It’s important to remember a client is not just after someone who can work, but someone who isn’t a gray, wet flannel. They want someone with spark and personality - so don’t let computers turn you into wet flannel. (There is nothing more boring than a flannel; if there is, I’d really like to know. Even an ironing board is more exciting).
That’s all from me. I hope you all have a great start to 2011. If anyone has problems with work or anything, you can give me an email. Maybe it’s a personal problem - in that case, just use the cream.
Good luck!
Dave"
:)
ReplyDeleteThis post was like a CG Version of the speech in Independence Day. Some good needed advice, it's hard to get the ball rolling again after a break.
ReplyDeletebeautifully concluded dave, as always :D
ReplyDelete