Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19885
Student to Pro gargoyles you want, but if you want a job [you ha ve to listen to the client]. They geared the learning toward that, which for me was invaluable because I came in with silly ideas. I wanted to work in 3D and that doesn’t really exist as an industr y. It’s either visual effects or films or games; that’s what you should be aiming for.” And Holmes aimed for commercials. “There wasn’t anything about the process I didn’t like,” he says.“Starting in Maya with a concept, making that concept into 3D, going through the process of texturing it, writing and rendering it, going to Shake, compositing it and then finishing up; I wanted to do all of those things.We had some guys who came in and played Warcraft for eight hours a day and then came to Escape for eight hours a day and modeled those char acters, and it was obvious that is what they wanted to do.” Another thing Escape emphasized was al- ways producing something that has a refer- ence.They would tell him,“Don’t just model a seat or a car randomly — create some- thing that is real, because that is what hap- pens in the commercial world. If they want a brand-new L’Oreal bottle, you make that.” As part of the course, Holmes had to de- Jason Yacalis is pictured sandwiched between Pendulum owners (L-R) Mike McCormick and Rob Taylor. sign his own character and I then realize that character in 3D. “That trains you to deliver what you are asked to deliver and not your opinions or your view of what you are asked to deliver,” he explains.“Being a lead now, I see a lot of guys who didn’t go to a finishing school and come straight from university. They say,‘Oh I thought this would be a good way to do this.’ No, this is what we need. From a production side, that is what Escape really gives you.” Critiquing work was part of the curricu- lum at Escape . “A critique is never like, ‘That’s bad,’ it’s always constr uctive, and even in a commercials environment [like here at The Mill], it’s always constructive because your lead is tr ying to make you better. If you have someone who is cr i- tiquing your work literally, just criticizing, that’s not good for anyone.” Holmes offers this up to students tur n- ing pro:“Understand what you want to do and deliver what is asked.Your opinion will be asked at some point,but if it’s not, don’t offer it. If you are asked to do a shampoo bottle or realistically light a scene, do that, and do it well. Offer your opinion once someone is looking at your work and nod- ding.That is one of the best times to off er it because b y that point y ou’ve earned their trust and they know you can do it, and anything you can do on top gets re- ceived better.” 36 Post • November 2010 Proving your professionalism The transition from a student to professional in the industry was extremely daunting for me be- cause there is always a level of uncertainty in the unknown. But, from what I’ve learned, it is all how you apply and represent yourself to a studio that will show them that you are not a student but, in fact, a professional. I graduated from SCAD with an MFA in Visual By Kyle Cody Compositor Gravity www.gravityw New Y ork orld.com Effects, and started my internship with Gravity in NYC. I started with pre-comping work for client reviews and style frames for bids. Even though I was “just the intern,” I still treated my work with the utmost professionalism. I reported directly to the visual effects supervisor, the creative direc- tors, CG supervisor and producers, and made sure I took every bit of advice they gave.These people are very experienced and are your best sources of learning on the job right out of school.And of course they’re best people to im- press if you want to keep your job. College taught me everything I needed to know to get my foot in the door at Gravity, but school can never really prepare you for the real-world experience.The first three months out of school were by far the biggest learning curve I’d encountered. It was crucial for me to show that I wasn’t just an intern but a dedicated professional. Staying late nights or weekends when jobs are delivering or taking on new tasks are all vital in proving you are committed to your work and the studio. Hence you prove you have a drive and a passion to grow as a profes- sional and are no longer a student. When you set foot in the door on your first intern- ship or job, the college stu- dent mentality needs to dis- appear. From that first mo- ment, you need to prove that you are a professional. Showing up on time and successful communication with colleagues are all little things that show your pro- fessionalism to the studio. After my internship with Cody worked on this spot for Bon Pari candy for the Russian market out of JWT Moscow. Gravity, I was hired on staff as a compositor. From pre-comps and style frames,I am now working on complex final compositing for high-end commercials and feature films, such as The Other Guys (2010), the soon to be released Universal Studios picture The Adjustment Bureau (2011) and Crazy Stupid Love (2011). Turning from a college student to a working professional can be nerve-wracking, but at the end of the day, if you enjoy your job it never feels like work. It certainly takes a lot to prove your professionalism in the workplace, but also it is important to have fun and enjoy being around the people you work with. If you’re lucky enough to have the same experiences I’ve had, that part will be easy. www.postmagazine.com