Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19885
Thanks to the still struggling economy, recent graduates are finding the competition for work tougher than ever.That is why it is more important than ever to be pre- pared for real-world environments, even before offered that particular opportunity. Schools and training programs will certainly get you close, but talent, dedication, personality, willingness to take direction and the ability to be a team player will get you all the way there. CINESITE’S CHRIS MULCASTER Chris Mulcaster’s road to being a professional modeler and texture artist found him parked at Cinesite London’s Inspire Program, a six-week paid internship that allows graduates to work alongside experienced pros while creating visual effects for feature films. Mulcaster, a Portsmouth University graduate with a Com- puter Animation degree, also has an intensive 12-week course in visual effects at London’s Es- cape Studios under his belt. This schooling gave him a good base of exper ience w orking with tools such as Maya, Shake, Nuke, Mudbox, Z-Brush, 3DS Max and Photoshop, but what he craved was real-world work, and that’s what he f ound at Cinesite (www.cinesite.com). At the start of his internship he began working on The Chroni- cles of Narnia:The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a junior 3D artist, modeling and texturing. At the end of the internship, he was offered a contr act as a junior artist and is currently working on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as an environment TD. “Being dropped in at the deep end What advice does he offer those gearing up for the real world? “Make the most of your tutors when you’re at univer- sity/college, or anyone you may know in the industry.And when you do get a job, never be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. People don’t mind giving you some time to teach you; they were all in the same position when they first began.” In terms of show reels, his advice is to keep it simple.“Prove you have the skills. Creating a photorealistic model integrated into a live-action sequence or still is going to stand out far more than a crazy creature or a spaceship. If you want to be a mod- eler, focus on your modeling, but I feel it always pays to show you have what it takes to produce a quality shot incor porating the whole VFX process, from tracking through to compositing.” We all know this industry is relationship based,and Mulcaster hammers home the importance of being personable and easy going.“You have to be able to get on with people,” he shares. “When you’re interviewed they’re not only looking for a person Chris Mulcaster, now full-time with Cinesite, spent months preparing his show reel (featuring this VW Bug) until he was ready to apply for jobs. from day one, I was forced to learn a lot very quickly to get up to speed,” explains Mulcaster.“Although slightly overwhelming, this is the best way to learn. All visual effects studios have their own pipeline, and initially it was just a case of learning the set-up at Cinesite. I had enough skills and knowledge to do the job but no experience of working in the film industry in this environment. You need to make sure you follow the correct procedures and conventions so work can flow from one department to another without confusion.You don’t want to aggravate someone with silly mistakes, especially when big deadlines are looming.” While Mulcaster’s role hasn’t changed m uch since being hired on full-time, he says the learning process never ends. “Every day I am picking up helpful short cuts to increase my ef- ficiency. Even the most experienced guys have to keep up with changes in technology and development of new techniques. A good example is the demand for stereoscopic films, which has created a plethora of new challenges for all.” Mulcaster’s schooling made sure he was experienced in having his work critiqued, and that helped prepare him for the process at Cinesite.“Dailies are a good way to get regular feedback of our work,” he says. “Initially it’s very daunting, as a number of your team will get to see your work and critique it, but it’s essential and always constructive.You need to be able to take criticism and learn from your mistakes in order to improve your work.” with the required skills and enthusiasm, but someone who they can see themselves working with. I’ve heard of people not last- ing long in their job as they couldn’t get along in a team.” You also have to be passionate about what you’re doing and be as self-critical as you can, he reports.“If you can get any work experience at any VFX studios, it’s definitely beneficial, if not just to see whether you like working in this type of environment or to get more of an idea of what you may want to specialize in. He sums up this way:“It’s not always easy — don’t feel disillu- sioned that you will never get a job.You have to be prepared for long hours, and lots of hard work, but it is definitely worthwhile.” PENDULUM’S JASON Y ACALIS Pendulum lighting and effects artist Jason Yacalis didn’t star t out wanting to be in the enter tainment industry. Instead his in- terests lied in physics and math, but those interests evolved and he found himself leaning toward more creative endeavors, such as traditional ar t. He found himself at Full Sail University in Florida where he majored in computer animation while occa- sionally gaining real-w orld experience freelancing on game mods,music videos and even a television pilot. After graduation he stayed on at Full Sail, interning for three months, an experience that offered him the opportunity to see the curriculum from a different perspective. In addition www.postmagazine.com November 2010 • Post 33