I cannot express my excitement at my new job due to my timid nature, so I've set up a blog to talk about it! firstly, before I can dive into concise details of how I got my first, ever, job. I have to show pictures! Everybody likes looking at a picture before reading something!
During the start of my last semester of school, I despaired that I wasn't going to graduate and that earning a job during the economic downturn at the time is going to be next to impossible for a recent graduate. So in two weeks, I had to brush out my rigging skills and plan out the following two and a half months. I knew it had to be simple and up to the point. I had to find that extra 'it' on my demoreel that makes people say, "I want this guy". Though, at the time, I didn't know what to do. I had to find people, and find them fast.
I found three people who were graduates of the Art Institute and all of them are professional riggers. One of them I already knew, Denis, then I was introduced to Nathan, and finally Chris. Nathan was particularly helpful in demonstrating how a four-sided blendshape controller works. Using the Gmail chat, he was also particularly helpful in giving me pointers on what might and might not work in a rigging reel. I was introduced to Chris much later as someone recommended him. He helped me in the scripting side of things, specifically with Python. Denis was really, really busy but he recommended that I read two very specific books: Advanced Character Rigging Techniques and Facial Rigging by Jason Osipa.
Nathan, Chris and Denis could only help me so much. I had to pull my own weight. I had to finish my rigging. I had to ask lots of questions to my teachers, and I also personally modeled two models in the prior months which I fully intended to use. I had a Character and a Face which were the two most important things recruiters are looking for in a junior rigging reel.
Not only that I had to finish my rigging, I also had to professionally prepare myself for the world. I knew that getting a job right off from school is very rare, so I had to quit playing games. I had to read books. I had to excel and to be noticed.
I decided that all demo reels need to have an excellent presentation, especially for a junior reel like mine, I had to make it look good. I threw coloured shaders to every surface. I colourized the curves to make them distinguishable from left and right. I added a really simple environment composition for my character but of course, it wasn't enough. My rigs needed to be animated. They had to show that they were useful and that every controller needs to show a useful function. That's where my other friends and teachers at school came in. They were animators and producers and critics all rolled into one and they were happy to give me pointers on what I needed for the animation, music, timing and feel. One thing I also decided to do is to add consistency. My business card, my presentation and logo was to be the consistent, so I created a simple puppet with strings and red pivot points.
Of course, I'm guilty of being of a somewhat of a perfectionist, and that I had a little more time, with that comes in "www.videocopilot.net/" which was that little bit of cherry-on-the-top. With it, I made introduction and the switch from the character to my face more visually attractive. I decided to introduce what each rigging scene had and also a title.
Finally, a complete contrast to what I was feeling during the start of the quarter, I was absolutely glad to have my reel to be presented as the "Best of Show" for the 3D Modeling for Animation and Games program:
During the start of my last semester of school, I despaired that I wasn't going to graduate and that earning a job during the economic downturn at the time is going to be next to impossible for a recent graduate. So in two weeks, I had to brush out my rigging skills and plan out the following two and a half months. I knew it had to be simple and up to the point. I had to find that extra 'it' on my demoreel that makes people say, "I want this guy". Though, at the time, I didn't know what to do. I had to find people, and find them fast.I found three people who were graduates of the Art Institute and all of them are professional riggers. One of them I already knew, Denis, then I was introduced to Nathan, and finally Chris. Nathan was particularly helpful in demonstrating how a four-sided blendshape controller works. Using the Gmail chat, he was also particularly helpful in giving me pointers on what might and might not work in a rigging reel. I was introduced to Chris much later as someone recommended him. He helped me in the scripting side of things, specifically with Python. Denis was really, really busy but he recommended that I read two very specific books: Advanced Character Rigging Techniques and Facial Rigging by Jason Osipa.
Nathan, Chris and Denis could only help me so much. I had to pull my own weight. I had to finish my rigging. I had to ask lots of questions to my teachers, and I also personally modeled two models in the prior months which I fully intended to use. I had a Character and a Face which were the two most important things recruiters are looking for in a junior rigging reel.
I decided that all demo reels need to have an excellent presentation, especially for a junior reel like mine, I had to make it look good. I threw coloured shaders to every surface. I colourized the curves to make them distinguishable from left and right. I added a really simple environment composition for my character but of course, it wasn't enough. My rigs needed to be animated. They had to show that they were useful and that every controller needs to show a useful function. That's where my other friends and teachers at school came in. They were animators and producers and critics all rolled into one and they were happy to give me pointers on what I needed for the animation, music, timing and feel. One thing I also decided to do is to add consistency. My business card, my presentation and logo was to be the consistent, so I created a simple puppet with strings and red pivot points.
Of course, I'm guilty of being of a somewhat of a perfectionist, and that I had a little more time, with that comes in "www.videocopilot.net/" which was that little bit of cherry-on-the-top. With it, I made introduction and the switch from the character to my face more visually attractive. I decided to introduce what each rigging scene had and also a title.
Finally, a complete contrast to what I was feeling during the start of the quarter, I was absolutely glad to have my reel to be presented as the "Best of Show" for the 3D Modeling for Animation and Games program:
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