Typical entry into the visual effects field often goes something like this:
1) Go to film school.
2) Build a demo reel.
3) Shop it around.
4) Wait.
But, there are many other ways in as well – non-traditional educations, a happenstance meeting in an elevator, lying/cheating/stealing your way into that job. Some of these stories can be inspirational, hilarious and morally questionable 😉
The point is: There are many ways into this business. As a result, it’s hard to give definitive advice on what a newcomer should do to get noticed, or land a job. No two stories are quite alike, and based on the personal emails I got (on a previous story I posted), I think that hopeful applicants would benefit from some war stories of getting into the biz, and the weird twists and turns that got us through our careers.
I posted this story on a different thread, and it resulted in emails asking for more. If this thread gets some traction I’ll embarrass myself with other anecdotes.
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‘The Software Simulator’
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When I first started out there was much less competition, but also less opportunity. Access to the professional machines and production software (stuff we now take for granted) was virtually impossible. I got my first job working as a junior, junior, junior ‘nobody’ in a post house. The people who had access to the "3D machines" were very protective of their territory. I felt completely shut out from the world I wanted to be part of. It was like an exclusive club for which you needed to know a secret password, and I didn’t. I was so very close to it, yet stuck behind the velvet rope.
Information was hard to come by in those days, but I got an Accountant to give me the name for the local hardware/software distributer. I called him and offered to work there for a week for free, in exchange, I got one night to learn on their demo computer. One night … what was I thinking?
So, I put in my week of cleaning the warehouse and filing papers, and then came my career-changing night. How did I spend these precious hours? – Not sitting at the machine. I stayed up all night, and photocopied all of the manuals (there must have been 10-12 big books). Then, I went home and cut out all the menus, taped them up and pretended like I was actually using the software, manually. Yes, I learned how to use it without ever having used such a machine, or software.
I practiced (at home, secretly) until the day we had a imminent deadline, and the 3D guy was not able to come in. I got my break, and somehow muddled my way through.
I’d like to say that the rest is history, but it was only the first chapter of many. In fact, I’m trying something new right now, and have no idea where it will take me.
Sometimes you get noticed, and sometimes cut your own trail.
