With the
skillset that I believe I will have by the time I leave this year will give me
a few different possibilities, ill be going into more depth about this and
finding out more information about the industry I will be going into and what
to expect.
Firstly
I’m just going to start by explaining what I think ill be wanting to do when I
leave by this I mean what area I will be wanting to go into because these are
lots of different areas that I could branch into within the industry like 2D
hand drawn or 2D computer generated to name only two but from my experiences on
this course I have realized that hand drawn is probably not something I am
going to go into. The main reason being I am out of practice and it takes me a
very long time to get anything down on paper but in contrast I can make
something in 3D with a lot more east and much more efficiently which really
leads me to think about going into 3D as it is something that I am really
passionate about and feel I can improve greatly at, this brings me on to jobs
within this area of the industry. I am just going to list a few ranging from
the lower end jobs right up to the more sort after ones.
1.
Runner
2.
Modeler
3.
Animator
4.
Junior Animator
5.
Rigger
6.
Lead Animator
7.
Animation Director
8.
Production Assistant
9.
Assistant director
10. Modeling supervisor
These are just a few of the different jobs
that are available within the 3D area of the industry I have picked these
particular ones for many different reasons the first being the variety as you
can probably see there is some jobs what you may be able to go into straight
from graduation but then there is some which require many years of work within
the industry itself and have to make a good name for yourself. The job that I
would most likely be going into after this course has ended will be a runners
position this would basically just be a foot in the door for the industry a way
of getting over that first hurdle. Just to explain what a runner is in more
it’s a support job wherever you are needed within that company or production
you could be doing a very wide range of things from carrying out house keeping
basically cleaning the production equipment or possibly ordering supplies that
are running low. A runners duty’s may also include running the petty cash
checking time sheets you could almost see a runners job as a secretary but with
knowledge of the techniques within the industry.
Qualities
that most people would look for in a runner are pretty simple and nothing out
of the ordinary like being punctual if you doing this job the last thing you
can be doing is turning up late or without the necessary equipment to fully
perform you job. As for actual skills all runners should have basic literacy
and numeracy skills because without this you wouldn’t be very much use to anyone.
This seem like a obvious thing that you would want your runner to have and
that’s a passion and interest in animation it just seem that without this there
isn’t really any point in you taking this job as most people are looking to
develop there understanding of the production process but I guess other’s may
be in it for money but I cant see this being the most well paid job in the
world I would see it more as a stepping stone as I would imagine most people
do. But some of the most important skills are to be able to cope under pressure
and take multiple tasks on at one time and be able to priorities these to get
them done in the most efficient way possible and not letting anyone down.
A
lot of people might see this job as you basically being someone’s slave but you
would have a much harder time getting into the industry without doing something
like a runners job because people would have to take you at face value and you
portfolio as it stands then. But if you start in a company as a runner and work
hard you will get the attention of the people who work they’re as someone who
is hard working and punctual which goes along way. But that’s not going to be
enough in my opinion if think you should be constantly watching how the company
works and runs how are things done what time schedule so they have, do they use
the same techniques as you or what can you learn from these people who are in
full time jobs. Its all about learning new skills and gathering knowledge so
you are better informed and prepared for the day when you get that chance to
prove yourself in a more import job. As a runner you will get these
opportunities if you work hard enough and show yourself to be willing to learn.
As
for qualifications you don’t actually need any as such you could go into the
job with zero knowledge of the industry and just have the right attitude as
this is probably the most important thing and what people look for most in a
runner if you seem to be a bubbly person and have good communication skills you
will definitely be hired over someone who is boring and shows no interest in
the industry at all. A example of this would be going into the interview and
showing your interest in animation maybe talking about some of the work you
have seen come from this studio not sucking up but showing how you have been
inspired will go along way over going into a interview and just going through
the motions. Even thought you don’t actually need any qualification’s as such
its not to say they wont help if you do have a background in the animation area
show it if you have a foundation or full degree talk about it bring in a
portfolio with some of the work you have done its not going to get you a job
doing something higher but it will show them your work ethic and some skills.
You should also try and get across the knowledge you have of different
software’s the more the better say if you have experiences in Cinema 4D,
Photoshop, Illustrator or Adobe after effects to name a few make sure they know
this, along with a physical portfolio try and put together and good show reel
with all the best work you have done but make sure its of a high standard and
works well a example of this would be having no music is much better than
having bad music.
Personally I feel the runner position in
companies is a great job to get you stared and can’t imagine how I would look
to get a job without it. Along with this being a good way to get into the
industry on the lowest of levels it is also a great way to start working your
way up into the better jobs within the industry a rough example of this would
be shadowing someone else as they do there job this gives you a lot more
knowledge in that area and you can take this and possibly become that persons
assistant or possibly be doing the same job in another company or take his job
when he moves into another job role like supervisor or so on.
I just want to talk about the locations
you can be expecting to find yourself when going for jobs within the industry,
where are the best jobs or the most opportunities for you to prosper. At the
minute I live in the North East in Newcastle probably not the best for
animation right now there just isn’t enough jobs to go around when compared to
other places, I have looked at a few companies that are in the local region I
discuss them a little below.
Along with the opportunities in my
immediate region I could also look to travel which would actually be a lot more
be a lot more beneficial to me if I was looking to get a job mainly because
there is more jobs in different areas of the UK when compared with Newcastle or
the North East for that matter where the industry is still growing and doesn’t
have as many job opportunities. The areas of the UK that have the most and best
job opportunities are probably London or Manchester last year it was probably
just London but there has been a lot of things moving to Manchester lately
which has created a lot more jobs in the industry.
But London still has a lot more jobs than
the North East which gives you a lot more opportunities to get a job as a
runner or something similar. So for people like myself who don’t want to
continue with the education side of things I would be looking to maybe move
there if I could get a job or show a willingness to move for the job because if
I stayed here I would be contending with a lot more people for the job or the
spaces for interviews may get filled up so I wouldn’t even get a chance to
apply. But if I went to London I would have more jobs to choose from and
wouldn’t have to fight for them as much,
On top of this I wouldn’t also have more
choice in what studio or business I wanted to go into say I liked the work or
style that a certain studio did over another or if it had different perks or
advantages compared to another I would go for that one as a primary. This
brings me to another point say I applied for something in the North East there
may be only on or two jobs actually available but in London I may be able to
apply to 5 or 6 this would increase my chances multiple times and would give me
a lot more options.
Other possibilities that you could open up
for to yourself after being a runner are think such as a junior modeler or
rigger these jobs are basically like the full normal job but your work is
supervised by a more experienced person who has been working there for long your
would normally be given jobs such as modeling small things that you be in the
background of shots like glasses and characters that don’t get much screen time
and are normally out of the main shot focus. But still these give you more
experience and knowledge of the inner workings of a production.
