Throughout the years, my determination and appreciation for animation has increased, along with my abilities. I gave a great interest in creating realistic effects and movement. I specialize in 3D animation and Visual Effects, because I thrive on the creativity in which these processes hold. I find myself to be inspired by films and TV shows and especially the behind the scenes footages of them so I can see how they are all put together. I aspire to become the best 3D/CG animator and VFX artist I can possible be. I also have a passion for Dynamic and Particle effects due to the fact that I gathered a huge amount of research for my Dissertation about how 3D software simulations can use particles to create character elemental effects, I achieved a 1st for this. I believe that improvement can always be applied, and as an artist development is key. And when it comes to my personality I’m friendly, polite, and have the ability to work collaboratively in a professional environment.
The technical skills that I have acquired over the past are in Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, After Effects, Premiere Pro and IPI Motion Capture software. I have found myself being more of a 3D generalist due to the fact that I spend most of my time in Maya, However I have expanded my abilities to other 3D softwares like Blender, Houdini and Cinema 4D. I also have an enthusiasm for post production and compositing, if I’m not doing 3D then I’m creating live action visual effect within After Effects. I have gathered lots of experience with particle and dynamic effects in Maya because of my final year work creating simulations at Leeds College of Art. I have had experience working collaboratively on projects where it has taught me a lot about keeping up the communication with partners and being able to separate the workload equally.
Wednesday 17 May 2017
ISSUU: End of Year Presentation
Of this module I had to create a 15 minute power point presentation about the reflection of the final year I've had at Uni. This was so that I could talk about how I have improved as a practitioner and what work I've produced over the past year.
In my presentation I have talked about my how I've grown and gained skills in multiple softwares, I talked about my online presence and how I've kept it consistent across the social platforms. I also used this opportunity to reflect on my experience in the industry and how I've had interviews at three different places.
In my presentation I have talked about my how I've grown and gained skills in multiple softwares, I talked about my online presence and how I've kept it consistent across the social platforms. I also used this opportunity to reflect on my experience in the industry and how I've had interviews at three different places.
Updated CV
Recently I've had another read through of my CV and I've decided to make a couple of changes to it to make it look more professional. Mike, my tutor, has had a look at my CV as well and he told me to make a few changes like rearrange some words in the educational section and put my part time job on my CV, which I did. This is what it looks like now.
vimeo.com/jjbeardsell
James Beardsell
19 Norwood Place, Hyde Park,
Leeds, LS6 1DY
Mobile: 07969602133
Artist Statement
Throughout
my years, my determination and appreciation for animation has increased, along
with my abilities. I gave a great interest in creating realistic effects and
movement. I specialize in 3D animation and Visual Effects, because I thrive on
the creativity in which these processes hold. I find myself to be inspired by
films and TV shows and especially the behind the scenes footages of them so I
can see how they are all put together. I aspire to become the best 3D/CG
animator and VFX artist I can possible be. I also have a passion for Dynamic
and Particle effects due to the amount of realism and wonders you can achieve.
I believe that improvement can always be applied, and as an artist development
is key. And when it comes to my personality I’m friendly, polite, and have the
ability to work collaboratively in a professional environment.
Skills
·
3D Animation
·
3D Modelling
·
3D Rigging
·
Dynamic effects
·
Particle effects
·
Storyboarding
·
Editing
Software Skills
Proficient
in: Photoshop, After Effects, Autodesk Maya, Premiere, IPI Motion capture and
Microsoft Office
Experienced
in: OptiTrack, Cinema 4D, Blender, Autodesk 3Ds Max, Illustrator, InDesign and
RealFlow
Experience
End of Year Exhibition
2015-16
I have
assisted and with preparing and coordinating the end of year exhibitions, and
had the individual job of editing everyone’s showreel together appropriately.
This had been a rewarding experience because it has given me the ability to
understand the best ways to present and display work effectively to the
audience.
We Are Universe 2016
This was
a project in collaboration with Leeds College of Music, Motiv Productions and
more. Myself, along with other animators all produced short animations based
around the elements and how they connect with the universe. This was then
projected at Leeds Light Night 2016.
Hello Leeds 2016
For the
Christmas festive season of 2016, I worked with other animators, Illustrators
and Graphic Designers to produce a series of animations for Jimmy Islip from
Lumen run by another company called Leeds Bid. Are animations where then
projected onto the lifting tower in Leeds.
Coordinating Third Year Film
Exhibition 2017
This was
an opportunity to coordinate and display the third-year Animation Final Film
Exhibition to the rest of the university and the public.
Part Time Jobs
Costa Coffee
– Skilled Barista 2013
- 2017
Education
Leeds College of Art
2014 - Present
BA
(Hons) Animation: Pending
Leeds College of Art 2012 - 2014
UAL
Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design (QCF): Distinction
Wakefield Independent
School
2006 – 12
GCSEs: A
[1], B [1], C [4], D [1]
Queens Elizabeth’s Grammar
School
2002-06
Other Interests
With the
time I have free, I like playing video games, being active and healthy. Due to
the fact that I have a part time job at Costa Coffee, I like to make/drink
coffee, with my own coffee machine, and socialize with other people. I also
enjoy biking, swimming and travelling, however I love just to sit down, relax
and watch a film with a beer.
Showreel
/ Portfolio at:
@jjbeardsell
www.jbanimation.uk
Motion Capture
During my time in third year at Uni I've had a lot of experience with motion capture and I've found myself using different softwares like IPI motion capture and OptiTrack. The two different motion capture softwares have been very interesting for me to use but one of the softwares definitely stands out the most and that's the OptiTrack system. This is because it is so much more user friendly and technically it is better than the IPI software because it can track a persons performance clearer and faster than the IPI software can. But the down fall the OptiTrack system is that it cost so much to use and for me it is very hard to get my hands on a version of it.
The only reason I didn't use the OptiTrack system for my extended practice module was because it was booked out when I wanted to use it and by the time I could book it out it would of been too late for me to use it.
However, this has made me determined into experimenting with more motion capture and different ways in which you can use motion capture in animation. I also wanted to recreate my final animation because I feel like I can capture the performance so much better then I originally did. Hopefully I'll be able to as my tutor mat if I can have another go with the OptiTrack system so that I can experiment with it's abilities and expand mine.
As well as motion capture I also want to delve into facial capture to improve on my character animation abilities and I'd like to look into capturing multiple performances. My ideal thing to experiment with would be the Medusa Performance Capture that captures facial movement, but this software is used in industry and was used in films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Doctor Strange, The Jungle Book and Maleficent. the video below shows how the vfx and motion captures were create for the character Maz Kanata from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The only reason I didn't use the OptiTrack system for my extended practice module was because it was booked out when I wanted to use it and by the time I could book it out it would of been too late for me to use it.
However, this has made me determined into experimenting with more motion capture and different ways in which you can use motion capture in animation. I also wanted to recreate my final animation because I feel like I can capture the performance so much better then I originally did. Hopefully I'll be able to as my tutor mat if I can have another go with the OptiTrack system so that I can experiment with it's abilities and expand mine.
As well as motion capture I also want to delve into facial capture to improve on my character animation abilities and I'd like to look into capturing multiple performances. My ideal thing to experiment with would be the Medusa Performance Capture that captures facial movement, but this software is used in industry and was used in films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Doctor Strange, The Jungle Book and Maleficent. the video below shows how the vfx and motion captures were create for the character Maz Kanata from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Daryl Obert
Daryl Obert is another YouTuber who does tutorials about Maya, however he is different to Mike Hermes because he produces more motion graphic type 3d animations and creates visual effects within Maya. Daryl teaches you more about ncloths, Bifrost, rigging and nParticles hens why I've also been watching the tutorials, it makes my understanding of Maya and its effects clearer.
He also has this thing on his channel where he makes a playlist and creates videos dedicated to Mondays and called the playlist Maya Mondays. With Darly he has many tutorials on liquid simulations so this really helped me in the Context of Practice module where I created particle and liquid simulations. Looking through his YouTube page he does loads of tutorials that really interest me but some of the things that he uses in the tutorials are pre-built and he doesn't explain how he built them because they are not an essential part of the tutorial, which makes some of the tutorials frustrating due to the fact that you can't follow fully what he id doing.
Another thing about Darly Obert's YouTube channel is that he uploads his videos quite slowly so he doesn't have as many as Mike Hermes but the videos that he does do are very different from Mikes. Plus his videos are quite up to date with the new technology that's out there which is good because I like to keep up with the latest of technologies.
There was a couple of videos that he made that really helped me during my time at University especially when doing my dissertation on particle effects in Maya. The videos that he did tutorials on where about the feature Bifrost in Maya which deals with liquid simulations and the videos were all about editing the attributes in the simulation to achieve realistic effects. For example he talks about voxel sizing, density, time scale, droplets and stickiness strengths of the liquid attributes. This was a huge help for me to understand.
Mike Hermes
Mike Hermes is a YouTuber who creates Maya tutorials for people ranging from beginners to experts. He mainly works in Maya but he does do Maya plug-ins as well, he focuses on modelling, rigging, animation and design.
I've been going to Mike for many of years now if I have ever wanted help trying to model something that I didn't know how something should be modelled properly. Plus Mike is great at showing you how to place different textures on to the model to make them look more realistic, and he shows you what is the bast way to apply the textures when using different renders.
His channel is solely devoted to teaching people how to create 3D objects within Maya and in my opinion he is one of the better YouTube tutorial guys that takes to time to fully explain what it is he is doing in his scene. For beginners this guy is great to learn from because he is very detailed in what he it doing and creating, also he takes his time and goes slow.
He's also made videos on how to animated dynamic bodies and ncloth which is the kind of thing I'm looking for seen as though I'm going into the visual effects and 3D animation industry and need to learn about effect in Maya. One of the tutorials that he's created explains how someone can model a 3D object that can float in water, and me thats already created water effects has found this tutorial quite interesting due to the fact that learning this technique would increase my abilities as a 3D and vfx artist.
The Mill
The Mill are a multi based company that produce a range of things from VFX, colour, auto, design, animation, interaction, virtual reality, gaming and beauty. The Mills visual effects are a combination their talented artists and their technology with creates inspiring or invisible work, but always unforgettable. Some of their most recognisable work comes from their advertising where they've produced work for Lloyds, Halifax, Virgin Media and audi.
Most of their work comes from advertising and live action with a bit of animation and vfx, however they have worked on feature films dating back from 1997. These films included Gladiator, BLack Hawk Down, Tomb Raider and the first two Harry Potter films.
One piece of their work really stands out to me because I feel like it is one of the best vfx projects within an advert. This project was the Virgin Media advert where they created an action pack spot, depicting the inside of a virgin media fibre-optic wire as an ever-extending tunnel, showcasing the unparalled entertainment waiting for views.
Behind the Scenes: Virgin Media 'Delivering Awesome' from The Mill on Vimeo.
Another good thing about The Mill is that they have so many partnerships with other companies which would mean that they get plenty of workflow coming in and they'll be able to distribute the workload out between different partnerships. As well as this that also have studios in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago so they are not just allocated and restricted to Europe.
They have very much influences me in becoming a vfx artist and I have applied for a couple of jobs at their studio, but unfortunately I haven't heard anything back from them so I might have to try and chase them up on that.
Most of their work comes from advertising and live action with a bit of animation and vfx, however they have worked on feature films dating back from 1997. These films included Gladiator, BLack Hawk Down, Tomb Raider and the first two Harry Potter films.
One piece of their work really stands out to me because I feel like it is one of the best vfx projects within an advert. This project was the Virgin Media advert where they created an action pack spot, depicting the inside of a virgin media fibre-optic wire as an ever-extending tunnel, showcasing the unparalled entertainment waiting for views.
Behind the Scenes: Virgin Media 'Delivering Awesome' from The Mill on Vimeo.
Another good thing about The Mill is that they have so many partnerships with other companies which would mean that they get plenty of workflow coming in and they'll be able to distribute the workload out between different partnerships. As well as this that also have studios in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago so they are not just allocated and restricted to Europe.
They have very much influences me in becoming a vfx artist and I have applied for a couple of jobs at their studio, but unfortunately I haven't heard anything back from them so I might have to try and chase them up on that.
Tuesday 16 May 2017
Applying For Jobs
Throughout my third year at Uni I have been applying for many different jobs across the UK ranging from junior animator, runner to CG generalist. I feel like my CV is strong because it has gotten me three different interviews but the thing that is letting me down is the fact that I don't have loads of experience within the industry.
For applying for jobs I have mainly been using websites like animatedjobs.com, indeed.co.uk and animationbase.com because these websites in my opinion have the latest job offerings and updates than others. However I have been expanding my search and been going onto other sites like CWJobs.co.uk, Jobsite.co.uk and jobmatchers.co.uk so that my presence is out there on the internet so that more people in the industry can see my work and hopefully want to hire me.
Here is a short list of just a few places I have applied for, it tells you what the job is, where it is and who it's for.
For applying for jobs I have mainly been using websites like animatedjobs.com, indeed.co.uk and animationbase.com because these websites in my opinion have the latest job offerings and updates than others. However I have been expanding my search and been going onto other sites like CWJobs.co.uk, Jobsite.co.uk and jobmatchers.co.uk so that my presence is out there on the internet so that more people in the industry can see my work and hopefully want to hire me.
Here is a short list of just a few places I have applied for, it tells you what the job is, where it is and who it's for.
3D animation Internship - Digital Shotgun - Edgwer
CG Modeller / Texture Artist - Blue Zoo - London
Studio Runner - A Large Evil Corporation - Bath
CG Generalist - A Large Evil Corporation - Bath
Jr Compositor - Jellyfish - London
Maya Generalist - Axis Animation - Bristol
Studio Runner - Framestore - London
Internship - Framestore - London
Jr Animator - Rockstar - Leeds
VFX Artist - Haybrookit - oxfordshire
VFX Artist - Cloud Imperium Games
Digital Artist: Video Games, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, 3D, 2D, Graphic Design, Artist, Development, GUI - JY/2208 - Oxfordshire
Character Animator - Framestore - London
Jr CG Artist - iSite - colchester
3D Animator - Tag Games - Dundee (Scotland)
Modeller - Framestore - London
Jr VFX Artist - Datascope - London
Maya Animator - A Large Evil Corporation - Bath
Video Editor / Animator - Pertemps Network Group - Cheadle
Digital Animator - Bright Carbon - Bristol
Jr 3D modeller & Visualiser - ADS Ltd - Pontefract
Jr Designer - Neo G Ltd - Harrogate
3D Character Artist – AAA Video Games - Netherlands
Animator - St John’s - Canada
3D Generalist - London
Jr 3D Modeller - 360 Resourcing Solution - Manchester
The ones highlighted in bold are the ones I have had interviews for, so this shows you how hard it is in the industry to try and get a job. I did have an opportunity to have an interview in Belfast for a studio called 'JamStudios' but because they work on kids programs I wasn't that interested and I wasn't going to go all that way over to Island for a job I didn't really want.
A Large Evil Corporation
A Large Evil Corporation in an award winning animation production company based in the middle of Bath. They do other things like petrochemicals, arms manufacturing and GM Foods but their main focus is on animation, especially advertising. The company produces work at a high standard in CG, mixed media and motion graphics and they place as much character, charm and humour that they can in their projects.
In their most recent work they've used the same aesthetic for the characters from the funko pop figurines, this makes their work more suitable for children and more approachable to a larger range of clients.
This short was created but them with the characters designed by Funko showing off there animation abilities and showing off there connection with Marvel Studios. It's nice to see how effective a simplistic design can create powerful characterful animation, I feel by watching most of the animations done by A Large Evil Corporation this it their aesthetic and way in which to make an animation (but not with the funko style). You can see what I'm talking about in their showreel below.
In their most recent work they've used the same aesthetic for the characters from the funko pop figurines, this makes their work more suitable for children and more approachable to a larger range of clients.
This short was created but them with the characters designed by Funko showing off there animation abilities and showing off there connection with Marvel Studios. It's nice to see how effective a simplistic design can create powerful characterful animation, I feel by watching most of the animations done by A Large Evil Corporation this it their aesthetic and way in which to make an animation (but not with the funko style). You can see what I'm talking about in their showreel below.
Axis Animation
Formed in 2000, Axis animation studio is an award winning and international studio filled with directors, artists, animators, writers and producers that create content for the biggest names in video games, film television, commercials and online entertainment. With the work they produce they try and create beyond the clients expectations and get under the projects synopsis to deliver there animations. Doing this they challenge themselves, with there passion of craft, to leave a lasting impression on the work they create.
With Axis Animation they don't care what the brief is or who the client are their creative output has to be engaging, distinctive ans entertaining. Doing this Axis has won numerous industry accolades, including a prestigious Cannon Gold Lions Award, New York Festival Awards, D&AD Nominations, London International Awards, Promax Awards and a Best Animation BAFTA.
They have worked on high end video games such as Halo, Call of Duty, Needs for Speed, Alien Isolation, Dead Island and League of Legends. So you see that they are pretty good when it comes to CG / 3D animation. They have yet to create a virtual reality animation or game but with what they are creating now they seem to be going in the direction of creating one. Axis Animation studio also travel round Europe and England going to festivals showing off there visual effects and giving talks on their projects, as well as giving talks on recruitment and how people can join there team in the industry.
Axis 2016 Animation Reel from axisanimation on Vimeo.
Axis Animation studio is forever growing, they now have made three different studio with distinct goals, strategies and talent bases. Axis Animation original created CG content for video games, commercials and online content, now they have expanded they have another studio called Flaunt that deals with more softer content working with client in entertainment, commercials and broadcast that are more character based and humours. Axis has also created another studio which dedicates its time to VFX they calle this studio Axis-VFX, they deliver cutting edge visual effects for TV and independent feature films.
With Axis Animation they don't care what the brief is or who the client are their creative output has to be engaging, distinctive ans entertaining. Doing this Axis has won numerous industry accolades, including a prestigious Cannon Gold Lions Award, New York Festival Awards, D&AD Nominations, London International Awards, Promax Awards and a Best Animation BAFTA.
They have worked on high end video games such as Halo, Call of Duty, Needs for Speed, Alien Isolation, Dead Island and League of Legends. So you see that they are pretty good when it comes to CG / 3D animation. They have yet to create a virtual reality animation or game but with what they are creating now they seem to be going in the direction of creating one. Axis Animation studio also travel round Europe and England going to festivals showing off there visual effects and giving talks on their projects, as well as giving talks on recruitment and how people can join there team in the industry.
Axis 2016 Animation Reel from axisanimation on Vimeo.
Axis Animation studio is forever growing, they now have made three different studio with distinct goals, strategies and talent bases. Axis Animation original created CG content for video games, commercials and online content, now they have expanded they have another studio called Flaunt that deals with more softer content working with client in entertainment, commercials and broadcast that are more character based and humours. Axis has also created another studio which dedicates its time to VFX they calle this studio Axis-VFX, they deliver cutting edge visual effects for TV and independent feature films.
Motiv Productions
Motiv Productions are a small but perfectly formed team specialising in video production, motion graphics and animation. They produce online promotions, TV commercials, commercial film and case study films where they strive to produce content and experiences that move, excite and empowers the audience. One of their quotes in the studio is that "in a world where everything is a flash in the pan, we intend to create memories".
Motiv Productions are based in Leeds so they are a local studio so this would be a good studio for me to work for. These would be a good studio to start off at because they are small but hard working and they create high quality material in animation and motion graphics which I can both do. They produce a range of animations being 2D or 3D and shoot live action shots with animated material over the top. Also their clients range from Jet 2 Holidays to William Hill to Enterprise Car Club as well as other Colleges and Universities.
Motiv Productions Showreel 2017 from Motiv Productions on Vimeo.
Motiv Productions are based in Leeds so they are a local studio so this would be a good studio for me to work for. These would be a good studio to start off at because they are small but hard working and they create high quality material in animation and motion graphics which I can both do. They produce a range of animations being 2D or 3D and shoot live action shots with animated material over the top. Also their clients range from Jet 2 Holidays to William Hill to Enterprise Car Club as well as other Colleges and Universities.
Motiv Productions Showreel 2017 from Motiv Productions on Vimeo.
Double Negative
Starting off with just a team of 30 people, Double Negative has become one of the worlds leading visual effects companies around. Through their steady and constant growth Double Negative has always sought to retain both the creative, drive and involvement of its artists through the projects and a close working relationship with the client. They do this to ensure all films, big or small, receive the same quality standards from there services.
They have won Academy and BAFTA awards for films like Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Harry Potter and my favourite Sherlock Holmes. In 2013 saw the launch of Double Negative Film which specifically provided VFX support and investment to British productions, the first being Ron Howard's 'Rush'.
Not only do they do visual effects for films they also have a part of Double Negative for TV shows which has been running for three years now. All TV shows are produced in a way in which a film would be produced and their most recent projects include: Agent Carter, BrainDead, Fungus, Outlander, Mr Selfridge and Death in Paradise. And even more recently they have opened a new department devoted to creating feature animation films that work with IP creators and filmmakers. This division is currently working on its first major animated feature.
As well as this Double Negative has a learning resources page on there website so that other people can learn what they are doing and have help in making it in to the visual effects industry.
They have won Academy and BAFTA awards for films like Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Harry Potter and my favourite Sherlock Holmes. In 2013 saw the launch of Double Negative Film which specifically provided VFX support and investment to British productions, the first being Ron Howard's 'Rush'.
Not only do they do visual effects for films they also have a part of Double Negative for TV shows which has been running for three years now. All TV shows are produced in a way in which a film would be produced and their most recent projects include: Agent Carter, BrainDead, Fungus, Outlander, Mr Selfridge and Death in Paradise. And even more recently they have opened a new department devoted to creating feature animation films that work with IP creators and filmmakers. This division is currently working on its first major animated feature.
As well as this Double Negative has a learning resources page on there website so that other people can learn what they are doing and have help in making it in to the visual effects industry.
Framestore
Framestore is a studio in London where over 1500 artists and producers work to create films, adverts and content. Their skill set is wide ranging due to all the talent and visionaries at Framestore that create award winning craft and relentless creativity with the newest technology to create the best experiences.
Widely known for their visual effects, they have produced historical creations in some of Hollywood's biggest films. They started off in 1986 in Soho, London where their proposition was simple, it was 'use technology to create the most extraordinary images possible'. In 1996 their work on Gulliver's Travels started them off in the world of visual effects due to the audience comparing it to the film Jurassic Park. The quantity of shots, and the complexity of the many effects used to create the unreal worlds proved a giant success for the team.
Their first BAFTA award was for the work they produced on BBCs 'Walking with Dinosaurs' because of the two year work recreating creatures from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. They then moved on to work on Harry Potter, where they created such creatures like Buckbeak, the Basilisk and Dobby the House Elf.
Ever since then they moved on to creating Oscar and BAFTA award winning film like The Golden Compass and Gravity. Then in 2014 they created an incredible immersive experience for the great HBO show 'Game of Thrones' at SXSW Interactive Festival. The team used an Oculus Rift headset and a realtime Unity game engine to create the experience, then shortly after Framestore announced that they are going to open a dedicated VR studio to further experiment and create with the technology.
Framestore Showreel from Bootleg London on Vimeo.
Framestore has become so popular because of there work on high end films and abilities to create unreal environments and creatures out of CG and place them into the real world. They focus on creating the newest and best animations and films using the newest technologies, making them one of the best visual effects studios in the world.
Widely known for their visual effects, they have produced historical creations in some of Hollywood's biggest films. They started off in 1986 in Soho, London where their proposition was simple, it was 'use technology to create the most extraordinary images possible'. In 1996 their work on Gulliver's Travels started them off in the world of visual effects due to the audience comparing it to the film Jurassic Park. The quantity of shots, and the complexity of the many effects used to create the unreal worlds proved a giant success for the team.
Their first BAFTA award was for the work they produced on BBCs 'Walking with Dinosaurs' because of the two year work recreating creatures from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. They then moved on to work on Harry Potter, where they created such creatures like Buckbeak, the Basilisk and Dobby the House Elf.
Ever since then they moved on to creating Oscar and BAFTA award winning film like The Golden Compass and Gravity. Then in 2014 they created an incredible immersive experience for the great HBO show 'Game of Thrones' at SXSW Interactive Festival. The team used an Oculus Rift headset and a realtime Unity game engine to create the experience, then shortly after Framestore announced that they are going to open a dedicated VR studio to further experiment and create with the technology.
Framestore Showreel from Bootleg London on Vimeo.
Framestore has become so popular because of there work on high end films and abilities to create unreal environments and creatures out of CG and place them into the real world. They focus on creating the newest and best animations and films using the newest technologies, making them one of the best visual effects studios in the world.
Blue Zoo
Blue Zoo is an animation studio down in London which creates short films and adverts best known for their animation for kids on the Nickelodeon channel or on the Disney channel. They are renown for making creatively playful CG character animation for broadcast. Operating since 2001 Blue Zoo are always looking to create animation with the newest of technology whilst maintaining the characteristic appeal of the animation. An example of this is when they produced an animation in virtual reality called Hoodoo, where all the animators had to learn new software and create 360 surroundings for the animation whilst keeping it full of characterful emotion.
I feel like Blue Zoo have gotten to where they are at right now from being innovated, passionate and experimental. I think this because they do things a bit different over at the studio, they let other people have a chance to direct and produce their animations just like with the animation Hoodoo.
Blue Zoo Animation Showreel 2016 from Blue Zoo on Vimeo.
I find that Blue Zoo being a more CG and 3D based animation studio has increased the amount of success it has had because in todays society we lean more towards animations that look like they're done in reality but are actually produced on a computer. CG and 3D are becoming the norm thing to do when it comes to animation and we seem to be developing better technology so that CG and 3D can allow us to create out of this world animations and imagery. And because Blue Zoo keep up to date with all the new tech and software they can keep producing the high end animations.
I feel like Blue Zoo have gotten to where they are at right now from being innovated, passionate and experimental. I think this because they do things a bit different over at the studio, they let other people have a chance to direct and produce their animations just like with the animation Hoodoo.
Blue Zoo Animation Showreel 2016 from Blue Zoo on Vimeo.
I find that Blue Zoo being a more CG and 3D based animation studio has increased the amount of success it has had because in todays society we lean more towards animations that look like they're done in reality but are actually produced on a computer. CG and 3D are becoming the norm thing to do when it comes to animation and we seem to be developing better technology so that CG and 3D can allow us to create out of this world animations and imagery. And because Blue Zoo keep up to date with all the new tech and software they can keep producing the high end animations.
Monday 15 May 2017
Interview with RJDM Studios
At first I didn't realise that I was applying for this job as Junior CG Artist because the advert for this job didn't include the name of the studio, plus this studio uses a recruitment agency so when I got the call from them I didn't know what studio it was for because they didn't say.
However, I went for my interview down in Northampton at RJDM studios and it was again an amazing studio. It has life size figurines of superheros and a pac man machine in the middle of the studio. The atmosphere in the rooms were every chill there was no stress, and they had nerf gun fights! This was the dream studio to work for and I had an interview with them.
The interview went great, the Production Director John Lashley was interviewing me and he was such a chill guy so it made the interview even better. He went through my showreels and my work and told me that my particle effects were amazing and that I had talent, I tried my best not to make ant mistakes and not to answer any questions wrong but I felt like I did because once again I didn't get the job.
I got feedback from John saying that my work was great and that if I keep working on my particle simulations that he would love to have another chat with me in about six to twelve months. The main reason I didn't get the job was because he said that he need people that are fast and that has good turn rounds. This was because during my interview he kept asking me how long it took me to create the effects I made and I was saying weeks and months, which I assume he didn't like the sound of. I only said that the effects took me this long was because I wasn't putting my full attention onto them because of my university work, however I forgot to mention that to John in the interview. So hopefully in another couple of months or so I will contact John again with stronger work and better turn arounds and see if that would be enough to get another shot at a job offer.
However, I went for my interview down in Northampton at RJDM studios and it was again an amazing studio. It has life size figurines of superheros and a pac man machine in the middle of the studio. The atmosphere in the rooms were every chill there was no stress, and they had nerf gun fights! This was the dream studio to work for and I had an interview with them.
The interview went great, the Production Director John Lashley was interviewing me and he was such a chill guy so it made the interview even better. He went through my showreels and my work and told me that my particle effects were amazing and that I had talent, I tried my best not to make ant mistakes and not to answer any questions wrong but I felt like I did because once again I didn't get the job.
I got feedback from John saying that my work was great and that if I keep working on my particle simulations that he would love to have another chat with me in about six to twelve months. The main reason I didn't get the job was because he said that he need people that are fast and that has good turn rounds. This was because during my interview he kept asking me how long it took me to create the effects I made and I was saying weeks and months, which I assume he didn't like the sound of. I only said that the effects took me this long was because I wasn't putting my full attention onto them because of my university work, however I forgot to mention that to John in the interview. So hopefully in another couple of months or so I will contact John again with stronger work and better turn arounds and see if that would be enough to get another shot at a job offer.
Interview with Framestore
Another place where I had an interview was at Framestore for the role as Runner. However, Framestore were doing something different, with there runners they were giving each runner a dedicated mentor to watch over them and for the runner to learn from them. This to me was an exciting job to be getting interviewed for and this time I was prepared.
Throughout the interview the same questions as before came up so I knew how to answer them correctly this time and I mentioned that I got a 1st in my dissertation where as last interview I forgot to mention it. I felt like it was going very well and we were even laughing at jokes we both made in the interview. My part time job at Costa Coffee came up as well in the interview because they wanted to know how well I work in a team, so I said that I've been working at Costa for over four years and I feel like the people that I work with are like family to me, and they really like that.
But again I was unsuccessful for the role as Runner because and I quote "I wouldn't fit in well with the other runners in the program", now I don't know whether that was a cop out and they just didn't want me and they didn't know how to word it to me, or if they really think I wouldn't fit in with other people. However, they did say that my work was good and that I should keep applying to other studios and maybe apply to them in the future.
One thing that might of put them off would of been when I mentioned me getting a part time job on the side so that I could afford to live in London. This may of been off putting for them because I wouldn't be spending all my time and devotion into the running job.
Throughout the interview the same questions as before came up so I knew how to answer them correctly this time and I mentioned that I got a 1st in my dissertation where as last interview I forgot to mention it. I felt like it was going very well and we were even laughing at jokes we both made in the interview. My part time job at Costa Coffee came up as well in the interview because they wanted to know how well I work in a team, so I said that I've been working at Costa for over four years and I feel like the people that I work with are like family to me, and they really like that.
But again I was unsuccessful for the role as Runner because and I quote "I wouldn't fit in well with the other runners in the program", now I don't know whether that was a cop out and they just didn't want me and they didn't know how to word it to me, or if they really think I wouldn't fit in with other people. However, they did say that my work was good and that I should keep applying to other studios and maybe apply to them in the future.
One thing that might of put them off would of been when I mentioned me getting a part time job on the side so that I could afford to live in London. This may of been off putting for them because I wouldn't be spending all my time and devotion into the running job.
Interview With isite TV
For a couple of months now I have been applying for jobs in the animation industry, looking for runner positions, junior 3D artists and CG generalists and luckily I have had some interviews for different positions at different studios.
The first studio I had an interview was at Isite TV down in Colchester. The role for this studio I was going for was Junior 3D Artist where I will be creating 3D assets, modelling environments and learning from the senior CG artist. I had this interview on the 5th of April a day after I got back from my holidays so I was quite tried, but I kept alert and was very chatty with the interviewers.
During the interview we discussed about my work, my strengths, weaknesses, why I'd be good for the studio and why I chose to apply to the studio. I felt like I answered all these questions correctly, however I did stumble when it came to my weaknesses because I said that I have a short attention span which didn't go down well with the interviewer. I also was very nervous going into the interview which they could probably tell that just by looking at me, and I felt like some of my answers did have a lot of 'er' in them.
Looking back at the interview I could of done better and answered the questions differently, but first interviews are mostly bad anyways. And unfortunately I didn't get the job at isite TV because they said that they found I wasn't as suitable as someone else they found. But hay I'm not too worried about this because I can learn from this and know for next time what I should say and do.
The first studio I had an interview was at Isite TV down in Colchester. The role for this studio I was going for was Junior 3D Artist where I will be creating 3D assets, modelling environments and learning from the senior CG artist. I had this interview on the 5th of April a day after I got back from my holidays so I was quite tried, but I kept alert and was very chatty with the interviewers.
During the interview we discussed about my work, my strengths, weaknesses, why I'd be good for the studio and why I chose to apply to the studio. I felt like I answered all these questions correctly, however I did stumble when it came to my weaknesses because I said that I have a short attention span which didn't go down well with the interviewer. I also was very nervous going into the interview which they could probably tell that just by looking at me, and I felt like some of my answers did have a lot of 'er' in them.
Looking back at the interview I could of done better and answered the questions differently, but first interviews are mostly bad anyways. And unfortunately I didn't get the job at isite TV because they said that they found I wasn't as suitable as someone else they found. But hay I'm not too worried about this because I can learn from this and know for next time what I should say and do.
Imaginarium
Founded in 2011 by Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish, the Imaginarium is Europe's leading motion capture studio, Using the latest technology and highest standard of execution they create the ultimate next generation of storytelling within film, TV, video games and digital applications. Based in London, the Imaginarium has brought together some of the best visual effects and performance captures technicians to provide the highest level of character creation and storytelling.
The Imaginarium is developing and producing its own films and TV projects with interactive materials using their unique motion capture. They are aiming their films and TV projects at large international audiences and they are also preparing a slate of TV projects that will bring to life its own creatures and characters, as well as adapting pre-existing stories and character brands.
They have worked on such films as the 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' franchise and the Godzilla films, as well as Andy's performance in Lord of the Rings as the character Gollum.
I'm really interested in this studio because of my recent project that I produced for my final year at University. I created an animation using motion capture however I used two xbox kinects to capture the performance where as this studio used a whole room filed with camera to capture the performance. However, back in the beginning of April I did experiment with a system called OptiTrack whiuch is a motion capture software like the one at Imaginarium. This meant that I got to put on one of them suits with the dots on and do a bit of performing myself. This is when I realised that I want to also make a career out of working with motion capture because of the amazing abilities that can be achieved with the system. Also it's really fun to see real time animation when using motion capture where you can see what your character looks like moving whiles you're still in the suit.
The Imaginarium is developing and producing its own films and TV projects with interactive materials using their unique motion capture. They are aiming their films and TV projects at large international audiences and they are also preparing a slate of TV projects that will bring to life its own creatures and characters, as well as adapting pre-existing stories and character brands.
They have worked on such films as the 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' franchise and the Godzilla films, as well as Andy's performance in Lord of the Rings as the character Gollum.
I'm really interested in this studio because of my recent project that I produced for my final year at University. I created an animation using motion capture however I used two xbox kinects to capture the performance where as this studio used a whole room filed with camera to capture the performance. However, back in the beginning of April I did experiment with a system called OptiTrack whiuch is a motion capture software like the one at Imaginarium. This meant that I got to put on one of them suits with the dots on and do a bit of performing myself. This is when I realised that I want to also make a career out of working with motion capture because of the amazing abilities that can be achieved with the system. Also it's really fun to see real time animation when using motion capture where you can see what your character looks like moving whiles you're still in the suit.
Oliver Winwood
Oliver Winwood is a VFX supervisor over at Motion Picture Company (MPC) who has worked on many films like Harry Potter, Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman, Prometheus and many more. He works in Maya and is a 3D / VFX artist and had another job title as technical director at MPC. Oliver works in Houdini with particle simulations and has produced crowd simulations for films such like World War Z.
Oliver started off at Colchester Institute where he studied art and design but specialised in graphics. He then moved onto a place called Escape Studios which is an successful and respected academy with high ties with cutting edge studios around the UK. Moving on to Cinesite Studios afterwards where Oliver was a 3D technical assistant for seven months until he finally landed a job at MPC in 2005 as a data wrangler and then working his way up from there to become a VFX Supervisor.
Back in December 2016 I contacted Oliver so that he could help me with my dissertation about particle effects and simulations. I did this through Linked In first and then moved on to email when I became better acquainted with Oliver. I received loads of help from him about how he creates particle simulations and effects but like I said before he uses Houdini so I couldn't use most of the information he gave me due to the fact that I don't have the software Houdini.
Oliver Winwood had the job that I aspire to have when I enter the industry, so seeing what he has produced is a real eye opener to what I have to achieve in my work. The things that I'll need to work on are my particle simulations and dynamic effects so that they come to be equal to Oliver's so that I could get a job doing what I love.
Oliver started off at Colchester Institute where he studied art and design but specialised in graphics. He then moved onto a place called Escape Studios which is an successful and respected academy with high ties with cutting edge studios around the UK. Moving on to Cinesite Studios afterwards where Oliver was a 3D technical assistant for seven months until he finally landed a job at MPC in 2005 as a data wrangler and then working his way up from there to become a VFX Supervisor.
Back in December 2016 I contacted Oliver so that he could help me with my dissertation about particle effects and simulations. I did this through Linked In first and then moved on to email when I became better acquainted with Oliver. I received loads of help from him about how he creates particle simulations and effects but like I said before he uses Houdini so I couldn't use most of the information he gave me due to the fact that I don't have the software Houdini.
Oliver Winwood had the job that I aspire to have when I enter the industry, so seeing what he has produced is a real eye opener to what I have to achieve in my work. The things that I'll need to work on are my particle simulations and dynamic effects so that they come to be equal to Oliver's so that I could get a job doing what I love.
Isite TV
Isite TV are a video production company that produce advert for multiple different companies ranging from washing machine companies to kids toy companies. This company is a small growing business that has earned over three million pounds over the past year alone and are the up and coming CG/video editing company in the UK. Isite TV is located in Colchester in Essex so they are close to the action in London.
Unfortunately, they have not produced any character animation within the studio but I feel with whats going on in the entertainment industry that they won't stay like that for long and will eventually produce some animations that include characters.
http://isite.solutions/en/portfolio/
They seem to produce CG animations in a way in which it looks quite futuristic and modern, where they use simple but effective techniques like 3D tracking, roto and cleanup. I feel like they have evolved so mush due to the fact that they treat every video as like a mini movie in itself, where they utilise the latest video, audio softwares and use the best technologies as well as a variety of media assets.
Unfortunately, they have not produced any character animation within the studio but I feel with whats going on in the entertainment industry that they won't stay like that for long and will eventually produce some animations that include characters.
http://isite.solutions/en/portfolio/
They seem to produce CG animations in a way in which it looks quite futuristic and modern, where they use simple but effective techniques like 3D tracking, roto and cleanup. I feel like they have evolved so mush due to the fact that they treat every video as like a mini movie in itself, where they utilise the latest video, audio softwares and use the best technologies as well as a variety of media assets.
Jellyfish Animation
Jellyfish animation studio started off as a two man band in 2001, but grew to become a multi award winning animation company that has employed over 150 artist across three different London studios. Jellyfish animations produce high end visual effects and animations for feature films, T.V, long term animations and motion graphics. They also operate and provide a post visualisation service to large companies and features.
As for their T.V team, they have been on the seen for over fifteen years and have produced such shows Black Mirror, Outlanders, Planet Dinosaur and Inside the Human Body. These T.V shows have earned them such awards as BAFTAs, EMMYs and VES.
There work on Black Mirror was an exciting challenge for them because of what they had to produce in the show. Automated drone insects was there project, this was where they had to create thousands of tiny robotic bees with a collective intelligence. They updated classic horror imagery and technology to realise their contemporary dystonia. Their goal was to create realistic moving bees but feature that where ultimately robotic like, this was achieved with in 3d softwares and compositing softwares in 4k resolution.
http://jellyfishpictures.co.uk/
On there site they show a VFX breakdown of how they created the bees and how they imported them into the real world. After watching the Black Mirror episode you get a real feel of how realistic the bees are portrayed, this shows how good the animators and vfx artists are within Jellyfish animation studios are. The bees really give the audience a sense of fear when they start to attack the other characters in the show, just how like a normal person would react when a bee is near them, however the team at Jellyfish upped the fear by making the bees robotic because the bees would explode when they have reached the target.
As for their T.V team, they have been on the seen for over fifteen years and have produced such shows Black Mirror, Outlanders, Planet Dinosaur and Inside the Human Body. These T.V shows have earned them such awards as BAFTAs, EMMYs and VES.
There work on Black Mirror was an exciting challenge for them because of what they had to produce in the show. Automated drone insects was there project, this was where they had to create thousands of tiny robotic bees with a collective intelligence. They updated classic horror imagery and technology to realise their contemporary dystonia. Their goal was to create realistic moving bees but feature that where ultimately robotic like, this was achieved with in 3d softwares and compositing softwares in 4k resolution.
http://jellyfishpictures.co.uk/
On there site they show a VFX breakdown of how they created the bees and how they imported them into the real world. After watching the Black Mirror episode you get a real feel of how realistic the bees are portrayed, this shows how good the animators and vfx artists are within Jellyfish animation studios are. The bees really give the audience a sense of fear when they start to attack the other characters in the show, just how like a normal person would react when a bee is near them, however the team at Jellyfish upped the fear by making the bees robotic because the bees would explode when they have reached the target.
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