Behavioral Interviewing

5. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment was my senior project. I created a 4 min. 40 second animation based on a story I developed for my 2D animation class. We just planned the animations and created storyboards for them during that semester. Since I had planned the story and the main character design I decided to go through with creating the animation. The backgrounds where all digitally painted in photoshop while the characters were pegged and animated in ToonBoom Animate Pro. The most challenging part of the project was creating the music for each character in Logic Pro. In the end I gained more confidence about my work and was pleased to have been able to put together such a large piece to present for my BFA show.

Job Postings

Rhythm & Hues

Company Link - http://www.rhythm.com/inside-rh/outreach/academic-resources/apprentice-program/

Email - recruitment@rhythm.com

Application Deadline - 2nd Program May 13th and starts June 13th

Materials needed - Cover letter, Resume, Shot breakdown sheet, Apprentice Program Application Form, DVD Reel or Website Submissions

Where you found the Job - Betty Spence

Rhythm & Hues is looking to hire students to work on their upcoming film Alvin and the Chipmunks 3. They have two programs opening up. The first one starts May 16th - June 10th. I cant make this one cause its too close to graduation. The 2nd program starts June 13th to June 8th.

This is a paid apprentice program that includes housing. It's a great opportunity to gain valuable production experience and be trained in the process. Housing is provided for out of state applicants. And applicants have a chance to have a extended long-term freelance stay after evaluation.

In the last program they hired every single applicant to work on the recently released movie Hop. They are very interested in students straight out of college. This is going to be my number one apprentice program to try for.

I got this information from Betty Spence. She has a friend that works here who helped me the information.

ArenaNet -

Company Link - http://www.arena.net/jobs/

Email - Online Application - http://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=NCSOFT&cws=1&rid=768

Application Deadline - None Listed

Materials needed - Cover letter, Resume, Online Application Form, DVD Reel

Where you found the Job - Gamasutra.com

ArenaNet is locaked in Bellevue, WA which is a 15 mins drive from downtown Seattle. They have established themselves as a leading light in the online gaming industry with Guild Wars, one of the most successful online game franchises in the world. They are in development for their newest release of Guild Wars 2.

They are offering a intership for an artist who is interested in creating skill and environment effects. In this intern they offer use of their house particle, streak, and lighting tools to create effects for Guild Wars 2.

Requirements and Qualifications include:

3rd or 4th year student. 4th year preferred.

Maya Experience

Modeling and texturing experience which includes awareness of shaders and their textural components. (normal maps, transparency, specular masks)

Experience using particles and /or other dynamic systems.

I want to apply to this internship because I feel I have good experience using transparency, modeling, and some knowing of shaders in Maya and how to build a UV texture. I have worked with particle systems in After Effects. And I have some gaming modeling experience from Secondlife where I produce and make textured and sculpted clothing for characters.

Warner Bros Games

Company Link - https://careers.timewarner.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_jobdetail.asp?partnerid=391&siteid=36&jobid=571737

Email - https://careers.timewarner.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_jobdetail.asp?partnerid=391&siteid=36&jobid=571737

Application Deadline - Not Listed

Materials needed - Cover letter, Resume, Online Application Form, DVD Reel

Where you found the Job - Gamasutra.com

WB Games are looking for a FX Artist for creating assets that include particle systems up to fully destroyed cityscapes. The asks for 3+ years experience in the industry but I still want to apply in hopes to being offered some sort of intern program even tho one isn't listed they may offer another job they think I may be qualified for. This is also located near Seattle which is where I would like to relocate.

Blizzard Entertainment - 3D Environment Artist

Company Link - http://jobs.gamasutra.com/JobSeekerX/ViewJob.asp?JobID=1AuzUigbydrLgK4KHR%2FwWCXj%2F3l1#detail

Application Deadline - None listed

Materials needed - Cover letter, Resume, Online Application Form, DVD Reel

Where you found the Job - Gamasutra.com

Blizzard is looking for a 3D Environment Artist. They want someone who can model and texture architectural assets and have a solid grasp of form, color, and light for both 2D and 3D art assets. They ask that you are well-versed in Maya and photoshop.

Self Critique

Croon's Toon 3/31

This project has been a major pain but in the end, I will be extremely happy and proud to be done with it. I started the idea of this story over a year ago and have struggled to keep that idea going as I struggled with creating the story. My main idea was to create a animation that included a mix of sound to help illustrate the emotions of the characters. My strengths would have to be the painted backgrounds I did for each shot and the composites built inside After Effects. The theme of my animation is romance and the failures my Toon Croon had to overcome to find his mate.

My weakness would be controlling the music to go along with the visuals of the animated lines that dance above the characters. I found it almost impossible to match the movements exact with the sounds. Even tho I am considering this as a rough draft I am determined to get the parts I struggle with the way I envision them. My other weakness is not being able to be as fast as I truly need to be. I have worked on this animation everyday and night for the past 4 months. No matter how long I work, I still get stuck at some points and end up spending way too much time on that part. I am giddy when I overcome the obstacle but then I find myself struggling to catch up once I figure out the issues. Its been a rough semester but I'm not willing to give up, and I dont want to show work that could be better.

Senior Project

Croon's Tune is a short animation about a species of musical creatures called Toon Croons. The main character, starts the story by discovering a paired couple singing in harmony with each other. Dazzled by their song, he sets out on a journey eager to find his own mate. With each encounter of a female he finds comes failure in his attempts. He blasts off his horn like nose causing her to run away in horror, he surprises another as she feeds and brings her to tears, and is driven away when he approaches a female who seemed to be alone until her mate appears and chases the main character away and into hiding. At night fall the lonely Toon Croon is tired and still alone. He walks until his legs give way and is forced to stop and rest upon a hill. He is awakened by a glow of light that flies across his face. Small bright lightening bugs hover above his head. They play in dulcet musical notes as they glow brightly above him. He is encouraged by these little bugs and starts to sing along with them, mimicking their pattern they play as a whole. He follows the lightening bugs through the forest and discovers where they all gather. As he continues to play for the lightening bugs he is unaware of another Toon Croon next to him. She watches, dazzled by his song to the lightening bugs and takes a liking to him as her mate. Happy to have been noticed he continues his song as she sings along with him. The lightening bugs sparkling in the background along with them.

Goals

I want to get caught up this weekend on my calender. This will include backgrounds for all the shots, and pegging of the characters. I would like to get everyone pegged out by monday so I dont have to worry about them later when I'm animating the shots. It's alot easier on me when I can come in and just sit down to animate. Weather permitting, I will get to peg everyone and save them all to my library. I can only do this process at school. Since I have to work all weekend I have a ton of time to prep my backgrounds and set up Layer Comps in After Effects.

More Reel Findings

It wouldn't let me download this one so i just embeded it to my post. I like the framing of the video and how it shows a formal format of the information about the artist, and what is showing at that moment. It states the project, his responsiblilities, and the name.

Demo Reel Research

Gobblynne Animation Showreel - http://vimeo.com/1357208

• I liked the style of this reel, how animated the title was that personalized her name and intro of her character. I also liked the mixed animation and drawing styles she carried throughout the piece.

Max Wahyudi from Vancouver Film School - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_27csHTg&feature=player_embedded

• No way will my demo reel be as night as this one but If you were to look at his courses that he took at VFS you will see that this demo reel follows it to a T. He shows off extremely realistic models of his characters and their poly maps. I love that the demo reel is inspired by Casablanca - As time goes by.

Sarah M Lockwood - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq2y8ncezl8

• I choose to talk about this demo reel because she puts in things I want to included in my own demo reel. I want to quickly run through drawings and sketches I've done over the years from this school and the last. I also want to bring in my sculpture art as well. I dont think she had the best demo reel but she showed her skills as a sculpture artist well.