Initial findings and C.V.
I started this assignment with a decent grasp of C.V., but I chose to research them further and see what else I could learn.
Much of the advice I came across were things commonly repeated on this topic:
Keep things short and to the point
Don’t include irrelevant information
Highlight the role you’re applying for
Present in a smart and professional manner
The YouTube video titled ‘DON’T MAKE THESE ANIMATION PORTFOLIO MISTAKES’ had a healthy mixture of new and old advice. One piece of advice stuck out to me in particular. DanielMtal talks about the importance of avoiding words such as ‘aspiring’. The reason was quite simple – they make you seem less confident. This changed my perspective for the remainder of this assignment and inspired me to present all of my work and information with brimming confidence.
Here are some of the videos that helped inform me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYdFbxyxiwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKchlSGxsp0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adzFAH6qUjg
As my research continued, I found an interesting article which presented a range clean-looking C.V. and many useful tips. Here I confirmed the information gathered from my initial research and understanding of C.V., as well as finding the template I would use for my own.
Link to article: https://thisresumedoesnotexist.com/resume-examples/2d-animator/
Cover Letter
After that, I naturally progressed towards my cover letter/e-mail. A lot of the information I found while researching C.V. included tips that would help with this part of the assignment. I promptly jotted a few of them down and prepared a rough template for how my cover e-mail should look. The plan was to come back to this later, once I have selected and researched a company, and apply any adjustments that would make it unique and informed.
The advice I gathered includes: Keep things short, professional and intriguing. Check spelling and include contact information / link to showreel. Tailor it to the company by referring to their practices or their existing work.
The Showreel was an exciting opportunity to apply my fundamental understanding of editing, which I casually gathered over the years. Combining it with the advice I picked up during research, I gathered my best pieces and got to work.
The plan was to use my most recent and best work. This would ensure that a potential employer can see what I’m capable of currently.
It was also important not to over-fill the showreel. Less is more, and impact is what matters most. Having too many pieces, even if they’re mostly good, could cause an adverse effect by distracting the viewer. Not allowing any breathing room to form opinions could cause some of my best work to go completely unnoticed. For this reason, timing and spacing is also very important.
I went through >a lot< of copyright-free music, trying to find a track that matched the work I was presenting, wasn’t generic, inspired confidence, and most importantly didn’t clash with my lip-sync animation.
The biggest issue was trying to fit the incredibly long lip-sync animation in a way that kept it fresh and interesting throughout. Through meticulous editing I eventually found a solution, which was a mixture of transitions and some careful trimming.
The end result comes in at a respectable 45 seconds. The music played during the first half of the video comes back at the end, tying everything together in a satisfying way.
Company
Finally, I moved onto researching companies and studios.
Some of the companies in Belfast proved tricky to research, with out-of-date information and scattered portfolios. I spent a few days narrowing down those with more readily available information, but in the end, I found another option.
After some consideration I chose to include studios found in England. The company I chose was Jagex, the developer of RuneScape.
Before Jagex, I have looked at a sizeable group of local studios with 2D work. To name a few: Flickerpix, Ambertail Games, Blackstaff Games, JAM Media.
Jagex has a variety of listings posted on LinkedIn, and they include the following message in every posting “If you have the experience, skills and passion to join our team, but can’t see a role that fits, we’d still love to hear from you” which was very encouraging.
One of their listings was a speculative application for an Art/Animation position. The company made it clear that they are very flexible and on the lookout for ambition, good attitude, and fresh perspective.
I have a long history with both new and old-school MMORPGs, and I believe that I would be a good fit for their Old School RuneScape game, which continues to grow in popularity and receive updates to this day.
Furthermore, their focus on terms like ‘flexibility’ and ‘forever-games’ speaks volumes to me. Much of my passion for video games goes towards older titles, such as Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft Classic, Diablo 2, Bethesda’s TES Skyrim, Re-Logic’s Terraria, CipSoft’s Tibia and even Team17’s Worms franchise.
With my long history of gaming and a love for both new and old games, I have full confidence that a video game studio such as Jagex could greatly benefit by accepting me into their ranks.
A 2D Animator at Jagex
Although most of their games are in 3D, the company relies on a multitude of 2D sprites for things like inventory, icons, menu, textures etc.
Currently, I am very comfortable with Krita and Photoshop. I’m also rapidly improving with ToonBoom Harmony and After Effects. These are all desirable skills in the 2D animation industry and I made sure to mention them in my C.V.
Through my recently concluded Vertical Slice Project assignment, I gained invaluable experience in creating backgrounds and tile sets for video games that were designed and implemented to appear 3D, while being completely 2D.
Many game studios rely on these techniques for a plethora of reasons, ranging from game performance, through visual design, to artist pricing, and many more.
These techniques are still frequently used today. As I researched the topic in more detail, I came across a short video, where Zeyu Ren explained how Fortiche, producers of Arcane, used far more 2D artwork than the average viewer may realise. I recommend watching it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F18CaZB_Qgg
As I already mentioned, I have a lot of experience with old-school video games. After spending so much time in those universes, I am beyond confident in my ability to create and animate art suitable for the games made at Jagex.
A 3D Animator at Jagex
Despite mostly focusing on 2D for this assignment, I would be more than willing to create a 3D portfolio and apply with it.
I realize the importance of Blender experience in today’s industry and would be more than confident to work with that software. Although I’m not as confident in my 3D character modelling abilities, I have experience creating 3D assets which ranges back to my A-levels.
Knowledge of 3D Substance Painter is also incredibly useful in the industry, and this year in particular I have experimented with it a lot. I’m sure some of the textures I created would be of particular interest to Jagex, as they suit the themes of fantasy.
Furthermore, I really enjoyed animating existing models in Blender and would love to learn more about it. The experience gained from animating in 2D has greatly improved my understanding of body mechanics and timing, both of which are skills transferrable to 3D animation.
Conclusion
I gathered a lot of valuable information about the industry and what makes a great application. Taking this knowledge and applying it allowed me to create a professional C.V., strong cover letter and captivating showreel.
Finding the correct materials and information proved vital for this assignment. Much of the content on this topic is often repeated countless times. Although unmistakeably useful, it can flood search results and cover up the equally important, more niche advice.
Researching the companies helped me to narrow down and decide what I would like to focus my career on, that being the video game industry. Moving forward, I will likely create a 2D and a 3D portfolio and continue to develop them as I search for placement opportunities.