To start our industry facing materials assignment, we first had to identify the job role which interested us all the most in the industry of Animation. For me, this was 3D animation/character animation.
This Blog post is my research of a specific job role, the skills required, a studio that is advertising for a junior 3D animator and further research on the studio. This will make me adequately prepared for completing my industry facing materials (CV, Cover Letter/Email and Showreel).
In nearly all of the job advertisements for “3D Animator” positions, it is always mentioned that the main skills needed are experience in softwares such as Maya, as it is the most popular software for keyframe animation and modelling. Another skill set that is mentioned very often is to have great knowledge of weight and movement and how they both work in relation to one another.
Seen below is an example of this,
Therefore, in my showreel, I should focus on giving a variety of examples of animation, each one displaying my skills and understanding of weight, size and timing. For example, using different sized models or even different creatures instead of human rigs. Further showing this understanding.
For example, shown below are screenshots of two animations from my showreel (one demonstrating a human rig, one a mystical dragon);
3D Animation can be an entry level/junior position, as-well as one that requires experience. The job that I have chosen to relate my CV, Cover Letter/Email and Showreel to, Is shown below;
“Upstream Arcade” is an independent games studio, that focuses on creating stylistic and groundbreaking action games. The employees of “Upstream Arcade” started off by originally working at Lionhead Studios. Years later, some employees regrouped and worked together to create this studio, based off of their love for creating games that the public will appreciate just as much as the creators.
This Job is for a Junior 3D character Animator, based in England. This was advertised on LinkedIn. A link to this Job advertisement is;
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2804876702/alternateChannel=search&refId=y5Pv3ataTNYacVod1w%2BqmQ%3D%3D&trackingId=i1nud9p1opIbFMZt5LzJ%2Fg%3D%3D
From this advertisement, I can see there are a few things mentioned that I could maybe mention in my cover letter/email to the employer. Such as their small number of employees. This could be used to my advantage as I have been working in small groups throughout my entire university life so far. I will also mention how I have had a work experience/placement in a successful animation studio in Belfast called, “Humain”. They are also a very small numbered studio and will therefore directly link to the work environment at “Upstream Arcade”.
Another thing I discovered upon further reading into the studio, is that one of their main games they have worked on is the “fable” franchise when they worked at Lionhead Studios together, which I am a great fan of. I included this in my cover letter/email to attempt to flatter the employer, and to try and make them see that I wouldn’t just be applying to their studio because I need a job, but because I am a longtime fan of their work and being a member of their small team would be a milestone for me early on in my career.