For our final Creative Industries unit we were to create professional based materials that would help us apply to industry related jobs.

C.V:

According to the ‘Open University’, a C.V is a concise document which summarizes an individual’s unique skills (hard and soft skills), character, experience and achievements. It outlines a person’s academic and professional history which is usually used for applying for jobs. What makes a good C.V depends on the job you’re applying for as the skill set caters to that job listings requirements, however the basic principles are:

• Organized info: Work/studies. Employers will want to see the most relevant job experience first, however if earning a degree that qualifies for the role put education in the beginning- details in reverse chronological order with most recent experience first.
• Short: 1/2 pages. Straight and to the point information.
• Describe your roles: State previous roles and explain tasks you’ve performed. High light achievements.
• Easy on the eyes: Easy to read, with columns, sections and colors.
• Grammar: Poor spelling and grammar convey a lack of both interest and detail. Font- easy to read.
• Be honest and share strengths: Interests and hobbies, things you do in your free time.

Here are brief overviews I’d done regarding CV’s:

I like the combination of using a limited amount of graphics and colour to demonstrate that it’s a creative CV, but use mostly white to not draw away any information listed. Using a consistent colour scheme throughout is a good method of branding so I used one of my most recent digital illustrations to depict myself and drew from the colors of that piece.

This was my first pass in terms of colour and layout. Things I drew from the previous examples are contact details (mail, number, website), skill set, software, and any achievements during the academic year/previous years. I thought this layout was ok, however I was using procreate to form this CV and the criteria was to have the document as PDF to easily access links or information. I wasn’t too happy about the pink I used either as it made the CV look all one tone/boring. Inspecting over the layout I had also realized how little space there actually was to place information, so both 2D and 3D experience to go with it. A lot of the examples I viewed online state strictly 2D or 3D generalist so I thought to create 2 CV’s based on those respected areas.

Rachael suggested using either word or illustrator, advising against the use of Photoshop. I used word for these particular CV’s as I was able to accurately adjust columns, and although look is important to a CV my grammar/spelling was poor which would give a bad impression to any employer. I wanted to keep the general layout, alongside the small icons I made on procreate. I simply carried this over by exporting them as a transparent PNG and adjusting them to the sidebar. I included location alongside the other information as a few studios are based further out, such as Dog Ears, so I thought this would be a helpful tidbit of information to express distance from studios.

I implemented a white BG and kept the purple sidebar for contrast, using a paler colour I used originally to frame my name. I altered each CV to cater to the role I was applying for, curating my hobbies/interests to that role alongside my skills and experience. I included working as a CEX retail assistant as it demonstrates my ability to communicate and work ethic, and despite not working in the field of animation prior I added my Animation modules to experience, reviewing over my roles and responsibilities in each sector (keeping in mind layout/chronological order). Additionally I switched the software to most relevant to the role – least relevant, demonstrating I’m experienced in industry software. I tried to keep positive throughout my CV, the main ambition to advertise yourself to how you best suited the role, despite having a low opinion on myself and my work. To believe in your work is to believe in yourself, and to have employers believe you is strictly confidence. I felt like I demonstrated this in my CV, reflecting over my responsibilities and relevant talents that could contribute to that animation sector.

I found difficulty trying to sum up my education, as I’ve had a lot to display. I used this layout structure from https://zety.com/uk/blog/cv-education, as its shot and simple to read while including all needed details of that qualification.

I’m overall happy with how these CV’s came out. If I were to do this again I would ask for feedback, alongside all my other portfolio pieces. I used grammar and thought my sentence structure was good, however it would’ve been nice getting a second opinion to see if the information flowed. Alongside this, looking at my previous examples I feel as though I included too MUCH information. CV’s are meant to be short and sweet, however I feel like looking at my documents there’s just a wall of text as I thought to include everything relevant to apply to that job.

 

Cover E-Mail:

A cover letter is a one-page document submitted via email, stating your work history, educational background, skills and values you bring to the organization you’re applying to. It’s normally sent to a recruiter along with your C.V. (more or less an expansive version of your C.V.) What makes a good Cover E-Mail is that you’ve shown you’ve done your research into the job and it’s company, applying good grammar and sentence flow establishes a good eye for detail and being able to communicate effectively. The most important aspect of writing a cover letter is to tailor it to the company, expressing what you know about their work and why you want to apply to that company in particular.

First I began to review over jobs in the animation sector. Although I didn’t intend to apply to placements there were really good listings presented through NI screen, so I looked over these roles and chose the one I thought my experience applied to. In the end I chose “Trainee Animator” for JAM Media in Belfast, reflecting over their candidate pack for their desired criteria.

To break their criteria down the candidate must: understand the 2D Pipeline, ability to work to a deadline, attention to detail in a team environment and have an in house role. In terms of software ToonBoom experience is desired.

Here is my conducted email. I stated the role and where I found the position. As I’ve attended the 2D Pipeline workshop in January I included that I first saw their works demonstrated by Scott Newton and Richard Gordon, who are part of JAM Medias team, and the specific works I enjoyed from their company. This showed I have previous experience with their works and alongside 2D Pipeline knowledge from professionals.

I had expressed my love for character creation and storytelling, stating the methods of the 2D Pipeline I went through that met their job description, alongside including these assets in my show reel as a visual. I expressed my understanding how working in a team is an important factor to form a product effectively as part of the criteria is being in an collaborative environment!

Stated the module that I used Toon Boom Harmony to create animations based off it’s principles, this showing that their desirable criteria is using the program and being able to create effective animations using the software.

I kept the grammar and wording direct and formal, attaching my show reel, website for portfolio and the relevant CV as it was a 2D related project. If I were to make any changes I would ensure that I stated “Toonboom Harmony'” as such due to “Toom Boom” being too casual, this also goes against my “attention to detail” I’ve expressed in my CV, so a aspect I should be careful about moving forward.

 

Show-reel:

An animation showreel is a video compilation of your best animation work to date. It’s the face of your animation brand, a chance to showcase your skills, and an opportunity to appeal to a market niche. It’s an important snippet of what you can do as your skills as an animator, and how diverse your work is.

Clients don’t have time to watch every showreel, so the first 5 seconds should capture the employers interest. “10 seconds in, they’ll know if you’re hired of not”. You need  to put your strongest animation first, and a strong shot at the end to leave a good impression. An audio track can be used to enhance your showreel, but shouldn’t distract from it.

I also wanted to review other peoples showreels in animation to get different inspiration, and how they’re structured. Here are a few good examples I found of animated showreels:

I like the consistent quality of lemoncoly’s work! Both showreels showcase their information at both the start and the beginning. I like the layout of Ella’s info card and the small, simple animation to her text. She also included what assets she made, the date and the project. I thought this was a nice detail to include in my own showreel.

First pass:

I downloaded a royalty free track to tune my clips too, taking Ella’s layout and use of colour schemes to tie across my projects. I thought this first pass was ok, however the resolution was wrong and create black, stark bars on both side when uploading this to youtube. I had readjusted the dimensions of my title card and clips to fit the new resolution and thought to alter my clips around as the showreel ended on a weak note.

Second pass:

I was a lot happier with this second pass, I kept the clips in tune to the music and the clips were rearranged so the showreel ended on my frog model waving the audience off. This had also fleshed out the showreel a bit more as the majority of the clips I had to show were uncolored, so it was an even distribution of 2D/3D coloured assets. If I could change anything further I would be careful with the text as it overlaps with the animation.

 

Portfolio:

 

https://nicolleswatters.wixsite.com/auttieshi-anim