Career Direction
Following my placement year at INCISIV I started my final year with a clearer direction for my future career. Whilst there I learned to love environment and asset creation and being able to try multiple jobs, experiment with ideas and be a key part of a game development team. This influenced both my major project and my industry facing materials to be centred around 3D asset, environment and effects creation as I am aiming for a 3D generalist or environment artist role.
CV
When considering how to design my CV I began by looking at other 3D generalist and environment artist CVs. I noticed a trend of simplified, smart looking designs that highlight the persons experiences at previous jobs while listing their respective skills, software’s and awards. After looking at a few for inspiration I was able to start designing my own. I made sure that I highlighted my skills in 3D generalist and environment artist roles. I wrote a small bit explaining why I’m passionate about them then put most of my effort into making sure my previous experiences were detailed, focusing on technical skills and my unique experiences that would set me apart. I then asked for some feedback after my first draft as I wanted to make sure I was on the right track. I was advised to break up my experience into bullet points and be more concise. Afterwards, I reviewed going for quality over quantity. Making sure my showreel and portfolio were linked properly, I added a QR code so people reading printed versions of my CV would be able to view my showreel and portfolio. I am very pleased with my CV as I feel it looks clean and smart and draws the eye to what’s important – showing my skills fit for the relevant roles.
Showreel
To gain inspiration for my showreel I looked around at other environment artists and generalists. It appeared common to show off breakdowns of the scenes and models, as well as wireframes and texture maps. With my showreel I first wanted to make sure I figured out my best environment and modelling work. The main piece of work I am proud to show off is my final year film so I knew I would place it at the start of my showreel. I then found some older environment work and models that further showed my skills. Lastly, I included my placement year work from INCISIV as this is some of my strongest work and shows off the range of responsibilities I had whilst there. Once I had made a quick draft I went to get some advice on how and where to improve. I was told that editing to the beat of the music and making the cuts between shots more dynamic, would overall help make my showreel more interesting to watch. I was also advised to include more breakdowns on my models, showing things like UV maps. I went back to editing and was able to add more snappy cuts in time with the music and for each environment and model I showed I tried to show a breakdown, wireframes and sometimes UVs to show my workflow.
Art Book
For my art book I mainly wanted to show off stills from my project as much as I could. I went with a clean, smart style with a dark theme to show off the images and tried to have a consistent layout with minimal text. I got some feedback telling me to try and include more explanation for my effects, going into how I did each one. This led me to include captions below some of my images. However, when putting them in to explain my process, I found it hard to keep them concise as I had a lot to explain for each one and wanted to show that I put a lot of thought behind everything. I divided up the book into 6 sections – the deer, effects, assets and lastly a section for each environment showing the stages of development and stills from each. For the front cover, I chose a bright colourful still centring my deer as I wanted the book to stand out on the black tablecloth I was going to use on my display. For printing I picked an 8 x 11 inch book so my images could be easily seen when laid out on my display. Here is a link to my art book below:
Poster design
Poster design was a long process as I struggled to create something I felt happy with. I knew I wanted a dark theme to the poster to go with the table display I was planning and I was initially trying to include all 3 of my environments in the frame, trying different ways to incorporate them all, such as having them appear within the title wording.
However, after a number of concepts and various bits of feedback I stopped trying to show off everything. I changed tactics and began trying to show less and give more of a mysterious feel. I also finally found a name for my project with the help of some friends and included it in my new designs. Eventually I settled on this design as I found the top-down view hides the mystery of the portal well and the leading lines of the lights and the deer walking towards it makes shows its significance. I also added a vignette effect to further draw attention to the centre.
Digital Strategies
To help promote my work and make it accessible I made a QR code to a linktree I set up which contains links to my Art Station portfolio, my art book and my showreel, all showing off my project. I then put this QR code on my CV, put my showreel and Art Station in my art book and finally I plan to put the QR code on my display as well. I have also put my linktree on my Instagram page so people can easily view my work from there
Fundraising and Display
During the fundraising for our end of year show I was very involved. I helped get the ball rolling at the start by presenting ideas and helping to organise the initial class meetings. When we had eventually settled on a pub quiz and a craft fair, I chose to help with the pub quiz as it was something I already had a strong plan for. When we were deciding on roles, I put myself down for finding a venue for the event and to help create the quiz. I later went on to do the marking at the event due to others not being available on the date. Finding a venue was a long and difficult task but after going round to local bars with the other venue organisers we eventually settled on the Ulster Student Union bar. I emailed the student engagement manager and eventually got the bar booked for us to hold our quiz. It was a very successful night and although I was marking all night I enjoyed the evening and felt that everyone had a good time.
Using the money we raised, I was able to go about sourcing props for my display. I tried to keep costs down by finding cheap items and using what I had access to. The main props for my display are the 3D printed deer and doorway models (many thanks to my friend with a 3D printer). I made 2 deer models and 2 doorways, spray painting the deers’ for a smooth finish while I hand painted the doorways to get a wood like texture. I also cut out small images to put inside the doorways to match my portals in my film. Other props include small blue lights, some fake plants, fake ivy, cotton wool for snow and some sticks and stones to help fill up the table and match the themes in my project. With the addition of the poster hanging down I was felt happy with my display and feel it compliments my project nicely.
Final Reflections
Overall, I am very pleased with my display and industry materials, I feel they suit my target job roles and are hopefully what employers are looking for. In the process of advancing my showreel, CV and portfolio I have come to feel more confident in my work and learned the importance of advertising myself.