Finding Your Place in Digital Production
Full Conference 
One-Day Full Conference
Wednesday, 10 December, 13:45 - 15:30
Room 301, 302
Level: Beginner
Deciding to pursue a job in digital production is easy for many people, but once you've decided that you want to help produce animation, visual effects, and video games, and you've completed the relevant training, then what? The process of preparing material to present to a potential employer can be nerve wracking and confusing. Many aspiring artists put together a demo reel before even considering what jobs they might apply for.
This tutorial presents an inside view of what the industry expects from a candidate's show reel, portfolio, and résumé, and the simple steps artists can take to live up to those expectations. While there is quite a bit of information available about the mechanics of putting together a demo reel and résumé, those details are not very useful if you don't know what purpose your reel will be serving.
There is intense competition for digital production jobs, and just having a reel with some animation or modelling on it is no longer all it takes to land an interview. Industry veterans Tad Leckman and Patricia Kung share their experiences reviewing reels and résumés, and preparing young artists for careers in digital media. They also show and analyse examples of effective demo reel.
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of CG terminology.
Intended Audience
Students, new graduates, and individuals with production experience who are thinking about their next move. This tutorial is also useful for educators, parents, and recruiting professionals.
Instructors
Tad Leckman
Lucasfilm Animation Singapore
Patricia Kung
Animal Logic
Instructor Bios
Tad Leckman
Tad Leckman began his career in visual effects in 1987, working as an apprentice model maker for Emmy winner Jim Dow. He joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1995, where he led ILM's Rebel Mac unit and acted as the studio's Previsualisation Supervisor. In 2002, he transformed his hobby of writing and lecturing about visual effects into a full-time teaching career at San Francisco's Academy of Art University and serving as Chair of Visual Effects at Savannah College of Art and Design. He is currently the Director of Training for Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and is writing a book entitled Understanding Visual Effects: A Practical Approach for Digital Artists.
Patricia Kung
Patricia Kung joined Animal Logic in 2004 as the Recruiting Coordinator, and over the past four years, she has recruited for a variety of positions ranging from render wranglers to supervisors. She has recruited for many projects, including "Happy Feet," Cartoon Network, "300," "World Trade Center," Fool's Gold," Stealth," "Australia," "Knowing," and Animal Logic's next animated feature, "Guardians of Ga'Hoole."
