Moving Forward

Following on from completing my place holder show-reel I will look to maintain proper up-keeping of my social media account with relevant work such as my Facebook page and especially my Artstation website and portfolio.

Over the winter period I am aiming to fully flesh out some of my ideas that are in the show-reel such as the Sci-fi corridor and command room scene. I want to complete these scenes so that in addition to my A3D and GameDev work which I will add to my show-reel in the correct places, I have something of real polish and finesse by at least midway in the next term, round about February time which I can then start to send out and apply for positions for after I have completed my University studies.

In addition I am going to be keeping my eye out for any job openings that may arise on Artstation or another platform which I can compare to myself to see if I am well equipped for the job and if not I will be looking to enhance my skills with experimentation into other software and expand my skill set to make myself be more employable than other applicants.

Final Show-Reel

Below shows my final show-reel, I have kept it short and sweet with an upbeat background track as I feel that from personal research I found that ones with more upbeat music kept my attention more than show-reels with slow backing tracks despite the level of work in the actual show-reel. I have also put my title screen at the end of show-reel to remind the viewer of my contact details so that when they are impressed by my work they will be able to easily contact me via e-mail. 

I am very happy with the outcome as I feel I can quickly chop and change the finished work where the place-holders are and can be proud to send that off to potential employers and not have to worry about creating a show-reel at the end of the year. 

Social Media Updates

I have updated my social media pages to try and fill them out a little bit more so that it doesn't look so bare when new people come across my page as personally I think it looks unprofessional when a page isn't filled with much content. My Facebook page is very interesting for me as I can invite my friends who aren't interested in my industry as well as my peers to give feedback on my work which can give me a fresh angle to look at my work.

In addition to my Facebook page I have updated my Artstation website and portfolio with my work which has helped fill them both with more content. I have also tried to match up the colour scheme of the Artstation website to my drafted website design so that I can get a real feel of what my personal website might look like farther down the road.

Website Template Designs

Website design is a silent interest of mine, however at the current time I haven't got my own website so I have decided to draft up a few templates which I will use later down the line when I have my own website. Following on from this topic that I have talked about before on this blog where I displayed a template for a front page on my potential website, I have gone onto design some more pages that could be used in my website which I can use for a basis. Below is the homepage which I will use as a template when I have my own website down the line.

Following on from the homepage I have put place holder images to show how my work will look on the personal page which will have all of my work that isn't connected to environments and portfolio work. I will also have any personal projects that I complete in my own time, however I will make sure that both pages will have work of equal standard.

I have also added an "About" page which has a few words that I have used to describe myself, which I think will add a little bit of personality of the website so that people can get to know me and what other activities and hobbies I practice in my own time.

My final page is a contact page which will have all my relevant contact information as links such as my Facebook page, LinkedIn page, YouTube channel and email address so that they are easily accessible to anyone viewing my website. I have though about putting these contact links at the top of the page where the page links are however I think they deserve their own page as I expand my social network reach such as Twitter, Tumblr and any other future accounts. 

Overall I am happy with the design of my templates for a potential website however at this point I haven't got my own website so I have chosen to make my website using ArtStation as it is very simple to set up, free and joined on with a social media network which is very beneficial to me as it can help me show of my work which will bring me endless opportunities with other people within the industry

Cover Letter

I have created a generic cover letter template which enables me to make small changes when applying for a certain job so that it is catered for that specific job position. I have used the same method of using the advice from Marian when she came into our lesson to discuss CV's and cover letters. The cover letter highlights all the best aspects from my CV but condenses it down into a clear overview which can be view together with my CV.

CV's

One major area that I need to improve in when it comes to my employability factor is my CV and cover letter, this is due to the fact that I have never needed to have one as I have been in the same job since I was 16 which I managed to get the job through a friend and didn't need to hand in a CV, from then I have worked my way up through the ranks to full time so I have never the need on one, however now I have come to University I now need to have on to further my employment options as I cannot stay in that job forever as it is not in the field I want to go into and has no ties to this industry.

Last year I looked for a job in Derby to have along side my studies so I had to make a basic and generic CV in order to get another job using a CV template that I found on-line. This was a run of the mill template which looking back on now didn't help me in one bit to show off my skills and make my CV look unique compared to any others.

Following the talk with Marian it has opened my eyes with the variety of styles and techniques that go into a CV which can make it stand out against countless others which an employer will have when recruiting a potential employee. Looking at my old CV I can see what I need to improve, for starters I will aim to use bullet points so that it doesn't look 'blocky' with the large paragraphs of texts. I will then highlight the most important areas of education more, being my University education and what I have studied while being at Derby.

I have used the basis from the power-point to help in each area of my CV so that it is more unique to me and displays my skills effectively and clearly while keeping my key skills and education on the first page of the CV so that is what the employer would see first. In addition I have used bullet points to further show off my best skills without the employer having to read too much into it. Following on from this I will create a Cover letter to accompany my CV which when sending out to employers I will change it to fit the job role that I am applying for. I will also put a generic games cover letter on my "About Me" page on my website so that people looking at my website can have a little insight in my skills without needing a CV.

Facebook

Facebook is a very popular social media site which is good for setting up personal artwork pages so that you can gain followers who can keep track of my work, I have chosen to set up a page myself so that when I have completed work I can update my page to show off that piece of work and then get feedback and comments on what I need to improve upon on my next piece. I will also use this page to function as a 'back-up' portfolio as it will have some of the same work as my portfolio as well as other pieces that I don't put on my portfolio which potential employers may look at. Personally I think that it is beneficial to have a face-book page as I can put anything I want on their such as things not related to show reel and other pieces of work that may not be related to my speciality but work that I complete in my own time. In addition to this I am looking to make a twitter page to show as many people as possible my work.

Update - Nearly final showreel

Have made some significant progress recently on my showreel and have finished putting all the different scenes together using movie make as it find it the easiest and quickest to get multiple variations and see what they look like as the finished product. Personally I like the flow and feel of the showreel which the music plays a large factor in, I wanted the music to have a beat while also not drawing attention away from the actual content in the showreel, also I have made sure that the showreel is around the 1:30 minute mark which is a good length for typical showreels which don't bore the viewer. I am now going to get as much feedback as I can to make sure I can polish up the showreel so that it is up to the best standard.

Music

Music will play a large part in my show-reel as it will help dictate the feel and flow overall. I have used "www.bensound.com" and "https://soundcloud.com/" as they have a variety of copyright free music from a variety of genres that may fit with my show-reel. I want to try and find the best music to go with my show-reel as from watching other peoples show-reel it can help to emphasize their work to make it feel more lively.

Royalty free music by Bensound | creative commons music (2012) Available at: http://www.bensound.com/

SoundCloud – hear the world’s sounds, Available at: https://soundcloud.com

Showreel cinematic Progress

Just a quick update in the show reel progression, I have experimented with different music and have come to the conclusion that this music fits well over the shots. The plan now is to flesh out the show reel more so that the length is more around the 1:30 minute mark while also keeping my a3d work at the start of the show reel as that is the best quality at present and I want to have my best work at the start to make a good first impression for a potential employer.

ArtStation

Researching into personal websites and portfolio's I have come across "Artstation", which is an art focused social network where people can upload artwork to their own page and collate it all into a portfolio page which they can get feedback from others with the option to like, comment and share a piece of work or just show off any work that they are proud of.

In addition to this it also has a job section where employers can broadcast job openings much like a normal job website which gives all the details of the job roles and how to apply. This is at the top of the homepage so that the first thing you see when arriving to the website is job openings which is very helpful to anyone looking for jobs. From then you can click on the specific job section which will go into more detail on each job.

Furthermore to uploading work you when you sign up to ArtStation you can create your own portfolio page which will have all your work together for potential employers, luckily the layout is similar to a style that I want my own portfolio to look like by having small thumbnails of pieces that I have created which are links to a more detailed page describing that asset. As well as the portfolio page it also has a website area, where you can create your own website which will have any work that you have uploaded onto ArtStation on that website and you can customise it in any way you see fit. I am currently in the development stage to get the right look following from earlier designs that I created in photo-shop.

The overall use and importance of ArtStation for creating an initial on-line presence in the games industry is massive compared to anything else I have come across via research. It has all the tools I need such as website and portfolio hosting, job opportunities and community feedback in one place which are easily accessed and free of any cost, with a sleek and modern design which is why I have chosen it to help me with this module and the next step in my career within this industry.

ArtStation (2015) Available at: https://www.artstation.com/ 

Showreel Example

Over the course of the module I have been watching a variety of different showreels, some bad and some good ranging from environment artists to VFX artists, however one has caught my attention. Murat Kilic's showreel which I found on YouTube is his "Demo Showreel 2015" and he has a variety of character animation and general 3D work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRn-ljx_vQk

His showreel stood out to me due to the overall flow of his showreel, I found it engaging and my interest was kept throughout as I did not feel like skipping to the end at any point, the showreel itself was in the magic 1:30 - 2:00 minute mark so it didn't feel too long or short. I also liked the differences between each work as they seem very distant from each other and don't seem to repeat themselves either so that the viewer doesn't get bored of each piece of work he has made, this also shows that he is a very versatile worker and can be used in a number of different ways.

One specific thing that I liked was the way he used a simple line to show the different types of light that he used on a model. I think I would be able to use this in my own showreel by having it transition from just the model to the textured version or the topology.

The CGBros and Kılıç, M. (2015) CGI 3D Showreel HD: ‘Demo Showreel 2015’ - by Murat Kılıç. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRn-ljx_vQk

Show-Reel WIP

Here shows a scene of my show-reel and how the I want the cameras to move through the scene. I am planning to build these assets so I have used images of different movie scenes as the place-holders. I want to make a sci-fi scene which I am trying to get the timings down however I think I will be able to get a better sense when I have more to add which I will be working on for the rest of the week. I have used movie maker to make this short video as I am more familiar with it and find it easier to pick up and use rather than adobe premier, at this time it also has all the tools I need to get a rough idea in what I want to make so I will use this until I will put the final version together which I will use adobe premier as it is more professional.

Interviews

Personally I feel that I am pretty good at dealing with interviews as I have had a few different ones in the past for other types of jobs, such as 1 on 1 and group interviews. I think that this past experience has given me confidence in being able to handle other interviews I will have in the future to get a job in the gaming industry.

One other thing I think has given me skills to use in an interview is from doing a number of presentations in-front of my peers at university, I feel that doing presentations over and over helps build confidence and self esteem which is vital to bring to interviews so that you don't come across like you don't want to be there as it will significantly hinder your chances of getting through the interview and onto the next stage in the job.

Another skill it has given me is the skill of talking to openly talking to people in order to keep the conversation flowing with no awkward silences as it will help to make the interviewer to feel like you have a lot to say for yourself and can adapt to a situation quickly. Overall I think I am on the way to honing my interview skills, I just need to make sure that prepare properly for each interview by researching the company before hand and also getting other people to ask test interview questions so that when in the actual interview I can be clear and concise with my answers which will make a very positive impression on the potential employer.

Sci-fi scene

I am planning to build a Sci-fi scene to put in my finished show reel and portfolio as I have not made anything like it before I would give my show-reel a nice variety in style throughout rather than just having the same style which may be found boring or not being able to adapt to different genres of work.

I would like to start off with building a corridor scene which would have a large room at the end with a lot of lighting and ambience with the camera starting from one end of the corridor and slowly panning down towards the room at the end of the hall. The image below shows the direction that I want the camera to move down the hall leading into the main room which will have more detail in as it would be a command hub.

C. (2007) Sci-Fi hallway. Available at: http://cozmonator.deviantart.com/art/Sci-Fi-Hallway-66395045 (Accessed: 9 November 2015)

From then I would pan the camera into the room showing all the details off which would be enclosed with many a large windowed area facing out into space. I want the camera to slowly pan all the way around the middle console, taking about 15 - 30 seconds in this room while also showing the fully textured versions changing into a non textured version to show off the models on their own.

E. (2011) The BattleStar Galactica files (Ep 5). Available at: http://toomblog.com/2011/05/12/the-battlestar-galactica-files-ep-5/ (Accessed: 9 November 2015)

Guest Speakers

Over the past couple of weeks we have had a variety of guest speakers come into our lectures to offer their advice which have provided a small insight in the industry that we are heading into. The first speaker was Danny Bannister, who currently works on the title APD Reloaded, which is a third person shooter MMO.

He came in to speak to us about his own personal experience about leaving university and cracking his way into the gaming industry while giving us valuable advice on the way. He told us about his own portfolio being geared towards environments however he has now changed over and become a vehicle artist which has shown me that even though I might want to be an environment artist at the moment I have always got the possibility of changing job roles further down the line however I need to make sure that my portfolio is always up to date and showing off my best work as potential employers would want to see what stage I am working at presently and not any work that I produced at the start of my career.

In addition he also advised us on not overspecialising into one area because employers wouldn't be looking for somebody so specialised into one area, they would rather have someone who is specialised but can also adapt to a situation if needed and could help out in another area of work. Another recommendation from Danny was to try and experiment with different software due to the fact that companies use a wide range of software that might be different from what we are used to, this is personally good advice as I have only really used Maya as a modelling software so I am planning to look into 3DS Max so that if potential employers use one or the other I know that I have got experience in both pieces of software, I also want to try and look into other engines such as Unity to also help boost my knowledge in game engines.

Finally he also advised us to look towards entering 3D competitions as they are a great way in which you can build up your reputation. I think this is a great thing for me to look into as I will be able to work to a variety of different briefs while also getting some critique from people who have experience in the 3D industry outside of the university.

Following this I will start to look into other software that I can start to experiment to help my modelling skills and also I am going to be on the lookout for any competitions that might be starting soon.

Showreels

I have been looking at various show-reels to try and get some idea's about the kind of style that my personal show-reel will feature in the end product. I particularly like this show-reel which I found on the website, "Artstation" which is a more art focused website, due to the fact that it clearly shows his work even though it is in a film with other peoples work by showing the whole scene then focusing on his work on it owns which makes it stand out. I also like the fact that even though he is showing multiple views however the show-reel as a whole has a nice pacing as it keeps you interested throughout and doesn't get boring even though it being a two and a half minute long show reel. Overall I like the flow and feel of the show reel and hope to incorporate some of the ideas.

Benedetti, M. (2015) VFX Showreel 2015, Mathieu Benedetti. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/vfx-showreel-2015 (Accessed: 22 October 2015).

On the other side of the coin I have also been keeping my eyes out for any not so good show-reels that I can learn from and make sure that I don't make the same mistakes, I have chosen this show-reel from you-tube as I feel that it is very slow paced and a little boring as it doesn't have a lot of content which properly shows off his work as for each prop her only has a 360 turntable view and then a view of the UV map with the texture on it, which doesn't properly show off the topology for the prop and each scene feels very drawn out as it is a three minute show-reel for only 4 props. Another thing is that some of the shots go off the edge of the screen so as the viewer you can't properly see the whole asset on the screen at once, it also doesn't give any description of what the prop is or what software he has used to get the end result. I want to make sure that in my own show-reel I don't make the same mistakes and also that I properly plan out the show-reel before hand to make sure that the finished product is to a high standard.

infectedflinch (2015) 3D Modelling Showreel 2015. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5k2WvckCoI (Accessed: 22 October 2015).

Overall I have found a few traits that can be found in most show-reels is that the optimal time that a show-reel should be is between the 1:30 - 2:00 minute mark depending on the work shown. If you have a small amount of work then keep the show-reel short with lots of variations in the camera angles as some of the show-reels that we watched as a group managed to get a little boring when you see the same thing from 5 different shots. I think in my own show-reel I will look towards making it around the 1:30 minute mark as that  seems to be a good time in the middle ground. 

Website Draft

After sorting out my social media profiles, I have gone onto draft out an initial website design to give me an idea in what my personal website could look like as I plan to create one which would house my portfolio and other personal work.

("http://artbywiktor.com/")

I have taken inspiration from other environment artist websites as they all seem to have the same tendencies in which they have bright text upon a dark background with a small splash of colour which makes you focus on the images of their work more than the text while also making it easy to read if you need to go to another page or find out the contact information. I also like the website above from Wiktor Öhman as it shows the images in small thumbnails which then when clicked on takes you down to the larger image. I want to incorporate this into my own website as I feel that it is very sleek and modern while also showing off the whole image at the top and then going into more detail below.

("http://stevenskidmore.com/")

I have taken inspiration from Steven Skidmore with his minimalistic menu at the top of his page as I feel that it looks very professional as it is clear and concise however doesn't keep the attention from the images below, so I also plan on having the top menu bar across all the pages so that you can quickly navigate back and forth throughout the website while also having my portfolio pieces on the front page so that the best work is readily available to see as soon as you go onto the website. I also want to make sure that the website is quick to load when displaying the images as from research I have found that personally the worst thing to stumble across when looking at portfolios is when it takes time for the image to load even if the work itself is good. I think I need to get feedback and also make a few different designs for my website layout and colour scheme before I set one up towards the end of the year.

Social Media

Having looked back over my overall social media set-up I can conclude that I need a large over hall as I haven't really put myself out there on any of the relevant sites such as LinkedIn which is a major player in the employment world within social media, due to a number of reasons that makes LinkedIn stand out over other social media websites. LinkedIn provides a good platform where you can build up your connections in the industry on a professional level from the use of its network connection functions, it also shows you how you are linked to other people via your current network, which is a major advantage as this is an industry where its getting increasingly more vital about who you know. I also like the fact that you can use LinkedIn to search for groups and companies who you can interact with on a more formal level which can help build up a positive reputation while also gaining valuable research at the same time. However I think that LinkedIn isn't the best social media platform for other area's that may help my chances for employment, such as showing my work off as it a very professional site more catered towards showing off the person and not the work. To combat this I will look at making accounts on various social media websites which emphasize more on this aspect such as Tumblr, Facebook and Polycount. All of these social media websites are good for showing off work however for someone without a following or reputation I think I will head more towards Tumblr or Polycount as you can show your work off to anyone and everyone rather than on Facebook you are more held down to only showing your followers or other people in your group.

Therefore I have decided that it will benefit myself greatly to put myself on these sites so I plan on creating a page on a few different social networks such as:-

• Professional Facebook profile
• Professional Twitter account
• LinkedIn account
• Tumblr account
• Polycount account

I have started by creating a LinkedIn profile first as I feel it can be the most beneficial to start building up professional connections earlier rather than later so that I have a larger chance of being employed by having a large network. I also think that this is one of the most professional social media networks in the employment industry which is a very positive thing to be a part of.

Portfolio research

This week we were tasked to look over some portfolio's so that we know what we need to put on our own and also what things to avoid to make our portfolio look bad for a potential employer. One portfolio that I thought was a high standard was Wiktor Ohman's website. He is a 3D Prop and Environment artist, I like his website because it clearly shows all his best work on the front page in a thumb-nailed format that so you can click straight onto an image of his work which will then bring up the large image quickly. He also has clear images of each piece of work which highlight all areas which are laid out well, his contact details are also at the top of the page which are easily accessible for anyone viewing his website. One downfall is that he doesn't have very much information regarding poly count or UV and texture layouts for each image. Overall I think he has a good portfolio as it clearly shows his work.

"http://artbywiktor.com/"

One not so good portfolio that I came across when doing research is a website from Steven Skidmore. I found that he wasn't clearly displaying much of his own work on his website as some of the pages just had trailers on, and if he did any of the artwork in it didn't highlight the parts he worked on. Another bad thing about his website is that he doesn't have any of his contact information on any of the pages within his website not even an email address for a potential employer to get in touch. One final thing if that even though it states that he is an environment artist he has got a lot more props and vehicles that environment art on his website which doesn't back up him being in the environment art field.

"http://stevenskidmore.com/"

I have also been looking at show reels on YouTube and have found one which clearly shows the work in a professional manner and to a high standard while also keeping my interest throughout the whole video being a minute and a half. Even though this show reel is based towards concept art and character development I think that I will be using some techniques in my own portfolio and show reel as I feel that it is very stylish and modern which makes it stand out against a variety of other show reels.

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUO6Fl2YiAM"

Overall I need to make sure that I make my own portfolio to a high standard and to make sure that I don't overlook and small errors such as not putting my contact information on it.

Job Opportunity

Looking at one job opportunity on the map we were tasked to highlight all the things that we have got that is relevant to the job and also as an Artist what we need to work on to make sure that we are able to get a job at the end of our studies,

After going through my copy there were a few things that I needed to work on that I haven't got at the moment which would hold my back when applying for this job, such as previous experience and shipped titles, extensive use of 3DStudio Max, Quixel software, a portfolio and extensive experience in a wide range of vehicle modelling which at the present time I haven't got. There are also a few different area's in which I make the requirements for this job, which are all the interpersonal requirements which I have acquired from working in another field which have transferred over, car modelling experience, PBR and photo-shop experience. I think that this provides me with a lot of information as it shows me what level my skills are at at the moment and where I need to develop so that I can look at applying for jobs similar to this. To further my overall development I need to keep looking into more job offers this week and comparing the skills that I haven't got which are holding my back so that I know what I need to thoroughly work on before the end of the year.

Professional Portfolio Development

Following the introductory lecture for this module we were tasked to find as many job opportunities in our hopeful job specialisation within the UK, with myself wanting to go into the Environment Artists role as I find designing game worlds and levels personally more interesting while also thinking about my own technical limits and thinking to myself at this stage I am currently nowhere near the level to go for a character artists job which in the long run would also be an opportunity to pursue once I have honed my skills. After doing some research I found a few jobs which were based in the UK and added to the list made by the group, in total we found over 90 jobs across the UK and the world together which gave us all around 2 jobs each, however if you add up all the other graduates that are finishing their courses in other Universities and also other professionals that would apply for those jobs it would make the probability of getting a job pretty slim which gives a certain importance to this module as a whole so that as graduates we can come away with the best portfolio possible so that we all stand a good chance at getting a job.

From doing research I have found out that making a high quality portfolio depends on a number of different reasons however a few of the top ones is to make sure that your portfolio is clear, concise, easily accessible and finally that quality work almost always exceeds quantity of work. I think that if I can follow a number of these steps while also taking into account advice from others I will be able to make a high quality Environmental portfolio for when I finish my university education.