Cinema Cemetery

Get a Job in VFX or Animation: A Step by Step Guide

So, you want to work on movies?

I get that.

Here is my step by step guide for how I would approach your search and beyond. Now please understand, none of this is guaranteed to find you a job...but hopefully it’ll make approaching your search a little less intimidating.

Education

Should you study online using free resources, go to an online vfx school, or bite the bullet and go to art school? There are many different factors involved here and I recommend you check out our Cinema Cemetery episode all about this specific issue.

While you’re learning the tools of your eventual trade, you’ll have to decide whether you want to be a generalist or a specialist. A generalist is an artist who has a pretty good grasp on everything relating to the entire pipeline of film and animation while a specialist is someone who chooses a specific sub-trade within VFX and Animation to focus on. There’s no perfect choice here so I’ll run through what I think are required and some pros and cons for each.

A Generalist should probably be pretty skilled at modeling, lighting, comping, and animating. They should be able to work with all the major adobe and autodesk products as well as Nuke. They should be familiar with some minor fx simulation, whether that’s in maya, realflow, or houdini...just some knowledge can help.  More than what they know, a Generalist’s main skill is their ability to LEARN on the job and then turn around and execute on that fresh knowledge at a quality caliber of feature film standards. 

Generalists are great for smaller studios because they can fill so many different areas of the pipeline. Why hire an animator, lighter, and comper separately if you find a killer generalist who can fill most the needed roles?

Generalists are weak when compared to specialists in their category of strength. You probably won’t find a generalist with mostly technical skills with amazing creative strengths and vice versa. The old saying “jack of all trades, master of none” exists for a reason, when you’re working hard to know everything, it’s difficult to really stand out in a specific arena.

Specialists are a snipershot straight to a specific problem. Specialists who choose to be programmers, animators, and compositing technicians will find that they are often in demand while matte painters, texture artists, and cfx artists may struggle to find that next gig. It can be pretty crushing to hone your learning to a single topic only to find that the industry doesn’t really need any artists of that stripe right now. 

My advice to those learning is to think of yourself as a generalist/specialist hybrid. Learn the basics of all the major software used in the industry and be competent in them, but also choose a specialty to pour your extra time into. Really dig as deep as you can in that area, this will help your demo reel stand out and give you the opportunity to make two demo reels. One focusing on your general abilities and one focused on your specialty.

Speaking of Demo Reels.

Demo Reel

During the course of your education, you will have to complete a number of projects. Some of these will hopefully be good enough to land on your demo reel but you really shouldn’t count on that. Class projects look like class projects. You’re going to have to constantly be doing personal projects on your own time to really stand out from the crowd. If you’re wanting to work in the film industry then you need to get used to late hours and no socialization sooner than later so you might as well start now. There are more artists out there than jobs so you have to want it more than literally every other person studying in your year.

When assembling your demo reel, it should be a maximum of 2 min. Put your best work together and show it to your friends, family, professors, anyone with eyes. Ask them all the same thing, what two shots should I remove? It’s hard to view your own work objectively and it’s better to have a high quality short reel rather than a mixed long one. Your demo reel is only as good as the worst shot in it so make sure you land punch after punch of visual wonder. Nothing janky. Nothing mediocre. Look up demo reels from people within the industry (we’re all on IMDB and LinkedIn so you can easily get some names to google). Match your reel to the competition, does it hold up? It better, you’re competing with them for jobs and you don’t have experience...so your visuals better be stunning.

Your demo reel should also be well edited. It should feel snappy, cut to music and never dragging. The second a recruiter gets bored, they’re clicking away from your video. Don’t let them get bored. In reference to music, it doesn’t really matter what the song is too much...it’s probably best if it has no vocal track and isn’t too aggressive or boring. You’re walking the line of trying to use something most people will find appealing without being so recognizable that it distracts from the visuals. A demo reel isn’t the only bit of information you’ll be sending to a company though, you’re also going to need some paperwork. 

Resume/Cover Letter

Let’s start with the easy one, Cover Letter.

I don’t have one. If it’s possible to submit an application without one, I do. I think they’re a waste of time and I have NEVER heard of them being read, though they are sometimes requested. If you can’t get away with just not submitting one, then whip up a grammatically correct paragraph about why you want to do whatever job it is with a little insight into your personality and a call it a day. Easy.

Resume. Now this one’s a little trickier. You don’t want anything overly designed or distracting, this single sheet should be a streamlined conveyor of information and nothing more. You want your name, your number, and your email address right up top. Follow that with your education whatever that may be. After that comes your experience but since you probably don’t have any if you’re right out of school, you can get a little creative here. Consider adding a “Relevant Coursework” section between Experience and Education so you can flex the titles of some of those vfx or animation classes you may have taken. Any classes you think make you suitable to accept a job can go here. After that you can put your Experience section and list any jobs you may have worked, probably nothing industry related but it’s good to show people you can commit to a workplace. If you get stuck on the resume there are a ton of great document templates available online to help you out.

Ok you’ve got your demo reel, you’ve got a resume, and you’re still motivated. Let’s head down to the job orchard and start pickin’ them jobs right off the tree.

Job Search

Bad news, that job you want at that studio you love isn’t open and if it is, they want somebody who already knows what they’re doing. People work their entire lives just for the opportunity to one day work at Pixar or wherever so don’t lose hope when your search for the ideal comes up dry...because it probably will. 

You know what they say, beggars can’t be choosers and if you start getting choosy you’re gonna find yourself a beggar. So what do we do? We apply EVERYWHERE. What kinds of jobs do we apply for? ALL THE KINDS.

First step in any job search, get yourself organized.

You’re gonna need an excel or google drive spreadsheet and you’re going to list every single company who hires people who do what you want to do. It doesn’t matter where they are located, if they want you, they’ll help you get there. 

If you don’t want to move, that’s fine too, you can always work in another industry.

Have you considered being joining the postal service? No? Cool, glad you’re ok with moving because the film and animation industries are ALWAYS moving and if you want to catch up with it SO SHALL YOU.

Finding companies.

Amass a list on a spreadsheet of every single company you can find as well as their respective website so you can hit them up later. This will take quite a bit of time. Don’t know companies? What recent movies would you have loved to work on? Look up the company credits on IMDB. Boom, you know companies. Organize that list in order of desirability and HIT THEM ALL. How do you know if they’re even hiring? Most sites have a careers or jobs or team page with that information on it. If they’re hiring for something you can do, apply. If they’re not hiring, submit a speculative inquiry. This is basically just an email with a brief introduction from you as well as your resume, demo reel, linkedin info etc. If there’s no instructions on how to do that on a company’s careers page, look for a contact us page and send it to the email address that seems the most appropriate.

Every time you apply for a job, make careful notes of the date, company, position applied for, as well as any responses. This is going to help you stay organized as you blast the industry with your reel. You are going to send HUNDREDS of applications. That’s not an exaggeration. You MIGHT hear back from two or three if you’re lucky. That’s normal. If you don’t hear back from anyone for an interview it means you need to improve as an artist. Take a month or two, work a side job wherever you can get it, and crank away at personal projects at home. Make great looking shots. Cut them into your reel. Look up all those studios who ignored you, apply again. If every time you apply, there’s marked improvement in your demo reel...people will start to notice. 

Let’s fast forward, you get an interview. NOW. WHAT.

The Interview

Before an interview you want to have some questions prepared, an interview is not an interrogation but a dialogue. They’re expecting you to have as many questions about them as they’ll have about you. Let them talk first, let them ask their questions. You’ll end the interview with yours, usually they’ll ask if you have any questions at the end but if they forget you are more than welcome to say that you would like to know more on a couple topics.

Good questions pertain to the company’s overtime policy, software used, if there’s training involved, what kinds of projects are coming down the pipe, how long the contract would be, and what next steps would be/when do they think they’ll get back to you about the position.

Be prepared to answer difficult questions. You may be asked what your salary expectations are or, if it’s a small studio and a short contract, what your day rate is. Figure this out BEFORE the interview takes place. They’ll want to talk about the shots on your demo reel, how you accomplished them, what you’re proud of and what you could improve on. 

If your interview is in person show up about 15 min early with a notebook, pen, and wearing casual professional clothes. The vfx and animation industries are super relaxed when it comes to daily attire, however this IS an interview so an effort should be made to look nice. We’re not talking funeral or wedding nice, just dress sharp yet comfy. If you can’t figure out that balance then just dress like you’re going on a first date. You want to be true to yourself but also give a great first impression.

If your interview is by phone make sure you’re in a quiet environment where you get good cell service. Don’t forget that notepad and pen, you’ll want to remember the names of everyone you talk to so you can add them on LinkedIn after the interview and, if the conversation goes further, you’ll remember who you spoke with about what.

If it’s a video interview you’ll be using Skype or a similar software. Make sure you have access to stable internet, have tested your video/audio equipment, are in a space where you are clearly lit so they can get a good look at you, and don’t have a super distracting or dirty room behind you. 

Interviews are uncomfortable, but do your best to stay calm and not rush. Don’t work too hard to be charming; I know it’s tough but if you relax and just be yourself you’ll come off as much more confident and professional than you may feel.

If the interview goes well, HR will get in touch with you (probably via email) and work out the details. Ideally, you’ve done it! You’ve landed your first industry job! But that’s not where the story ends. Contracts often only run project to project, studios move locations, studios go bankrupt...there are many reasons but suffice to say, you’re going to have to find another job in the future. This doesn’t have to as difficult as your first time though, here’s how:

Keep getting jobs

Now that you have a job in the industry, things get a littttle easier. You’re going to be able to put specific projects and credits on your resume, you can get yourself an IMDB profile, and you might start racking up references with peers if you can hit the following goals:

Easy to work with/kind to others

Noninvasive/drama free

Talented

Can take critique/improve as an artist

Ability to learn

Additionally, once your projects hit home video, you can start cutting your shots into your demo reel...really start making that little reel look super professional!

There are no career jobs in vfx or animation so you’ll become a bit of a pro at this whole circus. It’s intimidating, time-intensive, annoying, inconvenient, and prolonged...but if you can survive and thrive through the job search, then you have a solid chance of doing well for yourself within this crazy industry.

This has been cinema cemetery, digging six feet deeper into film and culture.

-Josh Evans