How to land your dream job in animation

Seek out opportunities

Chief creative officer at ILM, John Knoll comments: "Part of the reason we've opened a facility in London is because of the talent pool that's available here. We go where the talent is, and there's tremendous talent available in London.

"I'm very pleased at the level of accomplishment and skills of the artists we've hired already. We have this wonderful opportunity to learn what's successful here in London, and that may influence how we work in San Francisco – and vice versa. We can potentially have the best of both worlds where we're getting the best fusion."

Don't let nerves get the better of you

"Common mistakes include not following instructions when applying for a job," says vice president of culture and talent at Rainmaker Tara Kemes. "That doesn't give us much confidence that you'll be able to take direction when you're here on the team.

"Don't let your nerves get the better of you; practise ahead of time; it makes a difference. And, while these may seem obvious: be on time, and don't send a cover letter intended for another studio to us – especially if you've told us you have high attention to detail! And maybe don't wear jogging bottoms to the interview. I mean, we're casual, but not that casual."

Train hard and be open to criticism

Steven Elford is Studio CG supervisor at Rainmaker Entertainment. He says: "Train hard, and be open to criticism. There are many ways to approach 3D, and how they work in one studio might be totally different to another.

"That doesn't mean either way is right, or you are doing it wrong – just be prepared to have to keep learning.

"Technology moves at a fast pace, after all, and processes are always changing and evolving."

Words: Tom May

This article appeared in 3D World issue 190.

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