4) What project was the most fun for you?
There have been memorable projects throughout my career that I would label as fun. Some were creatively fun where the concepts and visuals kept me happily working through the night. Others were technically fun where a complicated mix of levels and steps would produce outrageously cool effects. When I was working at Riot as an animator, jobs for MTV were often given to me to execute. A wonderful designer named Jeremy Hollister would always push the boundaries of design and 3D. These were simple 5 to 20 second pieces that were meant to be eye catching and cool. In his designs, Jeremy would love to play with scale and perspective – a nightmare for any 3D artist with a logically brain. You build things in 3D space like you would in real life. The further back you moved something it would get visually smaller. Jeremy would want an animation where an object would move closer and get smaller while at the same time manipulate what true perspective would do as a camera changed angles. This way of design really messed with my conventions and forced my conceptual and technical skills to keep up. I loved it because it felt like working while hanging upside down in a Twilight Zone episode. Anything was possible after that. An invitation to the MTV Movie Awards didn’t hurt either along with the relaxing gaming sessions of Quake.
5) What skills are necessary to be successful in this business?
There are ton of skills needed to be successful in this business. The obvious ones are the technical and creative demands. That’s even the easy part. My thoughts on the most necessary are not what I think most people would imagine. The inter-personal skills are key. Anyone in pursuit of a successful career in digital imaging must be easy to work with. The output demands are very high as this is a service industry to a public and where time equals lots of money. This environment creates very long hours, complete client changes when you thought you were “finished”, working on teams where everyone’s input affects your individual output and of course working on computers that never do what you want them to do. Skills in communication, organization, flexibility, time management, projecting outcomes, problem solving, team work and truly pulling the best out of yourself and others are all without a doubt more important then how many buttons you know on any software.
This is a small industry where artist work together to create make-believe. It is a joint effort that draws from the person within. When it gets really late, you are really tired and really frustrated there is nothing left to cover up the inner artist. The inter-personal skills allow your craft to be heard and utilized to create and produce.
6) What’s an average day like for someone in this industry?
There are various facets of this industry that have a different layout but generally the same core. Within the entertainment and broadcast industry we work for public demand. Trends take over time. The hottest concept or look must be used to create the next commercial or film. Any news event needs immediate up to the minute graphics.
This is no where near a 9-5 type job. In creating commercials, you may start at around 10am checking renders from the night before. Review client or creative director changes and then continue with the task ahead. Depending on the production pipeline, delivery specs and deadline, clarity of the projects vision, last minute changes, the team assembled, and the mood of your computer – a day could end anywhere from 6pm to 6am on any given day. I have never gone into work knowing exactly what time I was to leave. All in all a 10 hour day is to be expected on average. The uncertainty of clock out times is matched with passion and love for what I do. I tell my husband I will be done in an hour and he asks me if that is in real time or 3D time. I will always live in 3D time.
7) Why would you recommend a career in digital imaging to someone?
I would recommend a career in digital imaging to someone if and only if they are truly passionate about creating from the ground up. If that is what is in your blood, you must let it flow. Anyone that has technical creativity and/or artistic creativity will never be able to fulfill themselves in jobs that don’t feed the animal. There are not many fields that merge art and technology the way digital imaging does. My area has been within the entertainment industry. Now while teaching at NYU-SCPS CADA I am exploring various applications such as medical imaging, architectural visualization and rapid prototyping. The fascinating part is where this all can take you. It is endless in possibilities where industry has not even been created yet. Who would have ever imagined creating visual content on a computer would end up on a theater screen, a TV, driven by a game engine or what my children easily manipulate on my iPhone. I have seen my artistic vision animate on 40-foot billboards, held models that were exact replicas of a live persons MRI scan. I have seen a concept go from sketch to Zbrush to 3D print with amazement and wonder. Working and growing with like-minded artists allows for powerful opportunities. I would recommend a career in digital imaging to anyone interested in creating make-believe!