Mentors Care to Share

Here you can read entrees from mentor & mentee discussions that have been shared to all.

MENTEE: What is a mentor ? Theresa

MENTOR: A mentor is someone you admire. Someone you feel you could possibly learn something from. A mentor can be just about anyone. Some people model themselves after others they admire, even if they don't tell that person or ever meet that person. Some model themselves after family members, friends, professionals, etc. For example, I have modeled myself after my husband. I've also modeled myself after Jim Henson, and Bill Cosby. I regularly come to my husband for insightful discussion on many topics. This open sharing creates a bond that helps me build new knowledge and strength within myself. I have never met either of the other men, but I have researched their works and their approaches to their works and I admire their philosophies and successes. I use this knowledge to also educated myself. Kellie-Bea

MENTEE:I have a question for you. I am at a point in my career where I need some serious advice. I've tried everything I can think of, and things just aren't going the way they need to. I really need to get some direction, but I don't know where to turn. Do you know of anyone I could talk to for help? Thanks, Kim

MENTOR: When it's hard times for me I do these three things: 1) Teach in the evenings, 2) Get onto a small independant short film, 3) Volunteer for SIGGRAPH or other industry related orgs [See LINKS]. This way my education keeps growing and people see that I am still around. I don't know if this helps, but I hope so. Cheryl

MENTEE: I talked with Film Roman today and plan on dropping off my portfolio tomorrow. As far as including a few samples from class work, do you think it's a bad idea to include a "Disney" character clean-ups? Looking over my class assignments, I'm kind of partial to the roughed out and cleaned up version of Mickey Mouse. Some of the inbetween assignments are from Disney as well. Would it be okay, or should I try and use an original character, or at least NOT a Disney one? David

MENTOR: Shouldn't matter at all. Probably best not to use a Film Roman character, as they would be able to pick minor points out of their own characters then some other studios characters. Make sense? If you are sending Clean-up art you did in class, be sure you show the rough, blue construction line work as well as the clean up work. Be sure you label everything. Karen

MENTEE: How would you suggest going about getting a job at a major animation firm? Mary

MENTOR:The best way is to apply. Each studio is different. I suggest just calling each of them, talking to their human resource people and submitting what they recommend you send (a portfolio request list). Frank

MENTEE: Would you suggest working for a major companies? In other words, is there more satisfaction from working in a smaller, looser environment on not so glamorous projects like architectural renderings and logo design, or does your experience suggest that bigger is better? Jeremy

MENTOR: Honestly, it's generally easier to get a job after working under one of the big names. But you can't even break into a big company just with little company names behind you. It will be as if you were fresh outta school in the big companies eyes, unless you do some really out-of-this-world work. On the other hand, a small company is very satisfying. You do an extreme amount of work, but you do more than just the "pigeon-hole" jobs the big companies will give you. I suggest you apply to both big and small. If a big one picks you up, or there is a tie between big and small, I recommend you go with the big for job sercurity. Later you can move over to the smaller house of your choice. Bonnie

MENTOR: In feature animation, the times standards a fluxuated. Sometimes there is almost nothing to do. At these times you can run around the studio and learn other things. Sometimes it is so busy that you have to work 11-12 hour days including weekends. But the animation industry is such that your friends will be animation people. Meaning, even outta work you'll want to hang-out with animation buddies. The industry is very close and good to each other.

MENTEE: I was going to be an intern at this small animation studio this summer, but I worked there over my spring break and they hired me as a full employee after three days. I'm excited adn nervous all at once! Nancy

MENTOR: While you are there, do as many projects as possible. Some you will like more than others. All in all you want to learn a lot. Be aworking educational sponge. If you get creative time at or after work, ask if you can do a personal project using their equipment. You may wish to submit this project to SIGGRAPH or another trade show where you can be recognized. This looks good on you and your company. Margaret

MENTEE: The biggest complaint I have heard about computer animation is that it is hard to maitain a "life" outside of work. How do you feel about this? How does your significant other feel? Chi

MENTOR: My significant other is also in the animation buisness, at a big company. Generally it is hard to have an 'outside life', but in any art form it will be the same. Look at professional athletes, musician, writers, painters. They do what they love all the time to be the best that they can be. Artists don't think about 9-5, we think about quality of project; putting our name on what we are proud of. That what makes us live and be happy. Of course we do have 'outside friends' and we do cross-over into the other arts and practices, but we have to make a little effort to do so. Generally the effort is worth it and workable. Lisa

MENTEE: How important is it to show my hand rendering and drawing skills in my portfolio? Should you present a portfolio in some hi-tech manner (video or cd-rom, etc.) or is a portfolio notebook containing hardcopy stills just as effective? Chrystal

MENTOR: Today a video demo reel is a must. Plus a simple, clean, easy to flip through art/sketch portfolio is becoming more and more necessary for both traditional and CGI artists. A good website doesn't hurt either. Especially if the company you seek has an interactive division or online division. David

MENTEE: How long is a spec spec script generally supposed to be? Akela

MENTOR: It depends on what type of show and what the show length is. For example: Live action shows do not need a lot of description, but animated ones do. Action shows within animation generally don't need alot of character development dialog, but sitcoms and primetime animation does. If you are writing for a 7 minute cartoon you will have less pages than a 11 min. or 22 min cartoon. Best to pick the show and ask the script editor or find a spec script of that show (or a show similar). You can probably find one on the web. Try searching for Jeffrey Scott for animation. Carol

MENTOR: Getting an agent is a catch 22. You can't get an agent unless your known, and some studios won't take your stuff unless you have an agent or lawyer representing you. Best thing to do is find out who the story editor is for the show you're writing your spec for. You can do this by watching the credits at the end of one of the shows. Then call the studio who produces that show and ask to talk to that story editor. If you get a voice mail message, keep calling! Leave a message saying who you are and what you wanna do. Most Story editors are WAY COOL! Aniamtion script editors are even better. If they are curious they may ask you for a writing sample. They may ask you to sign a rights waiver, this way they can't be sued by you if you have a similar idea that's already been submitted. Waivers are what many sign if they do not have an agent or some other legal representative.

MENTEE: I'd be interested in post movie-production, advertising, and computer games. I'm wondering: - Do each of these areas require knowledge of totally different programs. Linda

MENTOR: Live Action Post Production: -It is recommended you know a number of software programs. They also request that you know Unix environments. Advertising: I'm assuming you mean TV Commercials, yes? Computer Games: - The more packages you know, the better. Some games are vector based, some aren't. If you can create both vector art and non-vector art this is an advantage. Megan

MENTEE: i.e. before I take classes do I have to decide which area of computer animation I want to be in?

MENTOR: Yes and no. Best to take the 3 areas you choose and do some research on them. Meaning, contact the studios who hire artists for post production, advertising, and computer Game Designers/Artists. There may be a common thread for them all. Start with that.

MENTEE: What are the long term prospects for each of these industries?

MENTOR: There will always been a need for Film Post Production. If you study to be a FLAME artist you are set for years. This field at the moment is in need of Flame artists. There is no real competition either. For TV advertisement: Many companies use CG graphics for commercials, but not until now has it been very expensive. Now that artists can get high end software packages on the PC NT workstations, artists can work out of their garages to produce content faster and cheaper. The competition in the area is huge. Computer Games: The is a huge demand for 2D and 3D computer artists for Computer Games. The games seeking artists are mainly the Shoot'em up and action adventure games. This area is ever growing.

MENTEE: I'd like to begin graduate studies in Computer Graphics, but I don't know how emphasis to focus on or what the field is looking for. Anuradha

MENTOR: Best to know the companies that hire CG workers. You can do a search on the internet under a certain job title and see what companies come up. After you get a list, contact the companies directly. Most will have an email address. Ask for their Human Resource Department or Recruiting. Tell them you are a student and want to have some help with job descriptions and possibly some recommended schools and courses of study. This is your best route. You *must* have a good understanding of what companies are out there. You must have some knowledge of the field of study you want to go into before you apply to a graduate program at an institution in the US.

To get accepted into an institution you must prove you will be able to:

• - Get something out of the program
• - Have something to benefit the department.

A school wants to help you succeed, but you need to have an idea of what you want and why you want it. The Institution will in turn help you reach your goal. Their may be pre-requisites to getting into these US schools and departments, so it is best to contact the schools directly and talk to the head of the departments that interest you. Most of the schools and their respective departments are on the internet. Kellie-Bea

MENTEE: What I would like to know is what can I do to get me from where I am to doing something more in animation. More computer animation than traditional cell animation. I am looking into computer courses at New York University. What type of programs and portfolio do you need to have to break into the industry? Peter

MENTOR: Join the local SIGGRAPH chapter. There is one in NY.

• New York City ACM SIGGRAPH
• Valerie Castleman
• 60 Gramercy Park, #9A
• New York, NY 10010
• new_york_city_chapter@siggraph.org

SIGGRAPH means Special Interest Group in Graphics. Also, ask the university's aniamtion department what organizations you can join. Join these for a few months and see if this is actually where your heart is. Keep your day job until you find the path your heart wants. If you find that computer graphics is indeed where you want to be, then take a few evening courses and weekend courses. Study up on what companies are in need of computer animators. Then ask these companies for job descriptions and portfolio and demo reel requirements for each job. In the meantime, I always recommend that all animators take an acting class and an art history class. Good luck and keep me posted on your progress. Fran

MENTEE: Sorry for my ignorance, but what is an "inbetween"? Glenda

MENTOR: It's an essentail step in producing animated art. Without them you will only have stagnant held poses. When an animator draws action (key poses) there needs to be additional drawings to make the actions come to life. These additional drawings help to create a 'Flip Book' or motion. Inbetweens is a great way to better understand how the actual art is created. Paula

MENTEE: I am thinking that being a technical director would suit me. I would like to attend a good schools within wisconson, iowa, illinois, or indiana. Heather

MENTOR: Though the CGI inustry and schools are located primarily in other states in the union, purhaps you can study to become a technical director through one of the local TV stations in the state you are interested in. These states in the USA are not prime entertainment areas, therefore the training you will find will be very limited. I can recommend schools in New York and California, as they are producing state-of-the-art entertainment programming. I suggest you contact the film department at UCLA (University California Los Angeles)on the web, and ask someone about computer animation schools to become a Technical Director.

Question for you: What do you what to actually do for work? The title Technical Director means many things in the entertainment industry, depending on what studio you are working at and sometimes what project you are on. It's like saying you want to get into the water and I'm saying what do you want to do in the water: swim, scuba dive, go boating, water skiing, etc. Lily

MENTEE: My dream is to make special effects in movies. Ever since I saw Star Wars: Special Edition, I have wanted to learn how to do this movie magic. There is only one problem: I have no idea where to start! I am only 14, so going to expensive, faraway clases is not an option. What should a young woman do to learn about CGI? Thanks for your help. Laney

MENTOR: Can you ask your parents if they can afford a couple of magazine subscriptions? I can recommend the top magazines. This is a start:

• Animation Magazine
• Cinefex
• Computer Graphics World
• Film and Video
• Millemeter

Wey