Getting a job as a compositor?

[Aneks]

there was a thread o this a while back which was quite good ! Do a search for related topics. it was called something like what to put on a reel !

I would recommend showing integration skills. Live action ad CGI. Live action and live action. CGI and CGI. Matte paintings etc....

Also do before and after shots of VFX breakdowns. People love that !

here is my crappy example :

www.tahlniran.com

go to the showreel link !

[stevecullum]

Cheers for that.

I thought your reel was pretty good!

Have you had much success in finding work?

[Aneks]

Thanks for the compliment. Are you hiring ? :)



Working pretty solid doing 3d but that is more due to experience and having already proven myslef to a couple of companies.

They whole showreel thing hasn't paid of much for me !! I get lots of good feedback and some interviews but no real job offers. Don't use me as an example though... its probably my personality that puts them off. Or my breath !

[stevecullum]

Sorry, not hiring myself.

I had a look at a couple of threads posted before, but the advice seemed a bit unrealistic. - "work for free for six months"

All very well and good if you 18 and still living at home, but what if your 30 something with a mortgage and 2 kids to feed!

There is definately no easy road in, but no-one should have to work for free in any industry!

[hiphopcr]

I had a look at a couple of threads posted before, but the advice seemed a bit unrealistic. - "work for free for six months"


Heeeeey! If you're trying to become a compositor in feature film, you're going to need experience. A compositor is the final stop in the pipeline before filming out. In general, when a VFX shot looks fake, it wasn't the 3D artists, it was the compositor. Now, a multi-million dollar company isn't going to let someone with no experience be the final stop in the pipeline on their multi-million dollar feature, are they?

You're gonna need to get familiar with at least one of "the big four" compositing apps; Shake, Digital Fusion, Combustion, or After Effects. I think the best way to get an "eye" for compositing is to look outside in the real world, and see how things blend together, then take a bunch of elements and mimic that on your computer.

If you don't want to work for free then you'll at least need to work on smaller projects. Mandy.com has a ton of projects where people are looking for cheap labor. At least it'll give you some stuff to put on your reel.

Another way to go is getting into roto - yes, it can be mind numbing, but it's a foot in the door. Plus you get used to having your mind numbed :) Generally it seems that in 2D, roto is the first step to becoming a compositor, kinda like moving up the ladder.

Good luck -- or you can always work for free for six months :)

[stevecullum]

Thanks for the advice and link - there's some good stuff in there!

[Aruna]

Going to post it again.. I'm glad that I wrote this a while back. No need to rehash stuff. ;)

http://www.digitalgypsy.com/vfxlog/archives/2005/03/recruitment.php

[stevecullum]

Thanks for the link to this thread, there is certainly a great deal of information here that I hope will help me build a worthy reel!

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