How did you get into the business?

[Vympel]

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[Vympel]

I find that it can help

http://www.vfxtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4331&page=1&pp=15

http://www.fxguide.com/fxtips-list-17.html

[JoshKirk]

good stuff right there. thanks for the links. I hope alot of people respond though so I can see which way is the most effective for the most amount of people.

[muiisal]

in my experience the best way to get into compositing is to have a very good understanding of images. i started off editing, as many compositors do. it's really something that reading books + going to courses can't teach you as much as dealing with images every day. i went to university, which helped me get into editing, so there's definately a benefit of formal learning. my advice for someone looking to get into compositing is to start manipulating images, lots of them, watch films, work out what they did to make it look real/good, practise, read forums, practise some more. good luck :)

[jussing]

I'm self-taught, and I've read some books, including "The Art and Science of Digital Compositing" by Ron Brinkmann.

I took some time off, made a reel, and landed a job doing 3D graphics for some TV-commercials, and then I went directly from that to working on a PS2 title.

The thing about practising compositing is that you can't start from scratch (unlike with 3D graphics, for instance) - you need plates to work with. Looking back, I think the primary reason I learned to do cool 3D, was that I wanted some cool plates to do compositing on. And then I just got stuck with 3D because I liked it. ;)

But read, practice, make reel, and apply everywhere. That's it.

- Jonas

[scrimski]

Alien probes, definitely alien probes. :argh:

And coffee maybe.

I started with this VFX and 3D stuff because I was bored in my job as an editor. It was a 3 year on-site contract in kind of a trainee program and even there was nothing to edit and no motion graphics to create I had to be in the office, so I started cruising around in the internet, found CGtalk and then it went dark and well .. the alien probes.

Read and do internships, develop technical and your soft skills, keep your eyes and ears open. Placing an add in a filmschool (kinda like "Will do FX/Roto/Comp for appearing in the credits") is one of many ways to get a starting point.
It doesn't pay in a material way, but yout meet new people(=possible new job offers) and get the chance to try yourself out, it's all about creating a solid fundament, because especially at the beginning it's about having contacts, creating a 'network' on which you can rely more and more later.

[hiphopcr]

My story (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=244404&highlight=break+industry)

The good news is the longer you're "in" the easier things get. Especially when you live in a hot spot like L.A., opportunities pop up all the time.

[JoshKirk]

Awesome, sounds like im on the right track.

So from what I read so far, most suggest an internship/self taught approach. Im seriously considering moving out to LA (or London if I am really brave) and use the money Ive made as an editor to live off of and just telling a SFX house "Hey, ill work for free for a while if you just treat me like an entry level employee, and after six months if stuff works out then cool, if not ill take my experience and head somewhere else." Id definitly like to hear some more peoples stories though. 1 thing may work for someone, but im looking for the best approach with the best turn around rate. Thanks for the help already guys.

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