Computer Animation Arts

Dundee based Game Development Studio, Puny Astronaut, are on the look out for a full-time 3D Animator! What are they looking for?  Required Skills • Strong animation skills in Maya, both stylised and realistic • Can demonstrate ability to animate with an array of rigs (i.e. biped vs. quadruped) • At least a foundational knowledge of rigging and skinning, with the ability to alter existing rigs and to create new variations or similar rigs • A critical eye for animation in games and other media • Ability to self-critique, iterate, and make decisions on how to improve your work • Great communication skills, can respond well to direction, and can contribute to team discussions • Good time management and ability to self-direct workflow when necessary For full details, see  HERE.

Axis Studios are an award-winning animation and VFX studio based in Glasgow, but with studios also in Bristol and London.   Most recently, Axis have been working with Aardman on their latest stop-motion epic, 'Early Man'.  Over the course of 13 months, Axis delivered 1,350 shots, including the film’s dramatic prologue, epic stadium shots, the moody badlands, lava, fire and water effects.  Read more about their input HERE. Axis share some advice on getting a job with them; they often have recruitment open days, so it's well worth keeping an eye on their blog, following them on Twitter, Facebook etc... Jon Beeston, Head of Art gives this advice (advice which would be relevant at other recruitment events too!) - 1. Be prepared – Have a CV and business cards ready. We see hundreds of candidates at these events; it’s a great idea to leave a CV or business card so we have your details on hand. 2. Do your Homework - Research the companies you are i...

Introducing Leda Entertainment, an up-and-coming Games Development studio!  Leda Entertainment are looking for 3D artists and animators to work as 'interns' on their latest game, 'Bullion - The Curse of the Cut-Throat Cattle'.  These are initially unpaid roles that can be worked on alongside any other committments that you may have, but that have the potential to earn, should the game be successful!  What the roles WILL do, is give you valuable work experience, and enhance your C.V.s no end... Here's what Leda say about themselves and the roles... "Here at Leda Entertainment, we have been making games since our student days, and now operate side projects on our own time in tandem with our day jobs.  We have launched several titles - primarily for mobile - over the last seven years. During this time, we have come into contact with a number of people, primarily new and recent graduates, who are looking to get a job in the games industry, but ar...

Today CAA Careers is introducing DreamingFish Productions , an award-winning production and animation company based in Woking, in Surrey. Here, Animation Manager Luke Brown talks about how he came to be where he is now, and gives some advice on showreels, employability, and the importance of promoting yourself on social media... Over to you, Luke!   How have you ended up where you are now? I actually ended up in this industry in a pretty roundabout way! I studied contemporary music at University and ended up as a music tutor for about a year or so after graduating until I realised that it wasn’t for me. One of my close friends was working at a local studio as a camera operator and wangled me a job at the studio as a production assistant. I was doing all the low-end jobs like picking up event edits and getting voiceovers recorded. I very quickly got very interested in the animations the studio where creating and spent hours in my spare time watching t...

In this feature, written for 3D World and previously published in a different form in that magazine, you’ll find tips direct from the people who see reels at a range of animation, VFX, games and architecture studios. There will also be general tips on how you should craft a reel tailored to a specific job. Eddie Leon is the President and CEO of US architecture visualisation studio Spine3D. His idea of the perfect reel is one that is diverse and eye-catching. “It should show a range of talent regardless of the position you are applying for,” says Leon. “Everything from the choice of fonts and colours in the titling to the pace of the music and editing must be chosen carefully. This helps to determine whether or not the artist has a good eye. Technical skills can be taught on the job, but a good sense of colour and composition is hard to teach. It is something that is almost natural to some artists."   He says that another point to consider is that most 3D compa...

As promised, I have made some contact with animation and design studios up and down the country and today I would like to introduce an award winning animation studio in Manchester - Kilogramme Animation Studio Here is what they have to say about themselves... ' Kilogramme is an award winning animation production company based in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Established since 2005, we produce a wide range of design led multi media animation from interstitials, shorts and adverts for broadcast and online... We cover all aspects of production, from initial concept and design right through to final post production.' I put some questions to Director, Jon Turner - Is working in a studio or working independently more fulfilling? I prefer a studio as you have more people to develop ideas with and learn from. Working from home can be a little lonely. Having said that some people prefer to work that way. How does working as part of team help yo...

An interesting article in The Guardian by journalist Abby Young-Powell, on taking the plunge and going freelance. 'What I wish I had known about freelancing in the Arts'.

As students, you should be making the most of all the wonderful resources available to you out there, so as part of this CAA Careers feature, I will be introducing some as I come across them.   Today's offering is the Skwigly Online Animation Magazine.  This mag is a wonderful source of advice and information, including tutorials, interviews, showreels, and details of animation festivals that you can submit your films to...take a look here - Skwigly Online Animation Magazine I will be dipping into the magazine myself and featuring some of the more interesting articles, but don't rely on me - go and look for yourselves, sign up for the newsletter, and keep up to date with what's happening out there in the world of animation!

Over the last two decades, David Mattock's career has seen him build a successful animation business, called Full Rotation , while living and working in London and Brazil, working for companies including Nissan, Endemol and Cartoon Network.   Here he talks to Lorna Rose, of Plymouth University, about how his career has developed over the last two decades, and gives some top tips for budding animators. 'Keep Learning: David Mattock chats Design and Animation' More details on Full Rotation can be found here !

Coming soon...  Phil has given me a 'new hat' to wear; I am calling it my 'Industry Outreach' hat!   I am in the process of contacting animation and film companies the length and breadth of the country, and am putting together some useful advice from those in the know.  So coming soon... Showreel advice 'A day in the life of...' Technical advice  What it is really like to work as a freelancer       ...and more! Hopefully these contacts will also open some doors for us, in the way of work experience placements!  To make this a really useful resource, it would be good to be able to put some of your questions to the various companies directly...so if there is anything you have always wanted to know about working in the 'real world', drop me a line as a comment on here (or send me an email on jhagan.s1@ucreative.ac.uk) and I'll try and find answers for you!  Watch this space!

Recently I have been using LinkedIn to try and reach out to recruiters from different animation studios for some advice about applying for jobs and what their specific studio looks for in applicants and their portfolios. I didn't get many responses, but an individual from recruiting at Sony Pictures Animation replied to me and sent me a link to a YouTube video covering a few tips in regards to Visual Development portfolios. I hope that some others may find this useful as well!

Dayle Sanders Hi there, my name is Dayle. I graduated from Computer Animation Arts in 2013 (“Computer Generated Arts and Animation”, as the course was known as back then!) I currently work as a Junior Animator/ Animation Fixer at Jellyfish Pictures in London. It's great to be able to share with you today what I have been up to and offer my industry perspective too, as a former classmate and fellow Rochester alumni. For my final major project, "Kinnaree", I collaborated with Andriana Laskari - my classmate in the same year. Here is our graduation film below, and “Hemaraj” too; a dog-like creature who only wants to play. "Kinnaree": The story is inspired by Thai Mythology and involves two creatures of the magical Himmapan forest; a legendary forest that lies between Heaven and Earth in the Himalayas. The art direction stems from Buddhist & Lai Thai art as seen on the actual characters and the environment surrounding them. S...

The Sky Blue programme from UCA's Creative Enterprise Dept. are hosting a number of workshops in February and March for students wishing to learning more about going freelance.  Take a look at the timetable above and add the dates to your respective diaries - and spread the word.   You need to email Stephen Davies at sdavies14@uca.ac.uk to book your place.

After its brief stint as a workshop-come-warehouse , the CAA baseroom has been restored to its more usual serene self.  As I write this preface to the July 2016 edition of the Computer Animation Arts Post With The Most, I'm sitting quietly in the baseroom enjoying the cool and the quiet.  With but a few short days before the CAA course team retire to their cryogenic pods in readiness for the onslaught of the new academic year, I find myself in reflective mood.  We've just waved off our most recent graduates , a moment of the yearly cycle that always gets me thinking about former students and their post-UCA adventures.  Accordingly, this PWTM  reunites with a few of our alumni , as we learn about their lives as busy creatives, but before that here's a gratuitous Game Of Thrones -themed portrait of our Class of 2016 at their Sky -sponsored New Designers show - and a look back at our week's residency at the Business Design Centre , Islington, as part of...