Wednesday 10 December 2014

Exit Plan

After Uni has finished I will be applying for career jobs right away but whilst waiting I will continue polishing my portfolio, and having a job somewhere part time, until the opportunity arises.

In the future I would like to start my own studio again with a few friends once we have a few years industry experience, if that does not happen a senior or lead artist in a Games Studio would be amazing too.

Preferably I would like to go back to Jagex when I finish University - but if that does not fall through then I would love to work at Guerrila Games or Splash Damage.


However in the mean time this will be my next 3D Environment project.




How to get noticed within the industry?

Polycount
Artstation
Cgstudentawards
Lunchcrunch – facebook
UE4 Forum

These are all very reliable sources to get your work out there for exposure and feedback.

Polycount: Almost every user is a 3D artist or works in the games industry somehow.

Artstation: Great community of very talented artists, similar to Polycount alot of video game artists here.

CGstudentAwards: Great for getting your name out there, could win an internship along with getting your uni out there for some exposure.

Lunchrunch: Lots of Video game artists use this page to show off their work and give critique.

UE4 Forums: I use UE4 alot and my most recent environment was made using their engine! So why not show them it.

References:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/index.php
http://www.artstation.com/
http://www.cgstudentawards.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lunchcrunch/?fref=ts
https://forums.unrealengine.com/

Final Showreel

Here is the final show reel (the ending is an environment is something I am planning on doing later after Christmas, my next big project)

Future plans for my website


I am using Liam Tart's Portfolio as an example simply because its a very clean and nice layout, you can see he has his resume, his email, his phone number his linked in and polycount on his website, this is very good for potential employers,  in the future (January 2015) I will be releasing my very own website similar to this wit the URL:

www.alfred3d.co.uk or www.alfredgolovanov.co.uk - not sure which yet

Art Station


Artstation is an amazing portfolio I almost count it as my second portfolio of choice as its like a community hub, it has a great layout and look to it too, people can leave comments and feedback and you can view the amount of likes and views you get on your particular piece of work.



Navigating around Artstation is easy and no hassle at all, and if your bored at looking at your own stuff theres TONS of inspiration on their main site.

Portfolio thoughts

So I thought I would talk about what needs to be in a portfolio:

Well first of all you need your art to be very clear and visible right from the very first click.
Their should not be any clutter or nonsense making it hard to navigate around your site, that's a pain for anyone trying to view your stuff.

It's also  good to be different, designing something original sets you apart from the crowd.

You should also have an about me page and a contact me page, along with a blog of where you post your work in progress or things that you find interesting (stuff that is related to games art but is not good enough yet to be on your portfolio)




So this is the standard layout of most 3D Artists very cool sleek and easy to navigate, banners to represent the main photo of your work, and the stars on the top right to indicate whether its new or not.


CV & Cover Letter planning

I'm going to start with the cover letter to a games company - as I have had the experience of writing one I will give you an example that managed to land me a job in the games industry - the key is to be passionate and speak about what  you know.

Cover Letter Junior Artist (OldSchool Runescape)
Hello Jagex,

First of all I’d like to say that Runescape has been the most played game in my life, since it first came out in 2001, I have always been voting and helping out with the community as a whole for the future of Runescape, and personally bringing back Old School was one of the best decisions Jagex could have made.

Jagex is one of the top MMORPG companies out there, you guys have always been risky with new games, or new updates, which I love and change is always good.
A chance to work with you guys would be a dream come true, I literally know everything about Old School Runescape, whether it be quests, items, gear, skills, ask me anything and I’ll know it.
 I have a wide knowledge of 3d and texturing as a whole, low poly modelling and hand painted texturing are one of my specialities, especially as its old school, low poly and hand texturing were one of the first things I learnt back in college whilst studying Games Development. I have also learnt a lot of animation, rigging, high poly modelling, from Uni, I am studying BA Computer games Modelling & Animation at Derby.

I have worked as a QA tester before on the Sonic ALL-Stars Transformers game, and I learnt a lot about bug fixing, bug finding, report management and overall just a feedback of the game between the developers and myself.
I have played almost every MMO out there at the current moment, the latest was the new Skyrim Online Beta, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you for taking the time to read my cover letter and hopefully my CV, I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Please check out my portfolio on http://alfred3d.carbonmade.com.


Alfred.

I do not have a template for cover letters as I treat it as a genuine letter I myself am writing to the possible employer, I want it to feel as genuine as possible and not to send mutliple templates around different companies.



My CV:

Alfred Golovanov
                                                                                               
34 Wild Street,
Derby
DE1 1GN

07951516797
                                                           

PROFILE:

I am in my final year studying Computer Games Modelling and Animation at Derby University.

I am always looking for the fastest workflow whilst maintaining high standards of aesthetics, I’m a fun and friendly person to work with and always keep to my deadlines.

I have no problem travelling anywhere around the world to pursue my passion in games art.

EDUCATION:

Elliott Secondary School (2004 - 2009)
Pullman Gardens, London
SW15 3D

GCSES:                

10 A* to C’s

Wandsworth South Thames College (2009 - 2011)
Wandsworth High Street
London SW18 2PP

BTEC Games Development:

Distinction
Distinction
Merit

Derby University (2011 – Present)
Kedleston Road, Derby
DE22 1GB

BA Computer Games Modelling and Animation:

Predicted 2:1
           
My specialties relating to the games industry:

Maya, Max, Photoshop, Quixel Suite, Substance Designer/Painter, Xnormals, Marvelous Designer, Unreal Engine, Zbrush, Mudbox, After Effects and Sony Vegas.



EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

3D Artist

Jagex LTDSt. Johns Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge.
(April 24th – September 12th)

Duties:
As an Artist at Jagex I was placed onto the OldSchool team, here I helped produce 3d models, animations, graphics, rigs and concepts. I learned a lot from my sixth months at Jagex but sadly had to leave to finish my last year at University.

Not only did I do Art for Jagex but I was also able to participate in weekly Q & A’s infront of thousands of people on Twitch.tv it was a great way to communicate with the games fan base and ask what they wanted implemented in the game, I found myself conversing with players on twitter asking for feedback on all of my work.

Some of the software I learnt at Jagex:
In-house tools.
Perforce which they used for file sharing/saving.
3DS Max (I’m a Maya user)

Key skills: Learning the game pipeline/workflow, working close with the player community, learning new software within a month.

Retail Assistant

SuperdryDerby Westfield
(April 1st – September 1st 2013)

Duties:
As a retail assistant my role was to serve and advise customers on clothing, I handled with cash and payments along with handling of the stock and ordering goods.
Another thing I did whilst working at Superdry was dandling complaints from customers and passing them onto the manager along with arranging window displays and promoting special competitions.

Key Skills: Ability to stay friendly and polite in the most frustrating situations along with being able to work under pressure.



·      Games Tester QA Balance Team

Sumo Digital – 32 Jessops Riverside, 800 Brightside Lane, Sheffield
(2nd September - 18th September 2012)

Duties: After 2 weeks of volunteering for Sumo Digital me and a few other people were selected to come back for paid work, in QA - Testing, this time we were allowed to talk with the 3D Artists and programmers, I learnt a lot about what they do in the industry and what is expected from them.

This time I was placed on my own and was given a set of tasks, some of the tasks included completing different story modes and recording data, also a lot of multiplayer was played and tested, many of my bug finds were important to the games progress.

Key Skills: Working in a team efficiently, providing feedback, and finding problems and solving them.



·      Supermarket Assistant – Food Service (Deli/Meat & Fish/Patisserie)
Waitrose - 4 Sheen Road, Richmond, Surrey
(14th November 2010 – 14th August 2011)

Duties:
As a supermarket assistant my role was to work on the food counters. This included working in the bakery, meat, deli and cheese sections. During this time I learnt how to use the relevant machinery for the food, the different variety of foods such as different types of cheese and meats and became experienced in the preparation of these foods. Furthermore, I became aware of the certain hygiene standards required. However, most importantly, I developed my customer service skills and gained confidence in advising customers on products which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Key Skills: Having good customer service skills, being a reliable team member, keeping up with hygiene practises and being able to prepare and bake several foods.


WORKEXPERIENCE/VOLUNTEERING:


·      Scouts Group Leader
15th Fulham Scout Group - St. Dionis Church Hall, Parsons Green
(August 2004 – October 2007)

Duties: As a scout group leader, my job was to patrol and set up activities for the younger scouts. This also included advising and helping with any problems that the children may have faced in school or outside. I organised many of the activities including: camping, hiking, football matches, charity events and road safety talks.

Key Skills: Being responsible, able to work under pressure, having good communication skills, thinking quickly on your feet and having a fun, enthusiastic attitude.



References:  Available upon request.


I made this CV after downloading alot of other 3D artists CV's I'm not sure whether I should keep non related games industry things in my CV but it shows what skills I have learnt.