The role I would like to do

I would like to be an environment artist because I like to create large scenes rather than one object.

To be an Environment Artist I need to...

Be good at drawing
Have a strong understanding of form, colour, texture, and light
Knowledge of environments
Knowledge of 3D modelling programs
Be able to work with other VFX artists in the pipeline
Work within the production schedule
Manage files
Meet deadlines

Mock Interview Cover Letter

Email - alex.charilaou@btinternet.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-charilaou/

26 February 2021

Florian Stephens

UWL VFX Company

London,

W5 5RF

0208 231 2468

RE: 3D Environment Artist, Job Application, 26.02.2021.

Dear Mr Stephens,

My name is Alex Charilaou and I am writing to you regarding your junior 3D Environment Artist role. I am currently in my final year studying a BA(Hons) in Visual Effects at the University of West London. I have enjoyed everything that has been taught in the course, however, the part that I enjoy doing the most is creating 3D environments. The reason for this is I have a real passion and enthusiasm to create full CGI renders rather than a render of one object.

This course has enabled me to develop lots of different skills and use a variety of programs. I am proficient in using Maya, Arnold, Substance Painter and Unreal Engine. I also have good knowledge of using ZBrush, Nuke, After Effects and Photoshop.

I have a good eye for composition, colour and lighting. I work well in a team as I have done a few group projects and also work with others during my part-time job at Asda. I consider myself very hard working and very motivated to create the best work possible and believe I would be an asset to your organisation.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Charilaou

Contacting Industry Professionals

Lead Environment TD at Framestore

Asset Artist at Megalis VFX.

Senior Environment Artist at Rockstar Games.

Environment Texture Artist at Naughty Dog

Lead Environment Artist at Method Studios

Senior Layout Artist at Framestore.

Co-Owner of CGEye

Possible Questions

Can you describe your career path?

Can you tell me about your role as a --------?

Can you describe your typical working day?

What made you want to work in the VFX industry?

What software do you use?

How long do you get to work on an environment/asset/shot?

What was your favourite project you have worked on and why?

Contacting Industry Professionals Presentation

So I mainly contacted people from the environment industry. I contacted 6 people and I got 3 reply's back.

I got a reply from Matthew Chandler, Alan Cameron Boyle and Paul Smith

Matthew Chandler is the Lead Environment TD at Framestore.

He also came into the university to do a talk.

Here is his showreel from 2018…

The first question I asked was if he could describe his career path. He said he started as a runner at Framestore and that allowed him to do lots of things such as motion capture, going on set, a secondment in Crowd and then finally landing in Environments.

Next, I asked him if he could tell me about his role as an Environment TD. He said that Environment TD’s are responsible for everything that is not a hero asset. Most of the time it is any CG environment that is needed for the show. I could be a photo-real extension of a city or a giant golden planet in space.

Then, I asked him to describe his typical working day. He said his day includes morning meetings, dailies and then working on whatever the VFX supervisor asks them to do. That could be modelling, texturing, look dev, lighting, layout, making tools or even creating things in Houdini.

After that, I asked him what made him want to work in the VFX industry. He said he loves film, and he was watching an interview with some VFX artists and thought “That looks Cool”.

Next, I asked him which software you use. He said the main ones are Maya, Nuke, ZBrush and Mari. But recently they have been using Substance painter/designer and Houdini.

Then, I asked him how long he gets to work in an environment. He said it's very show dependent, sometimes they only get a month, and sometimes they get a couple of years. But, usually, it's they get about 6 – 10 months.

Finally, I asked him what his favourite project to work on was and why. He said that it is probably the opening sequence on Guardians Of The Galaxy 2. They had to create an establishing shot for the Sovereign planet and it was really cool to see it on the big screen after.

Alan Cameron Boyle is a Senior Environment Artist at Rockstar Games.

I couldn’t find his showreel or any work he has done at Rockstar.

But he has lots of images of his work on Hitman when he worked at IO Interactive.

Alan said that he couldn’t answer some of the questions because of an NDA. But I will tell you about the ones he did answer.

The first question I asked was if he could describe his career path. He said he was always into drawing and this led him to start an art and design course in college and then an animation college course. It was here where he knew 3d was his path into a career. He worked on his portfolio and after about 6 months he made a list of computer games companies he liked and basically submitted .avi and jpegs of stuff to everywhere. That ended up getting him a job at CodeMasters when he was 20 years old.

This is different to Mathew Chandlers career path as he went straight into a role, rather than being a runner first.

Next, I asked him if he could tell me about his role as a Senior Environment Artist. He said that it means you have more responsibility. He is often asked questions by new members of the team because he is one of the go to people.

Then, I asked him to describe his typical working day. He said that he cant really talk about it but most companies are very similar and that no two days are the same.

After that I asked him what made you want to work in the games industry. He said he loved games and it turned out I loved making things in 3d, that was enough for him to apply!

Next, I asked him which software you use. He said the main one is 3ds Max. He also uses Substance painter and designer and ZBrush. He has also used Maya.

Then, I asked him how long he gets to work on an environment. He said that timelines are top secret and Its different wherever you go.

Finally, I asked him what his favourite project to work on was and why. He said that it is favourite project is my current one at Rockstar, but he couldn’t say what it was.

Paul Smith is the co-owner of an architectural visualisation company called CGEye which I did some work experience in 2018.

Here is CGEye’s promotional video…

The first question I asked was if he could describe his career path. He said it started back in 1993 when he worked for an exhibition design company and used a very early version of 3D Studio to design stands. From there he decided to go freelance looking for work from architects mainly. After about a year he joined a company in Colchester which was looking for someone to head up a new property visualisation department. He worked there for four years until he was made redundant when the company went bust. He then set up CGEye with his business partner in 2004.

Then, I asked him to describe his typical working day. He said these days it’s mainly dealing with quotes/client queries, and working on AR/VR titles that they are now involved with. He rarely does cgi production since the team pretty much runs the show now!

After that I asked him what made you want to work in the Arch-Vis industry. He said he got very excited about using 3d tech to design exhibition stands in the 90’s and just thought it would be cool to apply the same principles to property. In those days there were not many Archviz companies.

Next, I asked him which software you use. He said the main ones are 3ds Max, Vray, Photoshop, After Effects. He also uses Syntheyes for matching cgi to live video and Unity for AR/VR.

Then, I asked him how long he gets to work on a render. He said that most single-house views get turned around in about 2-3 days. Interiors are the same. But, some animations can take several weeks.

This is different to Mathew and Alan as the projects are a lot smaller but they do more of them.

Finally, I asked him what his favourite project to work on was and why. He said they recently did an animation for Global Marine where they had to show how unused wind energy can be converted to hydrogen to power crew Transfer vessels in the North Sea. He said it was a challenge and involved complex sea and weather and day/night effects. They enjoyed doing something different, and it was also a huge success in helping to promote the concept.

Framestore Senior Environment TD Job Description

Environment Technical Directors are responsible for creating photo-real digital environments for high-end visual effects shots.

Responsibilities:

• Creating photo-realistic digital matte paintings, textures and models or collaborating with specialists in those disciplines as required

• Assembling models, digital matte paintings, textures, projections and lights into a CG scene for rendering

• Troubleshooting technical issues with the CG scene and optimising the renders to work within the resources available

• Working with a shot Compositor to assemble renders and projections in a compositing application

• Working to develop the look of a shot, assets or sequence with the Visual Effects and CG Supervisors

• Lighting and scene assembly for other shots or assets as required, including characters and animation

• Identifying the best approach for matching the quality of the plate photography

• Communicating with production on a regular basis in regards to schedules and deadlines

• Working in partnership with other departments to ensure that shots are delivered to the highest possible standard

• Assisting the Lead to mentor and train more junior artists

Essential Skills:

• Previous experience working in a film VFX pipeline • Strong knowledge of Photoshop, Nuke and Maya

• Modeling, UV layout and texturing skills

• Artistic skills in digital matte painting

• Previous experience with 2.5 D workflow

• A strong understanding of the entire VFX process

• Good communication and organisational skills

• Creative problem-solving abilities

• Excellent attention to detail

• Able to take direction well and work as part of a team

• Able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining high-quality results

• Experience with a wide range of specialist software used to create digital environments

• Experience with volumetric rendering for clouds and atmosphere

• Previous experience working on a computer with the Linux operating system

Desirable Skills:

• A traditional arts background with an emphasis on photo-realism and environments

• An understanding of cutting edge technology in the field such as stereophotogrammetry and photo-based 3D reconstruction

Rockstar Senior Environment Artist Job Description

At Rockstar Games, we create world-class entertainment experiences.

A career at Rockstar Games is about being part of a team working on some of the most creatively rewarding and ambitious projects to be found in any entertainment medium. You would be welcomed to a dedicated and inclusive environment where you can learn, and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.

Rockstar Leeds is on the lookout for a talented Senior Environment Artist who possess a passion for creating exciting and believable artwork to enrich our in-game environments. This is a full-time permanent position based out of Rockstar's unique game development studio in Leeds.

Join our team to create next-generation worlds for some exciting upcoming projects! Candidates must be able to design beautiful, immersive and believable environments that work within the restraints of the medium.

WHAT WE DO

What we do is fundamental to the player's experience. They run through our environments, interact with our assets and feel ownership over artwork that we designed.
Visual storytelling is as important in video games as it is in film. We create, visually, the story of people's lives.
We create fully realized environments to enhance the game experience for players

RESPONSIBILITIES

Build and map a wide range of realistic 3D art that is used to enrich the in-game environments that would be used for world/street locations, interiors, and cut scenes.
Create realistic textures.
Pursue a high quality of both aesthetics and visual storytelling.
Proactively seek feedback from Leads and Creative Directors.
Proactively keep Leads and Creative Directors informed of progress and developments.
Participate in R&D, problem-solving artistic solutions to technical problems.
Work with flair while maintaining the restraints of the medium.
Actively pursue knowledge of the medium what works, what doesn't, and what we can do about it.

QUALIFICATIONS

Senior-level candidates are suggested to have 5+ years as a 3D artist within gaming or a similar industry.
Proven track record in at least 2 shipped titles (preferably AAA).

SKILLS

Excellent environment 3D art creation skills.
All-around artistic expertise and flair.
The technical ability to grasp new programs and systems quickly.
Ability to work with a high degree of self-direction and motivation.
Comfortable working in a team setting, under deadlines and time constraints.
Expertise with 3ds Max (or similar) and Photoshop.
Experience with Substance Painter/Designer.
Experience with Z Brush.
Strong communication and time management skills.
Able to prioritize and multi-task.
Creative nature with strong problem-solving skills.