Party and VFX

I figured I would put this post in a separate post from the classes. Otherwise it would be too much to read. A friend had a party last night. We try to get as many people from our program to hang out as much as possible. They are one of the best learning tools we have. So, my roommate Andrej and I all arrived there at about 10. We were surprised to see my 3D modeling teacher there. He's only a few years older than me and was a student at the school a few years ago. It was actually really cool. We asked him all sorts of questions about school, working, and animation stuff. I'm starting to realize how huge this industry for 3D animation and Visual Effects is. I could potentially end up anywhere in the world. Depending on what field I get into, I might have to move around a lot too. I'm not sure what to expect, but I am pretty excited.

While at the party, I was talking to a few people from the 3D program that are in their fifth term (there are six terms per year for 3D, and each term a new group of students starts). These students are almost complete, so it was interesting to hear their stories. They are all so busy with school it seems.

Today, about 10 students (me included) from my program went to Granville Island hotel for a VES (Visual Effects Society) event. Well, the hotel hosted a reception but the event took place at a nearby art school. We heard from speakers from various studios in Vancouver and California. The visual effects industry is really interesting. There are obvious examples like the Matrix or Harry Potter movies; however, there was an example of when visual effects are used in a way that you don't even notice them. The example was the movie Changeling, with Angelina Jolie. The movie is set in San Francisco in the 1920's I believe. The effects were used to create things like extensions to the scene. There are buildings there were added digitally. There are also digital "extras" to add a bit of variety. During the credits, there is a 2 minute shot of a road with foot and car traffic. There were real extras and real cars for the first 30 seconds or so, but the rest of the time the cars and people are all digital. It is completely seamless.

So, basically, this event was a good taste at what VFX has to offer. By my fourth term, I have to select a path. I can choose modeling, animation, or VFX. The more I learn about each, the easier I think it will be for me to make a decision. I still cant decide if I want to work with movies, commercials (which seems kind of lame, but I can make a lot of money and the studios are all over) or with video games. In February, my school will be hosting a video game event. I will hopefully have a better idea of how the gaming industry works with animation.