Thanks so much Eric that's awesome! Yeah I get this question a lot and after that LinkedIn post I thought I would dig into this a bit. If you have follow up questions, just let me know! Best of luck Eric!

@@AllanMcKay You're welcome Allan. I would really love it if you could give some tips on how to make a good fx demo reel if you don't have a really powerful computer. What should I incorporate in my fx reel which would showcase my conceptual knowledge? Also, is it absolutely necessary to add a fx shot made using houdini? Again, thanks a lot! :)

@@ELiang-ru1hb Noted! I will definitely follow up on this, thanks Eric!

@@AllanMcKay Thanks a lot!!

@@ELiang-ru1hb Followed

No problem man thank you for reaching out and best of luck my friend

Thank you KG!

You are welcome my friend thank you for your comment and reaching out :)

Thanks so much Siarven!

@Siarven how are you doing nowdays?

@@TiredCommentary99 Covid happened and I decided to go back to uni for what I had actually wanted to do but not dared (concept art) xD I do freelance illustration on the side now and am working on my thesis project (I also live in a country with good public education that doesn't bankrupt you x'D might be important to add). This uni is a proper film uni and I got to work on a ton of super cool projects and have gotten to know all sorts of fantastic artists of various areas, so even though it's not quite what I had anticipated/hoped for back then, some of the projects I got to work on are super cool and, well, sometimes things take little detours first. :) Thank you for asking!

Thanks JC!

Then what was your point to doing VFX?

You're welcome Vincent, anytime - thank you brother!

Thanks Carlos, and no problem - I think it's good to know what to expect, so you're able to prepare yourself better for it Best of luck!

Thanks Kendrick!

I have very mixed feelings about recruiters. You are right, there are plenty that are looking for the right candidate, and if you aren't it, they don't care to be nice about it. I think everyone needs to act professional, you never know who might be at the start of their career and later be in a position to say not so nice things about that recruiter down the line, or anybody really. It's a small industry.

That's so great to hear Kristina!

Great man!

EXACTLY it's all word of mouth - so critical. Thanks for sharing Svein, and congratulations on 25 years!

I would really wanna ask you a question. So of you see this comment please reply ok. Then i will ask my long question...( Thanks)

@@NightMare-iy5zd Ok. Let's see if I can answer your question.

Thanks so much Jahir! I appreciate you, thanks brother 👊 LAS (Live Action Series) opens for registration in next 2 weeks - which I'm really excited for! :)

@@AllanMcKay Keep teaching,inspiring and making more people reach their dreams to become vfx artists sir.Good luck with the course!🔥💪❤️

That's great man! I definitely think if you want to make a short film, do it! But I would say it might not necessarily move the needle in terms of landing a job let's say at NBC (depending on what type of position you are going for). But if you want to make it as a film maker then it's definitely a great way to get exposure and recognition. In terms of applying for work, what you really wan to do is A) show you can do the work and B) capture the attention of the people who make the decisions and build a relationship with them so they are invested and interested in hiring you. Sometimes that's about showing you are the right fit by demonstrating you can do the type of work they do (I don't imagine NBC will do much stop motion) so I think it's a matter of figuring out what your end goal is with the work you're doing. Is it to capture the attention of film festivals, or capture the attention of employers - since typically the employer is more looking for someone to simply do the work they need done, and that's what they're looking for in each reel. I do love the idea that sounds really cool I'm planning to have Bosslogic on the Podcast pretty soon, we're just waiting for schedules to line up better - but I'm really looking forward to this one. I just had Matti Haapoja on this morning

@@AllanMcKay In terms of the short film, I probably should have clarified. The film would be stop motion for sure, only the characters and some environments would be real, everything else would be modeled, textured, etc in C4D. I'd be doing it because I've wanted to make films in some capacity, be it directing or animating or whatever. I feel like I've got the talent to do it, but never shown it off. The Film would help me do that. Now, truth be told, it wouldnt help out with a place like NBC sports, or any of these agencies and studios on the east coast, It would have been more something I wanted to do which also doubles as a "Hey, look at what I'm capable of" type of thing. But I'm super glad you dig the idea and hope that, in time, I can update you on where I'm at with this. That said, obviously as a 23yr old just out of college, I need a job. You say I need to show that I can do the work and capture the attention of people that make the decisions and build relationships. I, like everyone else trying to get their foot in the door, currently have a reel (I can link it if you like) but it's more general because I dont know what kind of job I need to get started on my path to film making. I'm trying to figure out how to get from point A to point Z while learning new tricks from points B through Y. So, I suppose my question would be, should I be building focused reels? Like I said, I dont quite know what type of Job I'm hunting for, just that I want it to be in the VFX/ Motion Graphics and Film fields of study. I need to show that I can do the work and my general 3d/ Mograph reel is decent at showing what I'm capable of, but would it make any sense to go ahead and make those more personalized reels at this stage in my soon-to-be career? Or is that something I do later on down the line, 5 or so years into whatever it is I get into? Also, I can't wait for you to have Bosslogic on, the guy's become a massive source of inspiration for me, I try to take some of his flair and apply it to some of my VFX work. It'd be really insightful to hear from him and learn about how he's gotten to where he is and the steps he himself took to get there.

You’re welcome thank you so much 🙏

Thanks so much Amit!

Thanks so much Jafar, that means a lot

And I actually saw that post you were referring to and had the same thoughts. Getting mad at the decision makers definitely won’t find me a job

That's so awesome Martin, and congrats on graduating!

EXACTLY I feel what you just said is so true in so many situations as well. When people saying people in VFX work a lot of hours, SO DOES EVERY INDUSTRY. So these are many universal problems we all run into. It's not unique to VFX. And it's about those who are just starting out to try to feel less entitled to everything, just because they applied for a job. Thanks Phll!

Fucking shit I was jobless for many years and had to lie HARD to get jobs and pretend I have experience and learn on the go and almost committed suicide. Because i hate this system so much and people who do not care about me. And even 3 years in uni is nothing

Thanks Fariz!

Absolutely, thanks so much for the comment!

Thank you DaDaDee I'm honored! 🙏

@@AllanMcKay sir i want to ask you i am from pakistan and i am doing entry level job in android games studio and i am a prop artist and little bit of texture guy as well i am confused what i do i really like animation but on the other hand i want to to destruction as well what i do i am really confused please help me

DaDaDee Official Houdini can be used for Destruction, for texturing, use Quixel Mixer | Substance Products. Contact me for further discussion! 0333-5001861

haha good spotting! Yeah wanted to put a few projects I worked on up, since it would be more interesting than Microsoft Word :)

Thanks buddy

Great advice and let me know how the art test goes! I agree, diversify as much as possible to really push your strengths and force you to grow!

@@AllanMcKay Didn't get the job :( Back to the drawing board I guess

@@Fullmetalseagul ok, I know it's been 2 years, but how's it going now? Also, any tips you could add?

Thank you so much

Cheers Fernando :)

Thanks Treal!

Allan McKay this actually got me out of the tough “should I really try this” since only video editing is getting “boring” I think 3D can be a different way to spread any creativity that I have and also might get a job with it, been tuned with your channel Allan, keep it up!

@@TREALxx Absolutely! Having fun and being passionate about what you're doing is critical. Sometimes it's worth distracting yourself with other fun things, if long term it's going to keep you in the game. Rather than finding it boring or frustrating. So find whatever is going to keep you having fun and in the game!

Thanks J!

Exactly and you're right it's about following your passion and doing what you enjoy. What professionally or just as your creative outlet

I was just getting ahead of myself my goal is to impress the people not the 3D modeling industry.

Hi Marcus check my KZfaq there’s an email on how to write an effective cover letter probably a god next step?

@@AllanMcKay sounds dope!

Some of the smartest people never touched collage 🤣

sometimes people even reach out to me and then after talking they just change their mind

Right now every studio I've spoken to has said this is the busiest year they've ever had. I agree completely you need to know people so you should be building your network every day. How? Leaving comments and messages and getting to know people is a start. I can't disagree more however with most of what you said, that you need to know more than every artist and be cheaper than all of them to me makes me wonder whether those artists are doing a terribly job of communicating their worth. It sounds like their strategy is "I'm the cheapest" not "I know more than everyone" If it was the 2000's you probably couldn't charge as much as you can now, the industry is so much bigger than 2000. 2000 a high movie had 250 vfx shots. Now there's not a shot that doesn't need vfx - TV episodes these days match feature films to a degree, and people pay for quality when they see it, because theres so much work it's about which studio has all the best staff But agreed go out and network that's how you'll get people vouching for you at a studio - or saying not to hire that person if they are extremely negative or left a bad impression. It's always since the dawn of time being about raising your social capital

Hi Prayas, I recorded this for you I hope it helps (and anybody else who wants to listen to my answer) www.dropbox.com/s/m38c5alsx84qos1/PrayasAnswer.mp3?dl=0 I hope that helps -Allan

@@AllanMcKay Thank you so much sir! Thank you for taking out time and recording this. A lot more people need to listen to this. I'll do my best to follow what you said. Again, thank you so much, it means a lot :)

@Muney Jordan is a pro hi Muney, which answer are you referring to? Oh the Dropbox link?

Hi @prayas & @allan can you share the insights? Going through the same.

also interested

That's the big trap, which extends to all artists. "I don't want to run a business, I just want to do art" which is why typically a lot of creatives such as artists and musicians tend to have managers so they can just focus on the thing they're passionate about. Instead of managing all aspects of their work. I'll try to put together a video specifically on this because it is a really valid question. I'll try to show you how I get jobs and what I do, and how to do it in a way that doesn't take up all my time So stay tuned I'll try to respond to this more in depth in a video shortly Thanks Neet!

@@AllanMcKay Holy Cow u sure do reply to all the questions anyone posts It sure takes quite an effort but thx as always looking forward to futre topics

F

Hello bro how you doing now

@DarthShuaider university or school certificate

Build a solid “why” for why you are doing 3D and if that why is strong enough you can use it to focus when things are tough. It’s not easy working to get into the industry.

Hey sir , currently what are you doing?

haha great spotting! Yeah I think it was dust on the sensor..

You got all that from this video? Kind of the complete opposite of what I've said to do. I've helped plenty of artists pivot careers into vfx and design at 30, 40, 50 so I don't understand where you got any of that from But it's never too late to go after your passion, most people don't realize what they want to do until they're 30 So if anything you're on the right track

Oh I haven't yet - I was in Vegas for a conference all last week. Just got back last night. Will take a look first chance I get, thanks again Jay!

​@@AllanMcKay Welcome 😊. One more request, please come live on youtube. I know you are busy but whenever you get the time or chance!

Thanks Ganesh I've been thinking about that topic for a bit recently, not so much about doing a video but the topic itself. Blender is not really used in VFX industry much - it looks great but not very supported. Tangent over in Toronto uses it (but Max for it's FX) but I don't know too many other studios. It's a tricky subject, it seems like a lot of people tend to use it because it's free. Which isn't going to help you so much land a job. But I do like what I see in it, I definitely would be happy to discuss it down the line - but I would prefer to do something with Blender Guru or someone else to hear their take on it. Because it's easy for me from the outside looking in, to say it's not worth it, but they might have a lot of really good responses to this that might change my mind So I guess we shall see!

I know a lot of people who suffer from anxiety - I know it's tough but I know people who still live with their parents and work from home for some of the biggest studios because they have too much anxiety to work at a studio or talk to people on the phone or in person. It does take an understanding employer but I've known dozens of people over my career who have high anxiety and tend to want to work in their own environment But I hope you are able to find the right situation that works best for you

@@AllanMcKay Hey, thank you very much for your encouraging words. I just see so much advice on every topic with regards to any form of success.. you must network and.. well its just hard. has always been that way as well. I have just tonight however steeled my self for another go round of trying to get something going with at least one of my skill sets.. This time I'll try blender.. I'll create forum accounts, etc and try to be positive and as thick skinned as possible hopefully things go well!

I am

It would be interesting to see what type of jobs you target, how you convey yourself on your reel, cover letter, in interviews - there's definitely a lot of factors that go into landing jobs and commanding the fees you want. Feel free to share more information if you like and I will do my best to help out

VFXcourse.con

As much as you equip people with what they should do There's only a small amount that will actually do it So you just need to decide if you're one of them or if you want to keep doing what everyone else is doing Nothing I'm saying is new it's what many of us have been doing for years but there's people who do and people who just do the same thing over and over with average results because it's less work in the long run

It works! I don’t recommend it though. Easy to ruin your reputation before you ever begin. But I definitely know a few people who followed the fake it til you make it mentality. Really getting someone to invest in you and give you a chance is the ultimate opportunity, having strategy in understanding why they might not hire you because of your lack of experience, and really diffusing those doubts is the biggest thing to focus on. Rather than lying about it, it’s about understanding their concerns, and how to navigate around it

Thanks for the comment, that's awesome man I appreciate it and thanks for sharing!

I think if you find it uncomfortable to look up people's contact details to contact them and you feel like you're doing something wrong you might need to work on that. And figure out why you are feeling that way about contacting someone about a job. There are plenty of people who never apply for a job because they have irrational fears that they'll get laughed at, that they're bothering someone, that they're not good enough etc And if you want to be successful you need to push through those fears I don't think the CEO is probably the right person to contact depending on the structure of the company. But absolutely reach out to the decision makers. What do you have to lose? As I always say, you gotta be in it to win it. If you don't try you'll never fail, but you'll never succeed either

@@AllanMcKay Yes the ceo was the decision maker, the answer was some feedback on what can be improved in my folio, but at the same time a not so good friend actually saying its very shameless and you dont do that kind of things, she put it the way that it makes it look like I did something horrible, but people do that all the time. I just dont know whats right and whats wrong anymore man. One side and even already hired people say "no dont do that", the other side like you and a few others say "do it this way, show guts", I honestly need to stop listening to anyone and do what I think is right. Thanks anyways!

@@coffeediction I think it's definitely a risk. If you contact a decision maker they can brush you off, actually find your contacting them bold or just be annoyed and blacklist you. And I hate the fact that it's all about who you know rather than how good you are. Businesses always moan that "We aren't getting enough people into X industry"... If you want more people pick up the gauntlet and train them... But at the end of the day, all they really care about is the money.

Did you ever reach out to that person and ask why you didn't get the job and what they are looking for? If you're coming in multiple times but not getting the job, knowing what they're looking for and what you're missing, or why the other candidates got the job would be a goldmine for you so the 5th time you nail it.