Anytime Lee, thank you!

Lee Watson hey man! I just saw that you wrote this one year ago and was wondering how did it go for you and how’s you career going!

Thanks mate :)

I just found this video...this is exactly what I want to introduce to my VFX students.

Awesome thanks so much!

Thanks Juan!

hah cheers buddy, don't think there's a room in my house that isn't filled with whiteboards!

Amen

Wow you're the second person in the past week to mention this. Really sorry to hear that. I don't know him personally but we have a few mutual friends, it's sad that this has happened. I don't know the full story, but I'm really sorry to hear that. Honestly - you should use the software that the studio you want to work at uses. Or the city you want to work in (not necessarily the city you are in, if you plan to move (again, go where the work is)). I do think (from an employers perspective) that showing that you can take a shot from start to finish is important. It doesn't mean you need to know how to render, light texture a shot. But as an FX artist you want to know how to composite, and go through all the duties that you would be expected to do in the job. You want to be able to show that someone could hire you tomorrow, and you can sit down and do the work. So typically being able to integrate your work into a real shot is going to really be important. It's easy to get someone to make FX on black background, but then they aren't able to render or take direction or take a shot to completion later, and that's where it becomes difficult for employers to safely decide to hire that person. There are studios that use Maya for FX, however I personally feel Maya is a bit dated on the FX side (other areas I love Maya). 3DS Max and houdini I feel are the strongest for FX these days. Again, it really depends WHERE you are applying - London for instance is more Houdini/Maya. LA is more Houdini and Max etc. If you have specific questions - shoot me an email, I will be happy to help where I can (amckay@allanmckay.com) I think the biggest question is where do you want to work. Once you can answer that, everything becomes easy. Because it doesn't matter what software is popular, or what you should or shouldn't focus on.

That's great brother, can't wait to see the reel :)

No problem, thank you! I'll be putting together an actual 'over the shoulder' tutorial on this soon going through how to craft one from scratch. But if you have any questions let me know. Thanks again!

Well your reel is pretty killer now brother :)

Cheers! Definitely wouldn't be where it is without your help and guidance. FXTD and the LAS mentorship is amazing!

Thank you Imre :)

Allan McKay

haha - I hadn't actually looked. I guess to each their own. I do feel that a lot of these types of subjects are heavily overlooked. There's always some people who are too focused on "If I just learn zbrush better, that is all I need to land a job". which is exactly the reason I've put more focused on these subjects, because it's so critical to be able to convey yourself in the right light. But not all my stuff is for everyone, and not always the right time in their career. I think there's loads of great material out there that I've overlooked - and then later in my career realized was the missing link to getting XYZ result I had been chasing for years. Hopefully this is one that serves that purpose for others! Thanks for the comment,I laughed out loud when I read it haha

Hi Manish I'd say check out episode one of the podcast first www.allanmckay.com/1/ and then come back with questions? I'll be happy to answer any questions you have but that would be a good starting resource

I love your deep sarcasm :D keep it up dude