Owing to the crisis our entire planet is facing, unemployment is on an all-time high. Within the AVGC sector itself, getting a job in the VFX or Film Industry can be difficult and advancing our career can be even more challenging. In the midst of a pandemic, work from home has become a new normal. With the market gradually opening up, we’re witnessing some flow of content, thereby leading to job openings across VFX studios.
If you’re a VFX artist, you may have pondered on the ways in which you can advance your VFX careers. There are many factors which come into play when you’re applying for a job in the VFX industry.
Applying for a VFX role
Diving into what recruiters look for in the applications, Framestore India recruiter Nikita Namania shared at Foundry’s recent India-centric webinar that applicants should observe certain mailing etiquette when applying for a job.
She shares, “I would be looking at what is being sent to me. It really makes a huge difference if someone is not merely writing in the subject; Hi, I have 5 years of experience in compositing with no body attached to it or the lack of mention of who it is addressed to. Especially when the same mail is also sent to 50 different studios in the BCC”
On being asked what elements should applicants should be mindful of, she answers, “They can highlight their career skills and showcase their best showreels. They could share their personality over there along with a cover letter because CV is something which is very generic but cover letters distinguish you from other applicants.”
She suggests that a strong candidate must have a good showreel and a workflow breakdown attached to it that details what sort of approach they took and how they achieved the results and the problems they overcame when they were conceptualising.
Namania advices that showreels must be kept as short as possible with the best work instead of needlessly long showreels with loud thumping music. She says, “They should be selective as to which piece of work represents their best skills and music is not important. There is no need to apply for fifty different roles when you’re applying at the studio. There are slim chances that they’d get any role if they’ve applied for so many.”
Ways to reach out to recruiters
So what are the best ways to connect to the recruiter? Production & Recruitment Consultant Siva Kumar Kasetty from the Monk Studios & Destiny Logic shares that the best way to connect with recruits is through LinkedIn . He expands, “Sometimes we may post the opening on the wall. Or any good exciting news that we may share on our wall. Apart from connecting on LinkedIn, it is advisable to keep an eye on the Whatsapp group. It is always good to see who is hiring. Also, look at other forums like AnimationXpress.”
While LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with recruiters, Namania feels that applicants must clearly state or ask a question in a crisp paragraph instead of just sending a mere greeting since recruiters are overwhelmed by the huge barrage of messages on a daily basis and it is difficult to sift through. She shares, “It would be nice if somebody can put a question and send a message in a paragraph stating what they’re looking for.”
Framestore’s offerings
Framestore’s microsite is a great resource for artists looking for feedback. Speaking about the microsite, she shared, “Framestore has a microsite which is F-education which is for the entry-level of the freshers and they can just submit their reels and they would be getting a detailed feedback from our creative departments regarding their work. So if people are interested they can drop in and chat.”
Namania continues, “We have another platform which is a mock interview platform, that’s currently kept on hold as we would be revamping their program again by November. And so this is again just to give a glimpse that people can just register themselves for the mock interviews and we will be selecting people based on the questions that they have submitted. We’ll be interviewing them just to give them an idea of how a real interview looks and feels, so this is actually very helpful.”
We hope these insights shared by the experts help the budding artists and applicants in their careers.
You can also send in your updated resume to us on jobs@animationxpress.com or you can fill in this form. AnimationXpress will help you connect with the right studios.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1d5lPgmsIpF8uPTOR3iAzuT-z4bX5sQ1ANphR9wUCEO8/edit
