What did it take for you to move from a small studio to AAA?
polycounter lvl 5
Hey guys, as the topic says I'm wondering what it took for those of you to move from a small studio to a bigger (typically AAA) one. I've been working in a small studio for a while now, but I still find myself coming up against that catch-22 issue of needing AAA experience to land a first job.
Was it a lengthy service (2+ years?) that helped you move over; networking; or really polishing up your portfolio?
I'd be interested to hear about people's experiences, even if it's just for something to keep in mind for long term direction it's still way better to have a clear direction to head towards.
Was it a lengthy service (2+ years?) that helped you move over; networking; or really polishing up your portfolio?
I'd be interested to hear about people's experiences, even if it's just for something to keep in mind for long term direction it's still way better to have a clear direction to head towards.
Replies
I was at that indie studio 3 years before i got into AAA. How I got that job was because i took those classes. Not just the skills it gave me, but the networking. I created a skype group for the game animators, and someone else doing feature film animation, asked to join because they worked in a AAA game studio. Kept in contact and became friends with him. A year later, they were hiring and he thought of me.
My next job (my current job), they said they liked that i had so much education. It showed that i continued my learning even after i got a job. But it was also networking that i did years before. Met someone at an industry event in my area, added him to facebook. Kept in contact, mostly just liking their posts about the industry, or commenting. So when my demo reel came across their desk, they remembered my name. I met that person probably 3 or 4 years before that, while i was working at the first indie studio.
Right now I'm in a similar position, and whilst I have been learning from youtube tutorials that's a pretty solo activity (and doesn't really add anything to your CV). I've heard a lot of people talk about Gnomon, is that the best bet for out of hours courses?
Thanks for the reply =]
I had an art test for Blizzard before I finished college and failed the art test.
Ended up working on my portfolio almost every day after work and ended up at Treyarch about a year later without having any contacts there.
Portfolio portfolio portfolio. Show an employer that you can create assets that are as good as if not better than what they currently produce. If you can do that most studios would be happy to teach you the rest. I had no idea how to make LODs before I started at Treyarch. Guess what? It took about a half day to learn and it was never a problem from that point on.
Don't get caught up with experience or age. Only focus on the quality of your work and how to improve.
*Just a quick side note. If you're outside of the U.S and want to work in the U.S experience does unfortunately come into play. I imagine it's the same for working in other countries but I'm not knowledgeable on that.
I mean I'm glad I have the job I have right now, there's things I've learned in either 5 minutes or half a day and they the difference those small things make is immense. I just need to cover my bases with my portfolio (it's most frustrating when I get asked to show something simple and you don't have anything on hand for it), it's just getting past the gatekeeper so I can land in the right place and learn whatever tricks are needed... in half a day or whatever.
Well, at least it's good to know I haven't been wasting time pushing forward with my portfolio! Aiming to outdo the assets made by the studios I want to work for seems like a great idea too; an online course would be better to look at further down the line maybe.
These make for really inspiring reads, thanks so much guys!
*Oh, and thankfully I live in the UK so there are at least plenty of places I can apply to.