Alternate industry entry points

KyleM

Hello Polycount community,

I am an aspiring environment artist (working on reel) however its becoming evident that finding a job as a modeler in the industry without any previous experience is becoming more and more difficult every day with all the layoffs happening around the industry and also with the growing popularity of Game schools. I just recently had a chance to speak to a recruiter for a game company in Montreal who also brought the same point to my attention. So my question to you guys is, what are some other good ways to get into the industry as an artist? I know there is texture artists and lighting artists but don't actually know what it takes to get a position like that. What should a texture or lighting artist's demo reel consist of? Or is there other positions/specialties which I could be looking for to increase my chances of finding that first job?

SHEPEIRO

texture artists need to be able to paint very well, and considering the need for baking and therefore highpoly modelling skills for most NG titles, it seams to be a position on the decline.

and in my experience lighting artists are few and far between, as its either a level artists job or art director, neither of which are particularly entry level.

if i was you the best way is to keep it amature but good, find a good mod team or work on small projects for free, even just showing that you have experince with multiple engines can help

glib

I'd agree that pure texture artists are on the way out. Lighting artists in my experience are almost always one of the most experienced artists on the team (except, hopefully, the art director).

I'd stick with straight env art, and try to hit as many different styles as possible (ie. high poly baked stuff for the gears-type, more straight geo with textures and more minimal baking for open-world, more painterly and less photo-reffed stuff for prince of persia ubi montreal type gigs etc.). The more diversity you can show in a portfolio the better, I say. This goes doubly so as someone without experience.

Eric Chadwick

QA is another entry point that requires very little or no experience for an entry-level position. Most of the QA people that migrate into development go into Game Design, but artists have made the transition too. It's also a good way to get a feel for a studio and their work.

renderhjs

don't be fooled by the often hilarious requirement listings many companies write on their job descriptions. Its a way of saying that they think those things might not be wrong to bring with- but in reality (from my view) it is often that even the most qualified person does not cover all those points perfectly. It is not easy to define a job position because:
- you dont want to scare the good persons with things like no expierence in ... required
- you want to give the possible applicants some guideline of what they can expect

Maybe you have different qualities that are not listed in the job , or you have qualifications that range from 1 position to the other.
In that case just apply for multiple positions and explain in your cover letter that you are qualified or experienced in multiple areas. A person from Ubisoft advised me on that since my portfolio was rather unique he said. So dont be afraid of applying for multiple positions in the same company if you feel similar.


The other thing is that sure every company always wants the best people thats also why in times like these they fire a bit more people as they actually need to sweep off the lazy and less good people and search for new and better ones (sad but often true). Its always been like that but this model gives also opportunities to try out new jobs.

I think that this behavior also reflects sometimes the attitude of companies not caring so much for their employees by not further educating them or spending them with them and to build something up. So a good company probably is a company where current employees already have been a while even though they had the chance to switch.

Maybe a last tip: if you don't have success with the big companies maybe try the small ones? - there are lots of companies seeking talents and artists for rather small productions like for the iPhone platform, DS or PSP, or hell maybe even online flash games or Unity3d ones. You start somewhere and you can progress anyway later on if you want - getting more and more assigned to bigger projects.

KyleM

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. Since all of you had pretty much the same advice I am going to say that 100% of the game artist community say to stick with modeling hehe.

Mark Dygert

EricChadwick wrote: »

QA is another entry point that requires very little or no experience for an entry-level position. Most of the QA people that migrate into development go into Game Design, but artists have made the transition too. It's also a good way to get a feel for a studio and their work.

I agree, but you have to watch out for this one. Some places have QA centers separate from Dev and the chances of crossing over become harder. With that said, it still pays the bills and nets you experience working inside the industry, not a bad job to have while polishing the reel and looking for work.

Phone Rep/technical support, is another one. I'm not talking about IT or network admin but guy that guides customers through solutions over the phone. But is constantly being outsourced or automated, with the decline of PC games and the rise of consoles its not a hard job either.

NyneDown

Internships. If you find a company that has an opening or two for these, jump at them. I'm actually trying that route myself for a studio here in Atlanta.

Inquiring about this will possibly increase your chances.

Ghostscape

Honestly if you want an art position there aren't many ways into the art side that don't ultimately come down to "have a really good portfolio and apply."

Internships still require a good portfolio, working in QA and moving to art is going to require just as good a portfolio as coming from the outside, at least at my studio.

If you're not getting very far with your current portfolio, there isn't a trick or alternate way in that will excuse your portfolio. Take it as a sign you need to redouble your efforts.

There are a variety of disciplines (character, environment, prop, vehicles, riggers, technical artists/tools, textures [this is pretty rare nowadays though], lighting, vfx, UI) but they all require you to be good in that discipline - I wouldn't say being a VFX artist is easier than vehicles, for example.

TwinFire

Its all down to the showreel in my experience, but as well as 'the usual' stuff companies see, try and develop a particular style or bring something with a little twist. You are selling yourself as an individual too so try and develop your own personal style

lefix

i think there are quite a few companies who are complaning about not being able to recruit enough quality talent. seems there is a demand for artists after all. but they still need to meet their requirements. so my impression is, if you're good enough, then you will get a job.