Time to go pro?

[Josh_HLS]

So I've been doing visual effects with After Effects CS5 for over a year now...I'm almost graduated and I REALLY enjoy VFX designing, however, I'm unsure of my actual skill level...Anyone know any "tests" to do to find out how good you are with VFX/3D compositing?
I have worked on some of my own videos, but I have a hard time knowing EXACTLY what my abilities are...
here are some of my projects: [video=youtube;Zp1IGDcqoMA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guQBBFoW81w"]1[/URL] & filmconnection.com I was considering enrolling, but decided to ask around first

[jeremybrown]

Well, you've got a bunch of questions here, each with different answers.

-time to go pro?
If you can get paid for something, you're a professional. So if you can find some one to pay you, then there you go.

-how "good" are you?
there is no test. like the first question, if you can keep getting work, then you're "good" meaning you can provide what your client is looking for within a reasonable budget and timeline.
Learning to evaluate your own work honestly is just as important a skill as doing the work in the first place. My supervisor had a good pearl of wisdom... "would you pay $10 to see that in a theater?"
looking at some of your stuff on youtube, I'd say that the VFX work ranges wildly from pretty bad to passable. (cinematography, acting, story, photography... a different story altogether)
If you'd really like to hone your skills, try focusing on one aspect of post-production that you really enjoy doing. When working on a commercial or film, it's rare that I am expected to handle all aspects of a shot. Try working with other people so you can focus on one skill set. If you're not sure yet, keep doing projects with friends and trade off doing different things.

-should you enroll in school?
that's up to you! look at some different programs and schools and see what's right for you. If none of them look too enticing, there's always sites like digital tutors and fxphd. You can also learn a lot from doing internships at companies.
based on my own experience (i got a BA from a liberal arts college) I would recommend that, but I also recognize that it's not the right choice for everyone. Everyone in this industry has taken a different and unique path to end up where they are today, but the common theme is that everyone has a passion that drives them. If you've got that, then the rest is just details really.

[Josh_HLS]

if I can get paid...thats the hard part, I know of no one who would have a job for me :P

your supervisor knows what hes saying, thats for sure
well, at least I finally got an answer for that question...glad to know I can get it passable ;D
but thats one of the biggest problems...I'm the one who does all the work for the videos myself...with no help. So it's really hard for me to focus on a certain something when I have the rest looming over my head O_O
plus, I really like the feel of doing it all, and knowing that I don't have to rely on someone else in order to get a project done...

so, looking at those videos, what do you think would be the (lets say 5) most important things that need working on?

thanks for your time

[jeremybrown]

there's probably a hundred posts on vfx talk about this subject, so i won't go in to great detail...

to learn more, read books, watch tutorials, explore new techniques and practice practice practice. post some WIPs in the WIP section when you're working on stuff to get feedback.

As far as getting jobs go, it takes a lot of patience and perseverance. Meeting people (networking) is the biggest factor in my opinion (school can help with that). Knowing people helps you get a job but it's your talent and work ethic helps you keep it.

[Josh_HLS]

Good idea...I'll have to put more into the WiP section
And I'm homeschooled, so I dont meet a whole lot of people...I'll ask around though, thanks for the advice

[aaronber]

It may be a very good idea for you to attend some sort of university media program or art school. You will meet a bunch of similarly minded people and get a bunch of contacts that may help your career. If this is something you are passionate about you could get a lot out of that kind of environment. University or art schools cost a lot of money, so look around and see what your funds and local options are. It may be worthwhile to see what you can get out of taking a few community college courses, most have media arts programs. You could go the route of self-learning or online training, but what you lack in that case is learning environment.

[Josh_HLS]

It may be a very good idea for you to attend some sort of university media program or art school. You will meet a bunch of similarly minded people and get a bunch of contacts that may help your career. If this is something you are passionate about you could get a lot out of that kind of environment. University or art schools cost a lot of money, so look around and see what your funds and local options are. It may be worthwhile to see what you can get out of taking a few community college courses, most have media arts programs. You could go the route of self-learning or online training, but what you lack in that case is learning environment.

hmmm, maybe...
I am trying to get into something similar to what you are saying, but my funds are...almost non-existent :P
the way it looks is, I have to get a job so I can go to college to get a job...sigh...

[scrimski]

Get involved into no/lo-budget or student projects, apply for every junior, runner or roto position you find near your location and build up a portfolio.

Create a website, present yourself as a single and professional person, as a freelancer, not as some "studio".
Had a look at your website and it's way too overloaded, keep it simple, rather use a free wordpress theme or whatever than a free flash theme with ads in it.

[Josh_HLS]

Get involved into no/lo-budget or student projects, apply for every junior, runner or roto position you find near your location and build up a portfolio.

Create a website, present yourself as a single and professional person, as a freelancer, not as some "studio".
Had a look at your website and it's way too overloaded, keep it simple, rather use a free wordpress theme or whatever than a free flash theme with ads in it.

Hmm, that might help...I dont really have my own website, the one you saw was mainly for our youtube channel, which yeah, probably isnt the best thing ever :P
Sounds like you know what your talking about, I'll def try

[aaronber]

hmmm, maybe...
I am trying to get into something similar to what you are saying, but my funds are...almost non-existent :P
the way it looks is, I have to get a job so I can go to college to get a job...sigh...

You will need a job if you are going to college even if you work retail or something, but look into scholarships and financial aid in your area. See if you can talk to your local university and see what their financial aid options are. In New Mexico they have this thing called a lottery scholarship where your tuition is paid for if you go to an in-state university the year after you graduate. Your local area may have something similar or you can get low-interest student loans.

University is not for everyone and you may incur a large debt, you need to look into what your options are.

If you can get into an internship program that is another way to go, even if you are just getting coffe for the studio and then working as a waiter to pay rent and fund your own FXphd or other online training, equipment and software costs, and personal film projects. If there are no studios in your area you can get in as an intern you can do as much as you can with the local film scene, there are usually projects that would love to have unpaid extra people to help out. If you are going this route expect that you will not be making any money (or at least not much money) from the work you do. Instead of paying a university to train you, you are exchanging your time in exchange for information. You need training and experience, either you pay for it or you work for next to nothing to get it.

[Josh_HLS]

working for next to nothing seems to be the way its gonna happen
Not that I care, I love doing this type of stuff

[aaronber]

If you are working for free think of it as training. Do not let people take advantage of your time. Make it clear that you are there because you want to learn something. If you spend the entire time going on food runs you aren't getting anything out of it. See if you can work an exchange with the crew so that you will do stuff they need but in exchange you get to help them with the VFX sequences. Or you get to hang out in the edit suite if you get their coffe. Especially if you love the whole craft of film making you can very easily get steamrolled by a producer into being slave labor and strung along for several projects getting no where. It helps if you let them know what you want to do and what specific interests you have. If you say "I will do anything" then you can get put on cleanup duty very quickly, if you say "I will do anything, but I really want to learn about X" then you may still get on cleanup duty but they can also make sure you meet the right people in exchange for your hard work (as long as you don't get in the way).

The way this exchange works is instead of paying you they are spending their time to help you out. That time could go to any other number of important things every time they work with you. I can tell you that working with volunteers is a double edged sword because I have no idea what the quality, attitude, or ability is that I am working with. Sometimes it goes great, other times I spend 5x more time holding someones hand through a task that it ends up taking longer and overall quality suffers. This is why the exchange of time for someone who needs training with my time to help them is a worthwhile proposition sometimes. I can take a gamble on new talent to offset my workload if I have the time and it doesn't affect my bottom line, and I might get a new freelancer I can sub-contract to. Or I just don't call them back because I have to redo all the work they did and just wave the time it took out of my schedule.

[Josh_HLS]

Sounds like a great idea!
now I just need to find some studio or something that could use some help :P
no idea where to start looking...I guess thats what google's for :P

[aaronber]

This is a good place to start looking for studios: http://www.cgstudiomap.com/
Of course it depends on where you are. You can check craigslist for productions looking for people, usually it's all about casting calls and extras, it can be a place to find out what productions are happening in your area. Be careful with craigslist though, there are good people on there trying to make short films but there are also really awful people on there too.

[Josh_HLS]

Ok looked at the site you posted but were none near me, thanks anyway
I'm trying some other sites now but it's harder than I thought to find one :P