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openslatevfx · 3 years

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8 Reasons Why You Should Avoid 3 Years of BSC In Animation and VFX

Hello friends, VFX and Animation being a booming but a new field is very less explored and students generally get misguided and end up taking a wrong path eventually playing out with their time and career. We will today tell you 8 reasons about why one should not go for degree in animation and vfx (BSC in animation and vfx, BA in animation and vfx); not just that we will also give you the best solution that will not only save your huge time and money but will also build up your great career. So here is the list of reasons for not doing 3D animation and VFX degree.

TIME CONSUMING –

Degree courses in vfx and animation are 3 years course after 12th standard. To learn VFX from basics to advanced level 1 year is more than enough however, as per the govt mandate if any institute or college has to award a degree to any students then they must have to provide a 3 years course duration. Student end up taking these degrees in vfx courses in pune thinking that the degree will provide them the job however they fail to understand that VFX is a skill-based career and has got nothing to do with the degree qualification of an individual. So, one can learn advance VFX in 1 years’ time and can save money and most importantly time. In these degree courses one spends huge time and money and actually learn basics of vfx.

BASIC NATURE OF THE COURSE –

VFX is a skill-based career and as a student or a parent, one must look at the syllabus that is being taught and not look at the degree that is being awarded. Degree and fancy national / international educational associations is a marketing gimmick being played upon by the institutes to lure the students; however, in this career skill and talent of an individual matters and no one is interested in the degree that a person is holding. Degree in VFX & animation courses are designed to train students on a very basic level generically. Generic here means that the students are taught basics of all the various VFX departments and are not trained deeply in any of the specialization. (Students are later on trained generically for VFX industry in 3rd year or last year of their course where in they also have to do a project for minimum 3 months that means students are actually trained for VFX for only 4 to 6 months in 3 years of time that too in a generic manner).

WRONG TEACHING APPROACH –

BSC in animation and VFX courses are treated more of like a degree based regular career by most of the institutes which includes many big brands. Lengthy time duration and generic nature of the course creates confusion in mind of students about their movement ahead in this field. VFX is a huge field and its pipeline consists of various departments that work together in liaison to deliver one output. Each of these departments (viz. Concept, Modelling, Texturing, Rigging, Animation, Lighting, FX and Compositing) are huge and need highly trained specialist to deliver a quality output as per client requirement. No one can learn all of these specializations altogether in entire lifetime duration and having said that even if some one learns then too that person will eventually work in only one department so learning all of it is not recommended. So, the courses wherein they try to teach students everything (all specializations) is incorrect. Advance specialized learning can build up better career.

DEVELOPS INDUSTRY SURVIVOR ATTITUDE –

Many students who pass out from animation and vfx degree courses take job as a graphic designer due to poor VFX training and no placement support from the institutes. Few students who self-work and acquire skills somehow manage to take a job in vfx industry, however most of them starts to learn advance vfx after joining the job since they are trained generically and are not specialized in any of the departments. This somehow makes them less confident and makes them a survivor in the industry rather than becoming a confident performer; this hampers their career growth in short as well as long term.

SLOW CAREER GROWTH –

Students after completing their degree in animation and vfx realize that whatever they learned in 3 years of time was very generic and that they should have taken an advance specialized course earlier at the start. As a result of this, students after completing degree look for an advance course wherein again, they have to spend a year or so in training and start job after that. Some students after completing BSC in animation or BA in animation go for MSC in animation which is again a generic course and a wrong choice which costs them money and time with less or no output. So, if a student joins job in a production house after completing Degree in VFX then he is delayed by 2 years for starting a job; student if starts job after completing MSC in animation then that student has delayed his career by 4 years. Student needs to understand that its better to start working early since VFX is a skill-based industry. Higher degree doesn’t give you a higher position or higher package. It all depends upon the skill and experience of a person. Person may choose to do an advance specialized course of 1 year in one department after 12th grade and can start working immediately in production right away (education to be continued through open universities side by side) against a degree course in animation or vfx which takes unnecessary time and decelerates the career growth.

IRRELEVANT SYLLABUS –

If you will study the syllabus pattern of these degree courses then, students in first 2 years of their curriculum are trained on graphic designing, web designing, sound editing, video editing and many more other topics that are not at all relevant to VFX and ANIMATION industry. Please understand that video editing, sound editing, graphics design, web design, VFX etc. are all the different career paths. It is like a person who wants to be a cricketer is being trained on badminton, table tennis etc. which is completely incorrect. If you want to be a cricketer then you must be trained on to play cricket only.

OLD TECHNIQUES –

There are different techniques used by VFX artists to create effects. These techniques are not updated by the institutions and as a result student are not taught latest updated techniques that are relevant or in demand to the current industry. Just understanding software tools are not important and this can be done by self-learning itself; techniques are important and it could by taught by only the one who has relevant experience and skill set. So, it is very important that who is teaching and what is being taught.

IRRELEVANT SOFTWARES –

Students are often misguided by offering them to teach a greater number of softwares during the 3 years of vfx degree courses. One must understand that learning a greater number of softwares in a basic manner does not help. Most of the softwares that are taught during this training are irrelevant to VFX industry. Learning VFX softwares that are outdated or not in demand is again not recommended. Hence, we do not recommend students to go for BSC in animation / BA in animation or any other degree, diploma courses that are timelining for more that 12 to 14 months. This will not just save your money but it will save most importantly your time.

SOLUTION

To kick start career in VFX, look for an advance specialized course in any one department and start training; look for a good institute that can teach you updated skill techniques. Course should take minimum 3 to maximum 12 months to train from basic to advance level. Syllabus of the course must be relevant to the specialization and also softwares taught should be relevant to the specialization and globally demanded. Students must start working at an early stage right after the course and can continue education side by side through open universities. To understand the solution in detail, kindly go through the below mentioned blogs for sure that will provide you an excellent clarity about this career and industry

Even after reading the above blogs if you still have any confusion or questions to clarify then feel free to connect to Open Slate VFX School. Just drop in a SMS or Whatsapp on +91-8530171212 with your name and city, our team will connect you back to provide you honest guidance that will help you take right decision. Open Slate is not just a training institute but also a VFX studio and hence it ensures world class quality education with relevant placement assistance. If you like our blog then do subscribe. Thank you!

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openslatevfx · 3 years

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8 SPECIALIZATIONS AND COURSES IN VFX – VFX & 3D ANIMATION CAREER GUIDE

In this blog we will discuss about the multiple specializations, courses in vfx, animation courses in pune. Will also try to provide you a road map to build up a great career in vfx by selecting right courses/specializations. VFX being a new career option is very less explored and not many people can guide on to selecting a right vfx career path. We will also provide information about softwares relevant to each of the VFX specialization and the one that are demanded globally. In our previous blogs we provided information about VFX as a career and misconceptions students have towards VFX career, here we are going to focus on VFX courses and specializations in detail.

VFX, Animations are basically a CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) used for creating film shots in film industry. CGI shots complexity and quality differs depending upon the projects and the budgets of a certain show. When a series of frames runs at the pace of 24 FPS (frames Per Second) digitally, it gives us an illusion of a motion picture; so, if a VFX artist wants to edit a one second shot of a movie then he/she has to work on 24 frames one by one. Any CGI Animation shot in a movie is not a job of a single person but is a product of multiple departments and artists that work together in liaison with each other. To understand the specializations and courses in VFX let us now understand VFX pipeline.

VFX pipeline is basically a step by step process which is followed globally by each and every production house to create CGI effects. The VFX pipeline followed globally is as follows,

Conceptualization – Concept Design.

3D Modelling – Creating a 3D model with reference to concept design.

Texturing – Giving texture (color) to the 3D model with the reference to the concept design.

Rigging – To rigg the character basis the anatomy / structure (animal anatomy, human anatomy etc).

3D Animation – To animate the character developed by the 3D modelling, texturing and rigging department.

Digital Lighting – Providing light effects, shadows etc to the shot as per the requirement to match the real shot footage.

FX – Simulating / creating smoke, fire, dust, destruction, water, cloth (flag, superman’s cape etc), liquid as per the requirement.

VFX Compositing – Combining of visual elements from different sources / departments in to a one single shot.

The above-mentioned departments are the specializations in VFX a student may choose to opt while starting VFX training. It is very important for a student to understand that he can get professionally trained on either one of the mentioned specializations / departments. To understand why only one specialization please refer to our previous blogs.

Now to understand these departments in detail, imagine a scene wherein a furious bull is running on a dusty path for attacking a man (Man in this scene is a real person shot on a green screen and bull is a CGI which needs to be created digitally). This shot is an imagination / vision of a director and he wants to turn it in to realty with the help of VFX. Let us now understand the pipeline in detail as below.

Conceptualization – Concept department is the first stage in VFX pipeline for which there are concept artists who are professionally trained on softwares like Photoshop and Illustrator. Director/Client communicates his vision to the concept artist; artist in turn develops a bull in photoshop or illustrator software that the director wants to put in a movie. Creating a concept is not an easy job and takes lot of time and efforts; concept artist keeps on making multiple versions of a bull till the time the client is not satisfied. Once the concept is ready and approved, now the job is passed on to the 3D modelling department.

Software training required to be a concept artist – Photoshop, Illustrator.

CONCEPT DESIGN

3D Modelling – Modelling is the second stage in VFX pipeline for which there are 3D modelers. Modeler takes the reference from the concept department and creates a 3D model (bull in our case) in a computer. This model of a bull is just a model without any color. In modelling again there are divisions viz organic modelling (creating model of any of any living being like for example human, animal, birds etc) and inorganic modelling (creating model of a nonliving item like for example table, chair, rock etc), in current scenario it would be an organic modelling for a bull. Once the modelling is approved, now the job is passed on to the Texturing department.

Software training required to be a 3d modelling artist – Maya, 3ds max, Z brush.

3D MODELLING

Texturing – Texturing is the third stage in VFX pipeline for which there are texturing artists. Texturing artist gives texture (color) to the model created by a 3d modeler with reference to the concept design. Texturing artists are trained on softwares like Maya, 3ds max, Zbrush etc. 3D modelling and texturing can go hand in hand i.e. One person can learn both of these skills together and can take responsibility as a modelling and texturing artist in the industry. Once the texturing is done to the bull the work is then passed on to the rigging department.

Software training required to be a Texturing Artist – Maya, 3ds max, Z brush.

TEXTURING

Rigging – This is a very niche skill; rigging is basically to give joints/bones to any model where the movement is required to be animated by an animator. Rigger will study the anatomy of the character and basis that will provide joints/ bones to the model in a computer; in our current scenario it’s a bull so the rigger will work as per the animal/ bull anatomy. Rigging is a must before animation step and animators know the basics of this skill; however, highly skilled riggers are required in animated or grade one, top quality movies like for example The Avengers, Kung fu panda wherein the movie quality and budgets are the best in the industry. In certain movies hair rigg is also required where you see hairs moving as the character moves. Rigging is followed by lighting department.

Software training required to be a Rigging Artist – Maya, 3ds max

RIGGING

3D Animation – Animation is to animate a character i.e. to give movements to the character that is created by the previous departments. Animators gives frame by frame movement to the CG (computer generated) character as per the requirement and this movement is so seamless that it gives an illusion of a motion picture. In our case the bull that is created will be animated by an animator, so what all movements one sees of that bull is a work done by an animation department. Animators also studies real life animal or people movements; they also try acting in front of a mirror for a certain shot so that they can use it as a reference to give movement to the character accordingly.

Software training required to be a Rigging Artist – Maya, 3Ds Max, Houdini

3D ANIMATION

Digital Lighthing – Lighting artist works on the type and a source of light in any sequence. Lighter has to match the light color and source that is used by the director at time of shooting a movie shot. Shadows of CG characters and light effects that you see in movies are the work done by the lighting artists. In our scenario lighter will match the light color used by the director during the shoot and will ensure that the shadow of the bull falls in the same direction as that of the man so that everything matches in one line failing to which there will be a mismatch in lighting and scene will not look real. Lighting and FX departments generally works parallel to each other and from both of these departments the job is passed on to the VFX compositing department.

Software training required to be a Lighting Artist– Maya, Katana, Nuke.

DIGITAL LIGHTING

FX (Effects) – FX artists simulates / creates smoke, fire, dust, destruction, water, cloth (flag, superman’s cape etc), liquid as per the requirement. The simulation created is so seamless that it looks like a real-world thing. In our example the dust that will arise while the bull is running is created by the FX department. FX is a much-demanded skill in the industry but we suggest this specialization to students with technical background since there is python coding knowledge required in this area. Post FX simulation the job is passed on to the VFX compositing department.

Software training required to be a FX Artist– Houdini, Maya, RealFlow

VFX Compositing – Compositing is the final stage of the VFX pipeline and is responsible for the overall shot aesthetics and delivery to the client. Compositing artist composes the final shot in which he combines the visual elements from different departments in to a one single shot. In our example Compositor will compose the final shot by combining the animated bull, Man shooted by the director in green screen, dust and many other elements made by different departments together; comper will add multiple effects to the shot, will beautify the shot and deliver it to the client. Rotoscopy, Paint (cleanups), tracking, match move, chroma keying (green screen, blue screen), matte paint (digital paint) is a part of compositing and compositor needs to have knowledge about all of these things. VFX compositing is the most demanded skill and �� generally has maximum number of vacancies in the industry. VFX compositor after a relevant experience can also be the part of on shoot vfx supervision wherein he/she works with the director of the movie on shoot.

Software training required to be a VFX Compositor– Nuke, Silhouette, After Effects, Mocha

VFX COMPOSITING

The delivery made by the compositor is then checked by the client; if there is any feedback then that is communicated back to the studio which needs to be addressed and rectified. This is how the effects are given in any of the movie globally that you see on screen. The softwares mentioned above for the respective specializations are globally demanded and students must consider these softwares while selecting any course. Student may kickstart his career in any one of the above-mentioned departments

If you still have any more queries then please click here to know more.

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openslatevfx · 3 years

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Things you should know while choosing VFX as a Career

There are many career options available today for students in India but here today we will talk about VFX as a career and it’s future in India.

VFX being a new and a booming career lot of young creative minds are getting attracted to it wherein they can pursue an excellent career and, they can live their passion, however; students don’t have a clear picture of this career and industry. We will try and give you a complete picture of this industry and career today.

In VFX there are many options available for students like for example there are degrees (BA, BSC 3 to 4-year courses) there are diploma courses and there are professional advanced courses. Today we will evaluate all these options and see which one is the best option that one must opt for.

What is VFX? → VFX means Visual Effects wherein V stands for Visual and FX stands for Effects. So whatever effects we see on screen in Movies or Cartoons, Games, Serials, Ads is VFX.

Let us now first have a look at the VFX industry in India. It is expected that the VFX industry in India would reach up to $ 1.8 billion by 2021. So, let us understand how come this industry has such a huge cash flow!

India today is getting developed as a global VFX hub. A lot of Hollywood, Chinese, Korean, Japanese movies VFX jobs are outsourced in India just like the way it is in the IT software industry. Unlike Bollywood, these movies have huge VFX budgets which ultimately flows to Indian VFX studios who work on these projects. Indian Bollywood industry is also gearing up to the upcoming VFX trend after experiencing huge success for movies like Bahubali, Robot 2.0, Tumbad, etc. Going ahead Bollywood industry would also compete and reach up to VFX standards of that of the Hollywood which currently uses top quality VFX in the world. Rise of OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hot Star, etc. has resulted in the growth of the number of Movies, Web Series, Serials which in hand has resulted in increased demand for VFX services since every Movie, Serial, Series requires VFX jobs. VFX industry thus holds an excellent and a big future in times ahead in India and abroad.

Talking about VFX as a career; it’s a skill-based job or you can say a talent-based job. VFX is not a degree-based job like regular careers so you must not mix-up both things. Regular career options like Engineering, MBA requires degree i.e. one must have a relevant degree qualification to get a job or pursue a career in these fields but in VFX what matters is your skills. what is it that you can create? What are the technical skills you hold? What is it that you have which can help studios create effects or provide them a solution to their problems? There is a huge difference between these two jobs viz. skill-based job and degree-based job. For further clarity let us take an example of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar; academically Sachin does not hold a great degree; he has not even completed his 10th grade, but in cricket, he is considered to be the God of Cricket; Cricket is his skill. Carpenter never comes to us with a degree; it’s his skill to make furniture which helps him earn his livelihood. Similarly, VFX is a skill-based job wherein the VFX artists or the Digital Artists create an effect and work for the post-production jobs in the media and art industry.

Now since the difference between skill career and regular career is clear then what should be the best time to jump into VFX? When can a person join or start the course?

If you have already decided to pursue a career in VFX then the best time to start it is after 12th grade. If someone has left the education before or after 10th grade can also join a course however we recommend to pursue further education to such people and this can be done by pursuing education through open universities like Yashvant Rao Chavhan Mukta Vidyapeeth (YCMOU), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and there are many more in respective states in the country. It is better to start VFX learning at an early stage since again it’s a skill; one never plans to join cricket coaching after completing the degree, one never plans to join music classes after degree. If someone wants to become a guitarist then he/she starts learning it during schooling itself and does wait until graduation or postgraduation. VFX, however, involves the use of advanced software’s for which we recommend to start learning those software’s after 10th grade or 12th grade. During schooling i.e. before 10th grade one can join graphic designing courses to taste this field. In case you didn’t know about this career option before and have already completed or completing your graduation then too there is no problem as such. You may still opt for VFX courses during the last year of your graduation or even after completing your graduation and then kickstart your career in this field and the same logic applies to post-graduation students. There are people in this industry who after completing PG get into VFX and pursue a good career here. Education is no bar to get into the VFX industry.

Now let us see what the courses are available in India and which courses are the best to get into VFX. After 12th following courses are available in India.

BSC in Animation — Duration 3 Years BA in Animation — Duration 3 Years Diploma Courses — Duration 2 Years Professional Advanced Courses — Duration depending upon specialization

From the above options, we highly recommend that one must opt for Private Professional Advanced Courses usually have the duration up to 12 to 14 months i.e. around a year. Let us understand the gimmicks in this industry.

Degree courses i.e. courses with duration up to 3 to 4 years have this longer duration because of the government mandate/regulation that a degree can be provided only if a person successfully appears for3 to 4 years of a course. One cannot get the degree certificate in 1 year; hence these long-duration courses are intentionally stretched to fulfill government criteria. Students, however, lose extra money and most importantly time in such courses which are also generic and not specialized ones due to which job probability is reduced and however even if one gets the job then further problems may get created since the person doesn’t have the required deep knowledge. To learn and specialize in VFX courses 1 year is more than enough having said that the courses are correctly designed and taught by professionals. It is very important for the student to check the syllabus being taught and who is teaching. Students sometimes take admission decisions telephonically or by looking at the website of an institution, but we recommend that students must go out and check physically everything they want rather than depending upon a call or some reference.

The benefits of professional advanced courses are that the person completes a course in a year and immediately starts working early which makes him ahead of a person who is doing a 3 or 4-year degree courses. For example, let us take an example of 2 people one is X and another is Y; X has joined a professional advanced course and Y has joined a 3 years degree course after passing out from 12th grade respectively. X has also taken admission for graduation from an open university wherein he won’t have to go and attend regular college so that he can focus on his VFX course.

X will complete his course in 1 year and will start his job in the industry. X will also continue his education through open university. Y is studying and will complete his degree in 3 years and will join a job in 4th year after completing his degree. When Y will join a job that time X would have already completed 2 years in the industry and will be a senior to Y also side by side X would have completed his graduation. So, in all the terms i.e. inexperience, salary, seniority, etc. X will be ahead of Y. X would also move faster in his career since he has specialized in one area and know what and where he must go against Y who is not specialized and might be confused about his movement ahead in his career.

Different departments and specializations in VFX that we mentioned above are as below → Modelling → Texturing → Animation (2D & 3D) → Lighting → FX (effects) → VFX Compositing

Animation, whether it’s for the silver screen or games, is about making a character come alive and making whole new worlds that feel real! this can only happen once you have the ability to merge your sense of design and creativeness with the right technology and software to bring your vision to life. that’s where we, at the Openslate VFX Institute, come in with some of the most innovative animation and visual effects courses to offer in Pune.

Our animation and visual effects courses are designed so that with you begin with the fundamentals and go on to learn everything that you simply need to turn your passion into a career. better of all, you’ll complete our VFX and animation courses immediately after your 12th making sure you’ll kick-start your dream career right away!

So whether your interests be creating stunning visual effects for the next Hollywood blockbuster or to make the hippest new game, at Open Slate VFX School, you get into as a student and walk out as skilled and ready to take on any challenge the world throws at you. To know more click here.

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