Identify the roles and opportunities available within an elected vocational area of the Creative Industries sector.

 Illustrator  Environment artist  Junior character animator

Illustrator  To work as an illustrator in a games company you need to have knowledge of the sector and various skills and qualifications in order to qualify for the job. Such as:  Qualifications  Very strong working knowledge of Photoshop.  Working knowledge of Illustrator and Adobe Creative Suite is a plus.  Working knowledge and understanding of print and production processes is advantageous.  Skills and knowledge  Exceptional traditional life drawing and painting skills.  Passion for contemporary culture, including video games, film and art.  Knowledge of anatomy  Perspective  Use of colour  Exceptional sketching and storyboarding ability.  Ability to work in a variety of styles

Environment artist To work as an environment artist in a games company you need to have knowledge of the sector and various skills and qualifications in order to qualify for the job. Such as:  Qualifications  2+ years of post-secondary educational experience in 2D and 3D art production.  Skills and knowledge  Superior 2D and 3D art skills.  Eagerness to learn new software tools and technologies.  Ability to work in a team setting, under deadlines and time constraints.  Expertise in 3ds Max, Photoshop, or other technologies utilized in the production of game art.  Strong technical background with ability to grasp new programs and systems quickly.  Ability to work with a high degree of self-direction and motivation.  Strong communication and time management skills.  Able to prioritize and multi-task.  Creative nature with strong problem solving skills.  Game experience preferred.  Advanced skills in one or more of the standard industry 3D packages  Knowledge of 3DS Max is an advantage.

Junior character animator To work as a junior character animator in a games company you need to have knowledge of the sector and various skills and qualifications in order to qualify for the job. Such as:  Qualifications  Minimum of 3-year degree or equivalent work experience.  Excellent demo reel demonstrating an emphasis in human character animation, strong animation ability and good aesthetic eye.  Skills and knowledge  Thorough understanding and application of classic animation principles (staging, timing, anticipation, follow through, etc.)  All applicants should be fluent in one or more of the major packages with MotionBuilder experience an advantage.  Strong interest in video games.  Strong traditional animation/art background.  demonstrate exceptional animation skills  examples of movement  character and the human figure  Candidates should be fluent in one or more of the major software packages  skills in Motionbuilder is an advantage  Experience with engines, or video games animation experience an advantage.  Ability to understand a brief and take direction and communicate effectively with a wide variety of project staff.

Illustrator Illustrators within the games design company have a range of responsibilities to work to:  Developing key art images for packaging, advertising, print and the web.  Developing character illustrations from concept and sketches to finished product.  Mimicking pre-existing art styles  Developing new art styles.  Developing branding based illustrations.

Environment artist Environment artists within the games design company have a range of responsibilities to work to:  Model, texture and create collision in 3D for game environments.  Works closely with Programmers to ensure polygon counts and texture sizes are fully optimized for target platforms while minimizing any impact on artistic integrity of assets.  Participates in R&D of new techniques to implement into production pipeline.  Proactively seeks feedback from Lead Artist, Producer and Creative Director.  Ensures that artistic style is consistent with defined visual style for the game

Junior character animators Junior character animators within the games design company have a Range of responsibilities to work to:  Edit motion capture performances to a high level of quality as determined by the Lead Animator  Create high quality animations consistent to the character’s personality, design and movement style.  Meet project deadlines / milestones, as set by the Lead Animator and Production.  Assist in the integration of animation with designers and engineers to create compelling in-game animation.  Consistently meet project deadlines in a timely manner without compromising artistic integrity.

In the games design industry someone who is self employed will not have all the same qualities as that of a person working within an industry. Someone who is self employed will  have their own working hours  will have more flexible working hours if they are working within their own time scale.  They will have the responsibility of seeking out potential clients to sell their work to.  They will get to make all the decisions and be in charge of everything regarding their work, they will be able to manage all factors of how they handle a job rather than under someone else’s orders.  They can set their own deadlines  They can manage how much hard work they put into a project  They must be able to be flexible if a job comes up, they will have to work within their clients demands.  They will have to plan for the future, build a portfolio of work that will get them their clients  They can choose to work alone or to work on a project with another person.  They can take on any challenge that comes along without being limited to jobs that they could do under an employer  They can take the initiative in their work.