First Steps- audience investigation

My work this trimester will consist of hard surface modeling, sculpting, texturing and animation and upon completion will give me a better understanding of the pipeline for producing AAA hero assets for games specifically guns.

But who is my target audience the easy answer would be anyone who plays first person shooters however that is not my target. My target is the companies who produce these first person shooter titles with the final product being not only implemented in my own indie title but having me produce a show reel that will demonstrate my current skill set across the board.

Throughout my studies at SAE(Misner, 1976) experience my goal of working for Ubisoft(1986) has been the driving force behind the majority of my work. Ubisoft artist's Artstation(Teo, 2014) profiles provide me with a reference to the level of quality that I strive to achieve. Given that Ubisoft is my target audience, careful study of their artists profiles gives me the best chance to impress their recruiters.

Artists such as Jakub Mrówczyński.

Producing high quality assets with high quality renders and set out for an outstanding portfolio.

High quality sculpting details over a low poly mesh.

Textures that are not only visually appealing but aim to tell the story behind the weapon.

These assets more often than not are worked on by a number of artist modelers, sculptors, texture artists and animators. To that end I also intend to create an animation show real for first person reloads this will allow me to hit another division of my target audience. With quality portfolio pieces being my final deliverable and game studios being my target audience It is imperative I look into and take advice from other artists with regard to portfolio creation.

Think about it. On social networks like Facebook, we usually post only positive stuff. "Here I am in Spain", "Check out my new car" or "Yay, I won a gold medal!". In other words, we are showing only good things. And because of that a person who is gonna view our Facebook profile will think that our life is full of excitement and joy.

We could use the same strategy in presenting ourselves in our portfolio. Artist Eugene Vasjukov provides a blog that contains many valuable tips

- Show them what you got!

Mention if:

• you have any awards;

• if you have won any contests;

• you have had exhibitions;

• you wrote some articles;

• did some tutorials;

• taught some courses.

Not only that will tell that you are open-minded, that you are challenging yourself, pushing yourself forward by teaching others, writing articles, and finding time after work to join contests. Teaching and writing something is also a skill which means that you are ready to learn something new that does not involve 3D/2D.

- With regards to personal information only integral information should be put on your profile, your work history, your passion and your general experience etc. this should be summed up in a short paragraph other information should be reserved for your resume.

- Showing variety showing your best works would be more beneficial than uploading a huge amount of works. Focus more on quality. Of course, if you just started your journey in CG, then you might have one or two finished pieces. And that’s fine. But make sure that they are done with maximum effort!

Show some :

• angles of your model;

• maybe do a version that is clean than with dirt, wear, and rust;

• different lighting setups;

• different color variations/skins;

• references that you were using.

Make a render of a 3D model in the game engine (like Unreal engine). It’s also important to be able to make textures look good in a game engine. Most of the time textures will not look the same as they are in the texturing program. And when you import them to the engine, roughness might be too high, diffuse looks too oversaturated, etc.

It’s a good idea to show not only beautiful render but the technical side of your work. Like topology and UV’s. By doing that, I show that I can create art but also optimize it. Even a couple of works with all these stages might be enough for the studio to decide to hire me or not. Show topology!

Work on lighting this is something that I feel I need a huge improvement in however I have been improving following the simple 3 point light setup.

- Lastly be honest there is no point in claiming to be proficient in every program especially with no prior work experience If I claim to be an expert at every program I've used in the process it not only shows that I am not open to growth but also seems suspicious to an employer and will more likely for them to pass me by.

In 2019 Mathew Wiazowski, Ubisoft's talent acquisitions manager, shared tips to help candidates standout from the crowd in and interview with Espresso-jobs(2008)

-Apply for the right position.

Although it may seem obvious, make sure to apply for the job that suits you best. Recruiters can spot candidates who are just looking for a point of entry by applying for anything and everything. Candidates should read job descriptions carefully and note the specific skills and requirements. Ubisoft puts a lot of effort into communicating its needs, so make the most of it!

-Education and experience.

Many CEGEPs and universities in Quebec offer great video game programs. Education is not Ubisoft’s first selection criteria. However, although it depends on the type of position, the company does give priority to applicants with a university education.

“We encourage people to continue their education to the maximum level. Video gaming is an industry that offers a lot of possibilities, but it’s a complex sector. We want our candidates to have a good, solid education, to know they’ve been exposed to team work and different ideas,” explains Wiazowski.

And of course, experience is a key element for candidates. Fear of not having enough experience is a frequent concern when applying for a job. No need to panic: the important thing is to show what you can do. Having prior experience with the exact same tasks is not always necessary.

“There are many possibilities to work on things related to what we do here. This could even include experiences in other industries; there are many concepts in video gaming that are not exclusive to video games. First and foremost, we judge the quality of the work the candidate is able to deliver,” says Wiazowski.

Wiazowski goes on to explain the qualities that Ubisoft is looking for.

Curiosity

In the video game industry, there are many technical problems to solve, which are often very interesting. Most of the time, there are many different people or even different departments involved in solving them, so you need to be driven by a desire to find innovative ways to solve problems.

Sense of teamwork

The ability to work in a team is essential. Especially at Ubisoft, where it’s necessary to work in big teams. “Collaboration is really very important in what we do,” says Wiazowski.

Adaptability and open-mindedness

This quality goes hand in hand with the previous point. There are many decisions to make and usually, not everyone is 100% in agreement. You need to be flexible and know how to adapt.

Consistency and intent

Being able to show that you’ve been consistent in the path you’ve taken and your end objectives is fundamental. Ask yourself, why am I doing this? What do I want to achieve? Which steps must I take to achieve my goal? If your path is consistent and has a final objective, you’re more likely to be get noticed.

Passion

Although recruiters find the word passion to be somewhat overused, it’s nevertheless an essential quality! You need to show interest and that you enjoy the job you’re applying for. Recruiters are judging not only candidates’ skills, but also their personality.

Wiazowski also elaborates upon portfolios.

Style

It’s important to take into account Ubisoft’s style and projects—open worlds with human characters and realistic designs. For example, if you’re applying to work on a game like Assassin’s Creed and your portfolio is full of cartoons, you can expect the recruiters to choose a candidate whose projects better correspond to the game’s artistic style. “We’re looking for people who will be able to fit in as quickly as possible and who can become productive fast,” explains Wiazowski.

Consistency

Show your best works. If one of your samples doesn’t match the quality of the rest of your portfolio, you might be asked about it. You need to have a good reason for putting it in your portfolio and be able to explain the context and the reason why you decided to show it. “We are often judged by our worst work! You need to be able to stand up for your choices and have strong arguments,” says Wiazowski. It is also important to show all the steps of a work rather than include an incomplete work in your portfolio.

To ensure that I can successfully target my audience I need to ensure I follow Wiazowski's insight. I have a great sense of teamwork which has been developed over my 15 years working at Perth Expo Hire(1991) from charity events such as telethons to huge mining conventions. Each exhibition requires input from a massive team from multiple departments.

My curiosity grows consistently with the development and introduction of new Software to new film and game releases. Showing work in progress and receiving feedback from Lecturers and mentors at SAE will go on to show constancy and improvement and ensuring this process is well documented helps to demonstrate my passion.

Apa reference

Litos Lopez | Cloudflare. (n.d.-a). Artstation.Com. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/28rrBK

Jakub Mrowczynski | Cloudflare. (n.d.-b). Artstation.Com. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/baQPBm

Jakub Mrowczynski| Cloudflare. (n.d.-c). Artstation.Com. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/EVkgvK

Vasjukov, E. (2020, November 11). Strategy for CG-Portfolio: Do’s and Dont’s. 80lvl.Com. https://80.lv/articles/strategy-for-cg-portfolio-do-s-and-dont-s/

Picard, A. (2020, January 15). Getting a job at Ubisoft. Ubisoft Montréal. https://montreal.ubisoft.com/en/getting-a-job-at-ubisoft/