ILM hiring 200 staff in Soho - time to polish your demo reel

Hiring soon in London!

Great news for Bucks animators and visual effects artists  - Industrial Light and Magic, the visual effects division of Star Wars producer Lucasfilm, is coming to Soho. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it will hire 200 staff to work on Lucasfilm products and also other films produced in the UK. Star Wars: Episode VII will start shooting at Pinewood Studios in May.

This is great news for our recent graduates. One of the best places to find a job is at a facility which is just opening up. Why? Because they will need to fill positions at every level, from experienced staff to entry-level posts. 200 staff is a lot of people to hire in one go. We recommend that all our recent graduates polish their reel and send it in. If you need advice or assistance on how to polish your reel most effectively - let us know; we'll be glad to help out.

Every time you apply for a job you get better at applying, even if you don't get the position, and the experience you gain from applying is all part of the journey to your first visual effects job. ILM will be looking for character and creature animators (as well as all the other positions that make up the VFX pipeline), so make sure you put your best foot forward by making sure that your reel looks as awesome as possible. And remember that the golden rule of an animation reel is - no mistakes.

---Alex

(Editor's Note: For more on creating a successful demo reel, check out our post on what studios are looking for here, and also the Sony Pictures guide to demo reels here. You should also watch our ten minute video on what goes into a great student demo reel. Don't forget our guide to putting together a great CV, and check out this post where our recent graduates talk about what it takes to find work in the creative industries. In this post, John Lasseter explains what Pixar look for in fresh talent, and the director of Monsters U adds his advice as well. )