Bucks Graduate Jaffar Ali joins The Bionic Group

Bucks animation graduate Jaffar Ali has just landed a job with The Bionic Group, a visual effects house based in Pinewood Studios, who have been producing visual effects for films such as Aliens, and Mission Impossible 1 & 2. Nowadays Bionic also create architecture animations for the construction industry.

Jaffar has been offered a job as a 3D Visualiser, starting in mid July.  We are delighted to offer our congratulations to Jaffar and wish him the very best with his new job. Here at Bucks we focus heavily on employability, doing our very best to ensure that all our graduates have the right skills to succeed in the industry of their choice.

Jaffar recently got a paid internship with Vizrt, which you can read about here, showing how important it is to get a foot in the door of the industry and develop your skills.

Later, Jaffar came back to Bucks to help our current students develop the right skills to find work, talking in some detail at our Employability Panel about his journey into the industry. You can read what he and his fellow panelists had to say about finding work in digital media here. 

---Alex

(Editor's Note: For more on jobs and employability, read our guide to getting your first job. For posts on what studios look for in a great demo reel, try this link, hear what London's Blue Zoo has to say about finding work, and take a look at this video by Sony Pictures Animation. You can also watch Alex's ten minute video on creating a great reel, and read this post on the perfect demo reel. Also, check out our guide to animation careers here, and also take a look at this map of digital studios - a great place to start your search for work in the business. Learn the nuts and bolts of freelance life by reading our guide to invoicing clients, and our guide to putting together a great CV.)

Graduate Panel Friday 21 March 2014 - jobs, careers, and how to make it in a digital world

From left, Jude Winstanley, Jaffar Ali, Beaumont Lowenthal, Stephen Partridge, Scott Humphries, Andy Thomas and Thom Day

Yesterday, friday 21 March 2014, was our latest Graduate Panel, a regular event where we invite Bucks Graduates to come back to their university and talk about how they forged their careers in digital media. They all studied here at Bucks and each one of them understands better than anyone how to turn the skills they acquired at university into a successful career in the entertainment industry.

The panelists were:

Jaffar Ali

Jaffar Ali – Jaffar recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Animation, Games & Interactive Media from Buckinghamshire New University. Having gained experience in creating photo-realistic 3D using post-production software packages to model, texture, light, render and composite, Jaffar recently got an internship with high end broadcast virtual set company Vizrt. Jaffar’s current skills base ranges from creating high quality still renders to having a fly through or 360° turn table camera animation.

Thom Day

Thom Day – Thom graduated in 2011 and is currently a Media Technician at ITV’s London Studios. As a Lead Assistant on a number of high-end productions, Thom is in charge of liaising with production and creating media logs for both production and post to follow media movements. This includes dealing with multiple workflows (Studio EVS, Live Broadcast and Entertainment fiction and non-fiction). Since graduating Thom has also worked at Molinare Post Production as an Edit Assistant, Platform Post Production as a Bookings Assistant and at Take One TVas a Production Assistant.

Scott Humphries

Scott Humphries - Since graduating in 2011 Scott has been touring as a live sound engineer. He is currently Production Manager at Little Touring and was previously FOH/TM for You&me Touring working with the likes of Charlie Simpson, Funeral for a Friend, Pop Will Eat Itself, We are Scientists and Wolf Gang. Scott has also worked as a Monitor Engineer and a Staff Engineer, and has worked for companies such as RNSS and SSE Audio Group.

Beaumont Lowenthal

Beaumont Lowenthal – At the moment Beau is working as a trainee editor on a remake of Far From the Madding Crowd, directed by (recently) Oscar-nominated Thomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen and Matthias Schoenaerts. Just before that Beau worked as a second assistant on POSH directed by Lone Scherfig, which stars upcoming actors Sam Claflin (latest Hunger Games), Max Irons (Jeremy's son) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) and is coming to cinemas in September. Before that Beau’s first job was as an editing intern on The Look of Love directed by Michael Winterbottom, starring Steven Coogan. The next project for Beau is likely to be working on Joe Wright's Pan.

Andy Thomas

Andy Thomas - Andy Thomas is a talented artist who graduated from Bucks New University in 2002 and, since then, has forged a successful career in the digital arts. He now works for the global multi-national URS, running their digital media team. Andy runs a team of multimedia artists and technicians. They produce 3D Visualisations, animations, graphic design and photomontages for various sectors including Architecture, Landscape Design, Planning, Mechanical & Engineering, Ports, Railways, Roads, Aviation & airports, and Defence & Security.

Jude Winstanley

Jude Winstanley – Jude has worked on a broad array of content from straight factual, factual entertainment, children’s, entertainment and observational documentary; from Who Wants to be a Millionaire? to Bremner, Bird & Fortune to X-Factor Australia.

Jude is experienced in pre-recorded and live transmissions, studio and location based programming and hostile environments. Specialist skills include negotiating contracts, fees and clearance rights with talent, crew, production staff, archive materials, locations, publicity, schedule planning for all areas of the project (prep, production, post and delivery), advising on Health & Safety procedures to ensure safe working environments, Risk Assessments and tapeless workflows.

Stephen Partridge

Stephen Partridge hosted the panel, and opened the discussion by asking the panelists the first big question:

How did the panel members get started in the industry? 

Jaffar Ali had been looking for 3D roles when Bucks sent him an email about an opportunity at Vizrt, a global provider of virtual sets for broadcast companies.  At interview, they asked him how he would solve a problem on production? Jaffar explained that he would seek help from others in the building - just as he did at Bucks, when he would ask his tutors for backup and support on group projects when things didn't always go to plan.

Beaumont Lowenthal talked about how important it is simply to ring up your contacts and ask if there is work available. He did a lot of networking, which led to some lucky breaks, and in his case, luck and persistence paid off.  He contacted "hundreds of people", and got "five or ten responses". One of those contacts led to his current career.

Thom Day talked about how his early jobs often cost him more in travel expenses than he received in pay. But he got work out of these early gigs and the commitment paid off in the end.

Andy Thomas

Andy Thomas talked about the difficulty of finding work when he graduated in 2002, and the frustration of getting rejected or, worse, hearing nothing. His first job he thought "was a bit beneath me", but this ended up being "the best thing I ever did". On his first job he learned "the reality of collaborating on a group project", and the difficulty of finishing things on time and on budget - meeting deadlines is vital.

He also talked about how keen he was in the early days to learn "everything there was to know" about digital media, and recommended that students should do as many online tutorials as possible. Andy eventually ended up at URS, a global company, and pitched them the idea of building a hub of digital artists in-house to do all the 3D development work for URS. Surprisingly, "they went for it" and he now "runs a team of fifteen artists".

Thom Day started as a runner, and tried to do the best work he could to get noticed, to meet editors, "sitting in during lunch breaks and after work", to "get his face known", and eventually "got promoted to Avid assistant". He said you've got to be "willing to do the crap jobs" to get started.

Jude Winstanley warned against "aiming too high". Be ambitious,  but be realistic as well. You can move up the ladder once you are in, but don't aim too high at the start of your career. She reminded us that film and TV production is a freelance business: "there are no staff jobs".

The Unit List - Jude Winstanley's website. Free!

Jude also talked about www.theunitlist.com, a free website which helps place talent in jobs, and which she recommended all our graduates check regularly.


What makes a good CV?

Thom Day said you've got to get your CV to the right person, and make sure your CV looks nice, is short and punchy, and has all the main points at the top.

Make it good

Andy Thomas says he likes people who phone in and don't just email their CV. Three members of his current team got their job "by cold-calling". He does also run a test for candidates at interview - an AfterEffects test, to see if the candidates really know how to do what they say they can do. Lots of applicants don't really know how to do what is on their demo reel. Andy once interviewed a candidate who - astonishingly - showed him one of Andy's own online tutorials and presented it as his own work!

Scott reiterated that a phone call can be important. Sending out emails can be a "pointless" exercise.

Beaumont Lowenthal emphasised that you need to re-do your CV for each client; tailor it so that "you're not just sending out the same CV to each employer".  In the end though, "it's all about referrals". Recommendations count.

Jude Winstanley, who does a lot of recruitment, and is always on the lookout for fresh talent, complained about students with annoying answerphone messages, which made her want to move on to the next candidate. She said that CVs for TV production follow a certain layout - and that students should follow this. Key skills need to be right up there. Can you drive? Can you drive a lorry? Do you speak French? What cameras can you? Then, she wants to see your experience, in reverse order - most recent jobs at the top.


Should graduates accept unpaid work?

Jude Winstanley stressed the importance of not accepting unpaid work, which she described as "illegal" - although doing two weeks of unpaid work experience is permissible. Also, she added, students can be employed for free, but not graduates. Scott Humphries said he sometimes "took payment in microphones" when he started out, working for bands who he knew could not afford to pay him.

Learn to use it

What new technologies should undergraduates be aware of?

Thom Day said that a good knowledge of Premiere is increasingly necessary at ITV, not just Avid, which is gradually giving way to Premiere. Jude Winstanley said that Photoshop is now a requirement, and people don't get hired without it. She also recommended learning SEP, Avid, and After Effects.



(Editor's Note: For more on jobs and employability, read our guide to getting your first job. For posts on what studios look for in a great demo reel, try this link, hear what London's Blue Zoo has to say about finding work, and take a look at this video by Sony Pictures Animation. You can also watch Alex's ten minute video on creating a great reel, and read this post on the perfect demo reel. Also, check out our guide to animation careers here, and also take a look at this map of digital studios - a great place to start your search for work in the business. Learn the nuts and bolts of freelance life by reading our guide to invoicing clients, and our guide to putting together a great CV.)

Graduate Panel Friday March 21st - how do graduates find work in digital media?

Last year's graduate panel discussion

On Friday March 21st we will be running a Graduate Panel from noon until 3pm for all our undergraduate students studying Film & TV Production, Animation and Audio & Music Production. The idea is to bring back some of our most successful alumni, those who have progressed well within their first few years of graduating and beyond, to share their experiences and make suggestions as to how our students might achieve that vital big break into their chosen field.

Who will be there? Our guests will be Bucks graduates, many of them working in animation and digital media, who will be returning to the Uni to share their insights into how they forged their careers. They were themselves students at Bucks, so they know better than anyone what it takes to turn a degree from BNU into a successful career in digital media.

Who is coming?
Among the returning animation graduates will be Jaffar Ali, who recently landed a paid internship at Vizrt. You can see an interview with Jaffar about his new internship here. Also attending is Andy Thomas, who has built a stellar career doing design and architectural visualisation for the multinational engineering company URS.

Why should you come along?
This 

Graduate Panel will be our third such event. We have had great feedback from previous panels, which have been full of helpful advice and guidance to students on how to forge a successful career. We encourage all our students, not just those in their final year, to make the effort to attend.

Free cakes! Yay!

Are there any freebies?
Yes! By way of a small bribe, there will be coffee and cakes laid on, so be sure to eat as much as you possibly can.

Where is it happening?
The event will take place on Friday at noon in N4.06. It is building number 4 on the map below, on the 4th floor.

To find out more about what you can expect, see our post about last year's Graduate Panel here. In the meantime, put together a list of questions for our panelists. How, really, did they get their jobs? Was it talent, connections - or just plain luck? Come along, ask the tough questions, and hear the answers.

---Alex

(Editor's Note: To see more about how we're taking active steps to help our graduates find work, check out our commercial project for Rocketseed, and our short film done for a global aid agency.

Steve

Bucks graduate Jaffar Ali lands paid internship with Vizrt

One of our recent animation alumni, Jaffar Ali, has just been selected for a paid internship at one of our newest industry partners, Vizrt.  Vizrt is a large broadcast company who manufacture virtual reality solutions for broadcasters, both nationally and internationally (they have 40 or so offices around the globe). Their newsroom virtual reality work fills our screens every night: ITV News, BBC, Sky, CNN,  and Sky Sports. We asked Jaffar to talk about his new internship and how he landed the position.


Bucks: Congratulations on your paid internship with Vizrt - Tell us about it!

Jaffar:  I am really excited to be starting my internship with Vizrt. They are an ingenious company that create real - time graphics for television broadcasting. Their main Office is in Norway, but I shall be working in their UK offices in Ealing Studios, Ealing, London.

Architectural visualisation by Jaffar Ali

Bucks: How did you make it happen?

Jaffar:  I received an email from Dave Creighton about a paid apprentice opportunity at Vizrt. At that time I was not aware of them and what they did. But after some research into the company, I saw this as being an interesting and creative field to go into.

Dave Creighton by Monika Dzikowicz

My details were sent to Maja, the operations manager at Vizrt. I was given a task to complete prior to the interview, and if successful I would be called for an interview. I was lucky enough to attend the interview and also to be a successful candidate.  

Hitman guns by Jaffar Ali

Bucks: What sort of project will you be working on?

Jaffar: Vizrt have a variety of products which they provide to their clients, such as the BBC, SkyNews and Al-Jazeera. Some of them are used to create augmented reality virtual studios, sports analysis, weather, maps and also general animated graphics.

My role as an apprentice would be to learn and be able to use the products. Also, I will be assisting the system specialist with onsite installations of their systems. During my first week at Vizrt, I will be on a 5 day course learning Viz Artist. This is the software used to create all graphics and models. However, external softwares such as; 3DS Max and Maya can be used to create models and then be exported into the Viz Artist.

Beach House Interior - some of Jaffar's work at Bucks

Bucks: How did Bucks prepare you for the role?

Jaffar: The Animation, Games & Interactive Media course at Bucks taught me a range of creative skills.  Personally, I feel that focusing on doing mainly modeling projects at Bucks has helped me because I will be able to create the 3D models and scenes which can be used for virtual studios and 3D assets at Vizrt.


Bucks: What advice would you give to a student at Bucks to make the most of the course?

Jaffar: Keep working hard at trying to achieve the best outcomes in your projects. This can be done by looking closely at what is happening in the industries you wish to get into and trying to achieve the same results.


(Editor's Note: For more impressive work done by our students and recent graduates here at Bucks, check out Ben Gray's Moonbeam, and the architectural visualisations of Sabah Masood. Also take a look at the work of Andy Thomas here, see our latest commercial project for Rocketseed, our short film done for a global aid agency, and take a look at the excellent work of designer Monika Dzikowicz, architectural visualisation specialist Krsytof Michalski, Alex Whitfield and the 3D artwork of Mike Swan.)