Alumni Success Stories

Alumni Information
School: LaSalle College Vancouver
Grad Year: 2009
Program of Study: VFX for Film & Television
Degree: Diploma

Employment/Professional Information
Company Name: Image Engine
Location: Vancouver
Job Title: Rigger
Primary Responsibilities: Rigging/ClothTD/ShotTD.

Describe a Typical Work Day:

I create a rig for a character, shirt, muscle so an animator can move it, pose it, jiggle it.

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?

The projects I have worked on, the great studio I work at, and being able to experience the process every day of creating the creatures that entertain people.

What are your creative inspirations or influences? Who are your heroes?

Stanely Kubrick, for his cinematography. Irving Kershner for one of my childhoods favourite films. Akira Kurosawa for storytelling.

What do you enjoy the most about your career?

The challenge to create something simple, but effective. I look at every task I do this way, but it is a hard one to follow.

How did your education at LaSalle College Vancouver help prepare you for your career?

LaSalle College Vancouver taught me a lot about self motivation and planning. I learned how to push myself the last nights of my final quarter to my physical and mental limits. The last few nights were mainly me taking over a computer lab each night and making sure my shot was set up properly, so I could squeeze out one frame over eight hours on twenty-four computers. It took a week to get one comp ready, but it was worth it in the end.

What advice do you have for people beginning their careers in your profession?

Shut up, listen, learn. It takes a smart person to know when they are right, but it takes a smarter one to realize when they could learn something.

Your profession is constantly evolving, from the technology you use to new career opportunities that didn’t exist five years ago. What trends do you see on the horizon that will affect how you do your job or your profession at-large?

This industry has become international and I look forward to working overseas. I think that, as a whole, the CG software industry will move towards procedural 3D software such as Houdini. This will mean we’ll be able to create a lot more detail and mind-blowing eye candy in our visual effects.