From Pixar Dreams to Weta Realms
A Guiding Light for Accomplished Artists Seeking to Elevate Their Craft and Expand Their Horizons
Whenever I write these articles, I always picture an ideal reader for that article. Normally it’s an up-and-coming artist trying to find their career path as a 3D artist.
Not this time.
This time is for all the artists out there that have made it. All the cool kids at the big companies creating jaw-dropping visuals.
This is for the Pixar Peeps…
the Dreamworks Duders…
the Weta Wizards…
the ILM Innovators…
the Blizzard Brigade…
the Rockstar…Rockstars…
This one is for you.
Cultivate Your Network
First and foremost, congratulations. You've transcended the rigors of freelancing and secured a rewarding role within a stable enterprise. Your workspace is a dream realized, and you've settled into a cozy routine. Yet, why should you invest your energy in cultivating your professional network, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn?
The rationale lies in the fact that professionally speaking, your current comfort zone is not an everlasting guarantee. Furthermore, the dynamic of contributing to major releases within expansive corporations often channels your focus inward to the company and gradually lose contact with the larger creative world.
Minimize Individualism
Large corporations often foster an environment that stifles your potential as an independent artist beyond the confines of your studio or company. The constraints of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) bar you from showcasing ongoing projects.
Big studios rarely send artists to conferences because they fear they will network and receive a better job offer. Media interactions are curtailed, and even freelance or teaching pursuits necessitate approval.
While it's not necessarily a deliberate endeavor by these conglomerates, the result is a lack of individual voices resonating outside the company's walls.
Narrow Your Craft
Moreover, significant corporations tend to narrow the spectrum of skills in demand. Expansive studios are engrossed in intricate projects that necessitate laser-focused contributions from individual artists, honed specifically for a certain aspect of the venture. At smaller entities, an artist might engage in modeling, texturing, and lighting for an asset. However, in a large studio, that same artist might only be responsible for texturing an asset—provided it's a prop, not a character—and within a predefined context.
Such assignments often involve proprietary software or workflows. Consequently, you master a distinct task within a unique workflow that's exclusive to the organization. As artists become more specialized, they risk losing touch with their broader skill sets which could make them more appealing in the wider job market.
Hence, for these reasons, major corporations can inadvertently lead you to look inward and lose sight of the greater industry picture. When this shift takes hold, peculiar occurrences might emerge.
Unmasking The Hierarchy Fallacy
Primarily, your perception of individuals tends to align with their roles within the company, overshadowing their multifaceted identities. Mark becomes the Senior Simulation TD adept at managing crowds, while Maria embodies the Pipeline TD skilled at resolving rendering glitches. While not necessarily detrimental, it's easy to pigeonhole people into these specific roles given the specialized nature of their work.
This tendency becomes reciprocal among colleagues. Consequently, you find yourself surrounded by individuals who map everyone onto an unseen organizational chart. Respect and recognition rise in tandem with your title. Yet, let me assure you, this dynamic is largely illusory.
But the truth is that is all nonsense.
How do I know? Because I escaped from this cycle and successfully broke free!
Ok, not quite that valiantly. I was laid off by a company and the hierarchy came a crumbin’ down.
During my tenure at Blue Sky Studios, I fell prey to the ingrained hierarchy, which, in retrospect, was an oversight on my part. Following the studio's closure, fellow artists dispersed and assumed roles drastically different from those I had typecast them into. Production Assistants transitioned into full-fledged Artists, Senior Artists ascended to leadership positions, mid-level artists spearheaded teams, and former heads of departments reclaimed their artistic roles. Many even ventured outside animation, unveiling latent talents they never knew existed.
As for myself, I discovered a role that aligns far better with my skill set. The excitement of utilizing more of my cognitive abilities than ever before is palpable.
Make Sure Your Corporate Relationship is Not One-Sided
I understand your affinity for your esteemed company. Your colleagues are engaging, the work environment is fulfilling, and embracing other job opportunities might feel like a betrayal.
Let me impart a perspective: Your company has, at some point, explored alternatives to your presence. Did they not contemplate outsourcing your role to a location with more favorable tax conditions? Or perhaps they considered reducing your full-time benefits in favor of employing more freelancers? Remember, it wasn't too long ago that studios collectively suppressed animation professionals' wages. Has that practice truly ceased, or merely evolved to conceal its existence?
You have a relationship with your company but don’t think of it as monogamous. You should be out there chatting it up with other companies to make sure you are understanding your value in the marketplace. Because, as I mentioned above, their structure is set up in a way that will keep you looking inward and focusing on your workplace.
Because I guarantee that if the company you work for could replace you with something 40% cheaper and deliver roughly the same output, they would do it in a second.
But, honestly, that’s not what I’m afraid of for the super bunch of artists that you all are. I’m not afraid that some AI overlord is going to come by and take your job.
I’m afraid that it won’t.
I dread the possibility of you remaining confined within the comfort of your current role, never truly pushing your boundaries. The prospect of an entire career unfolding without exploring the full extent of your potential is an opportunity squandered.
So get outside your comfort zone and go to conferences. Interact with artists are recruiters online. Tweet at people…or X people…or whatever it’s called now. Put your remarkable self out there, initiate conversations with recruiters, and expand your network—even if you're not actively seeking new opportunities.
How does that networking work in practice? How do I make my LinkedIn profile discoverable? How do I cultivate and grow my professional network as a 3D Artist? I’m so glad you asked! Tune in next week to get expert advice on this very topic by the great Paul Liaw!
3D News of the Week
Lucasfilm to shut Singapore operations, affecting more than 300 employees - channelnewsasia.com
The Door Problem - lizengland.com
This Free Tool for Blender Lets You Inset Face without Overlapping - 80.lv
Virtual Production on an Indie Budget: My Case Study + 10 Takeaways🤠 - vashivisuals.com
Merging sculpture, technology - TheHarvardGazette.com
Artist of the Week
Alex Trevino’s Lunar Rover Project
3D Tutorials
Doubling down on Alex Trevino this week…check out this breakdown of his work!
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
Michael Tanzillo is the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, Michael is the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel
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