Introduction

The only reason I entered the Computer Graphics Student Awards @ cgCoach was in the hope of getting some feedback on my reel - nothing more. Considering the overall standard of entries was so high, I was pleased just to make the initial shortlist. To be honest, I hadn't fully appreciated the fantastic prizes on offer, and certainly hadn't entertained the idea of actually winning any of them. So when I got the email telling me I'd won a two month internship at Double Negative, I thought it was some sort of joke. A mistake. HR had emailed the wrong David... it’s a common name.

That was seven months ago, and this is a short summary of what has happened since then.

Beginning

By the end of my first day at Double Negative, two things had become very clear.

Firstly, it was exactly the type of environment I wanted to work in. Relaxed, fun, professional, and full of incredibly talented people taking pride in what they do. I decided straight away that I was going to do everything possible to try and stay well beyond my internship.

Secondly, I was actually going to get to do some real lighting work. I had worried that I'd be making tea for two months - that’s what interns do, right?

The first week was over in a flash. I met people I’d be working with, ploughed my way through tutorials, and started to get used to the systems and pipeline. It could have quite easily been overwhelming, had everybody not been so patient and generous with their time in explaining how things were done. I was keen to quickly get up to speed and start being useful, so that first week I learned as much as I possibly could.

It was the second week that things really got interesting. The show I’d been assigned to was called Paul. It’s a film starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who are on a road trip through America, when they encounter an alien named Paul (the film comes out early 2011 and I highly recommend it). Anyway Paul, the alien, is CG, so every scene in which he appears needed lighting. I joined with about five months left till final delivery, so although everything was well on its way there was still plenty to be done. At first I was tinkering with shots, carrying out small changes, rolling forward light rigs between similar shots and rendering test frames. Nothing particularly creative, but the only way to really get to grips with the Paul pipeline. We've all seen the amazing end product that VFX companies such as DNeg produce, but I hadn’t previously realised the the level of organization and coordination that goes on in order to make it all happen. Creativity and technical ability alone aren’t enough in a production environment – the ability to fit into an existing production pipeline was one of the key things I wanted to demonstrate.

Day to day

Once I’d shown I knew my way around I was given a sequence of shots to light, and things started to settle into a routine. Dailies sessions, where Lead Lighters and Supervisors assess work and give feedback are a really important part of that routine. I remember being quite nervous the first few times, seeing my work on a big screen in a dark room with people way up the VFX food chain. That quickly wore off and I now look forward to them, as they’re generally really interesting and a fantastic way to learn. Comments are frank, criticism is constructive and praise always give me a buzz. You get to see other people’s work, hear their comments, and pick up all sorts of useful tips on how to improve.

Based on what happens in Dailies, I’ll make changes to my shots, talk with the Lead Lighter on the sequence, and re-render. Timing is important as you need to calculate backwards how much time you have available to make improvements before needing to set off a render, taking into account time to render, and importantly, composite. There’s nothing worse than spending time making shots look great, only to miss a deadline for Dailies because your shots are still rendering. Taking ownership of shots is, for me, the one of the best parts of the job. It may only be a small part of the project, but it’s my part.

Working on Paul, I was on the team lighting interior shots and I ended up doing several shots where Paul was inside an RV. There was a fair bit of variation, and each scenario required different lighting setups depending on where he was in the vehicle, for example sitting behind the wheel, standing in the centre etc. Every scene had its own set of challenges, but with help from other Lighters, Leads and Supervisors, every problem had its own solution, and through this process of troubleshooting I learned a huge amount.

Where I am now

It has now been seven months since I arrived, and I love my job. During my daily commute to and from work, I often look at other passengers on the train and wonder how many enjoy what they do, half as much as I do. Not too many I'm guessing.

I’ve truly enjoyed seeing the film progress and watching each shot get better and better with each iteration. Seeing it all come together from rough, unlit animations through to the finished, polished article drives home the huge effort and talent of everyone who worked on the film. It has been hard work, especially towards the end as final delivery approached, but infinitely more rewarding than I had expected. I feel as though I’ve contributed in a small way, and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

Things I've learned

It goes without saying that I’ve learned a huge amount, not only in terms of knowing where the buttons are and what they do, but creatively as well. Already I can look at something I did before joining with much more of a critical eye, and that just comes down to experience. Which is why I believe getting feedback on pieces of work from someone with that experience, is so important. In fact, I would say showing your work to other people is in any case a good idea, as another pair of eyes will offer a new perspective, and often, useful suggestions. Having spent a lot of time working alone on my reel, I found this quite tough at first. I only wanted people to see what I'd done once I was confident they'd like it.

Another valuable lesson I’ve learned is to show interest in work being done by people around you. Colleagues are almost always happy to discuss what they're doing, and it's a really good way of learning. Ask questions. Not to the point of wasting people’s time, but with so much talent and knowledge around, chances are when you encounter a problem, someone already knows a way around it.

What I hope to achieve

Short term I want to continue growing creatively and improve the quality of what I do. I’ve always been interested in photography and I’d like to dedicate more time to it as that will certainly benefit my work. Maybe learn some Python and get more involved in writing scripts to speed up workflow, or at least have a better understanding as to how they work.

Looking more long term, I’d like to stay at DNeg for as long as they’ll have me. It’s a fantastic company to work for and I’m really happy as a Lighting TD. I want to work my way up, getting more and more responsibility, and hopefully have a blast whilst doing it.

Thank you cgCoach

A huge thank you to cgCoach.com for making all this possible, it has been truly life-changing. To anyone reading this desperately trying to break into VFX, if I may offer one small piece of advice. Stay positive.

I know from experience just how hard that can be, when all you want is the opportunity to show what you can do. But if you really believe in your own ability, keep learning, keep improving your work, and things can change very quickly. Your chance will come.

And when it does... take it!