MPC

As I've been looking for a potential job after I graduate, a friend of mine told me about a VFX company called MPC, who have worked on various films and advertising campaigns such as Harry Potter, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the recently released Batman vs Superman.

Apparently they are open to hiring students/recent graduates into their company, as long as they can see a certain amount of skill then they would like to help you develop your creativity.

They have studios based all over the world, in London, Paris, Amsterdam, L.A., New York, Montreal, Bangalore, Shanghai, with many opening positions in both filmmaking and advertising. There are a few different animating roles, including a character animator, technical animator, and a 3D generalist (for advertising) which all have similar requirements and responsibilities within their jobs.

The one that stood out to me the most is the "runner" position; I know it's not actually getting involved in the creative side of a project, but as a beginner who has never worked in a professional studio before, this job could be a good starting point to gain the experience of being in the working environment of an animation studio. The description says it would give me the chance to talk to everyone in the studio, making sure they're happy, cleaning the studio and making sure the day is going smoothly for everyone; talking to these professionals about their jobs and seeing them in action could be a good way for me to decide if working in a studio environment is the best plan for my future.

A lot of animation studios have runners, which is usually the bottom ranked position, however if they can prove themselves to be a team player and enthusiastic then eventually they can earn promotions and slowly learn how the company works. If I did take this route into the industry it would also allow me the space to observe the various different jobs within the studio and I can figure out which type of animation role would suit me best.

The description of the animator

The description for the runner

Previous lectures run by Double Negative at Bradford Animation Festival have given me a basic knowledge of how visual effects animation works; it's one of the main forms of animation that has come to light with the use of computer generated technology. Since ultimately I would love to be able to work in the film industry through animation, VFX could be an option for me to get there; the combination of live action footage with animation over the top is a commonly used art form in Hollywood and the film industry, so being able to work for a big company such as MPC or Double Negative would be a good step to take to have the chance to work on films.

VFX animation isn't something I had considered doing before, (I love purely animated films too much to have considered anything else before) however getting the experience of working in this studio could lead me onto other animation jobs, or if I fall in love with VFX I could continue on in this studio to develop my skills as an animator.