Visual effects an art and a science

Denise Deveau, For Postmedia News 

Visual effects an art and a science

Kalene Dunsmoor, an employee of Scanline VFX, is photographed in the company's Vancouver, BC office, Oct. 19, 2012.

Rebecca Blissett / Postmedia News


Fine artists are often thought to have limited career choices. But that wasn't the case for Kalene Dunsmoor. When she took her portfolio to a job fair, the folks at ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) immediately offered her a visual effects job in their Singapore operations.

Her work as a texture artist and matte painter has taken her from Singapore to San Francisco and now Vancouver. She's now with Scanline Vfx, where she is working on blockbuster hits such as Iron Man 3 and the sequel to 300.

A matte painter creates 3-D digital effects, such as building extensions, skylines or cities. Texturing is creating images that define the surface of an object, such as rust, dirt and bumps on metal. But there are plenty of other disciplines in the visual effects trade, from lighting to character animation.

When Dunsmoor went to York University to study visual arts, "I knew then I had a passion for realism," she says. So she went to the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto for more specific art training. She also did one year of postgraduate work at Humber to build up her computer skills. "I realized I couldn't make money as a portrait artist or painting [images on] motorcycles," she says.

Dunsmoor was pleased to learn that while math and computer skills do count, ILM was more impressed with her fine art training. "They said art skills were hard to learn. But the training on the computer side would be easy."

She returned to Canada because of the explosion in job opportunities. "Since I left for Singapore, a lot of the major studios have opened studios here, like ILM, Digital Domain, Scanline, Rhythm & Hues, and Pixar."

At Image Engine Design in Vancouver, competition for visual effects specialists is tough, says Kate Tarbard, human resources manager. "Vancouver has become very, very competitive over the last few years. There aren't enough visual effects artists available, which means we have to recruit worldwide."

She reports the industry has doubled in size over the last two years and is continuing to grow. As far as what they look for in candidates, "We look for an artistic and technical background."

Patience is also key, she adds. "The first thing to remember is that we are a service provider. We provide images to clients, and that means giving feedback. There are constant iterations. And of course, there are deadlines to meet."

Ronni Rosenberg, dean of the faculty of animation, arts and design for Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., says its visual effects postgraduate program is designed to compress as much knowledge and competency as possible in three semesters.

The certificate program helps arts-inclined students to gain a comfort level with information technology. "In this industry, the technical and art aspects are very integrated. The successful students typically have an arts-related degree and a portfolio that demonstrates competency in visual design. In most cases, they have some experience with design and image creation."

She confirms that industry demand is strong for both films and gaming. "Some companies specialize only in visual effects. Others may have a department."

Like the film industry, gaming is growing by leaps and bounds, she adds. "We have Ubisoft in Ontario now that has pledged to hire 800 people over the next five years. There is a lot of capacity for jobs."

In talking to industry players, Rosenberg says they are keen to get students with a broader knowledge base. "Having two skill sets - such as lighting and 3-D development - is a really good thing because it shows you have versatility."

Keywords International is a Dublin, Ireland-based company that serves the gaming industry. When looking for a North American base, it chose Montreal because of the strength of the gaming industry.

"We noticed a lot of companies like Ubisoft, iDOS, Funcom, THQ and Warner Brothers, were moving to Montreal," says Andrew Day, CEO. "It's a very happening place for game development right now. There's just so much good talent available there."

Visual effects work tends to have a special place in the hearts of people that do it, Tarbard notes. "At the end of the day, creating beautiful things is a really cool job."

