Wish me luck...

Bamfette · Post by **Bamfette** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:32 pm

after looking and looking in Calgary for a job (besides retail) with no luck, I've widened my search and have an animation company in Vancouver that's having me do a storyboarding test. This company does contract work for Dreamworks, Disney, Warner Bothers and Fox, they've worked on movies like Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Space Jam and others. so if accepted i could actually be working on big Hollywood movies (though will more likley be doing kiddie tv). so anyway.... wish me luck

I've looked at the other submissions and think i have a fighting chance. I certainly have better drawing skills than some, and better storytelling skills than most of them.

Post by **fourpawsonthefloor** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:38 pm

That is absolutely outstanding!!! Best of luck to you, but I think that your talent speaks for itself. Does that mean you'll have to move to Vancouver?
Paws.

Bamfette · Post by **Bamfette** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:47 pm

yes, i would have to mov to Vancouver. I know it is very expensive there, but they woud be paying enough to offset that, and i have always wanted to live there... visited a few times, and it's beautiful.

though i'd attempt to swing it so i'd be leaving AFTER i get my $400 surpluss cheque from the Alberta government

Crocodile Hunter · Post by **Crocodile Hunter** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 5:44 am

Yeap good luck

Post by **fourpawsonthefloor** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 5:52 am

Vancouver is glorious - everywhere you look is natural beauty. Too bad our premiere is a drunk driving idiot (oops did I say that out loud). The other thing is there certainly is a lot of film action down there too.
The cost of housing is astronomical, but on the other hand vancouver isn't known for recieving 10 inches of snow in a couple of hours like calgary can do. So one thing for sure - its warmer.

Paws

idsunki · Post by **idsunki** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:26 pm

Holy moly Bamfette, that's some good news!

From all the cool stuff I've seen of yours, I'd hope they give you the job. It sounds like a pretty awesome opportunity to get somewhere in your field.

If you Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving like normal people, I'd make a crack about how that's something for which to be thankful, but you don't, so I won't.

theatrepirate · Post by **theatrepirate** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 2:26 pm

Or...Break a Leg! (you know us theatre folk and our superstitions!)

Hsu · Post by **Hsu** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 11:41 pm

Originally posted by idsunki
If you Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving like normal people, I'd make a crack about how that's something for which to be thankful, but you don't, so I won't.

Yeah you Canadians and celebrating Thanksgiving on Columbus Day! That makes, like, sense and stuff!

But awesome Jill, major congrats!

Tyros · Post by **Tyros** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 8:56 pm

Thats awesome! I may be moving to that neck of the woods (Victoria) as well if I get acceptted in the PhD program. I love the northwest, it is really beautiful and one of my favorite places in the world. I wish you viel glück--the job sounds really cool!

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:39 am

Say - That would be pretty cool Bamfette.

I used to visit Vancouver a lot when I lived in Seattle and I always thought it would have been a great place to live. If I could have come up with a reason to live outside the US, I probably would have moved there. It has all the things I look for in a city - on water, excellent architecture and civic planning, diversity, and great public transportation.

You'd be just an hour or two from Whistler/Blackholm too - the most bestest ski area in Canada! (in my opinion

)

Plus it sounds like a cool job. While I was out of work (I was laid off along with all the rest of the technology workers in Seattle in mid-2000 during the tech stock crash when all of our companies went under) I was trying to figure out whether I wanted to stay in computers, redirect my graphic design skills towards something less technical, or do something else. Because I love film so much I thought I could combine my interests and returned to art school to brush up my illustration skills so I could try to work in film either as a story boarder or concept artist. But I quickly realized I just didn't have the chops for it. Plus it seemed like if I was going to go back to school - I should do it right and go to vet school.

You've definitely got the chops though. I suspect you'll knock 'em flat with your portfolio. Good luck!

-e

Bamfette · Post by **Bamfette** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:54 am

thanks, all

got the script and character designs... most bizarre character ever... oh well.

and yeah, Em... I was all set and convinved that i wanted to do animation. then things went BOOM. Disney closed while i was in school, so you had a few hundred animators looking for work about a year prior ro me graduating, and THE biggest studio just isn't there anymore? and i had no real interest in digital animation. i need something tactile, I've tried 3D animation and it's just too detached feeling. yeah... plus i realized that I would be reduced to a tiny cog in a huge machine, my little part would ahve very little creative freedom, that's had by only a very few supervising and lead animators. so. i love animation still, but that put a big damper on my plans. so i jsut did miscellanious stuff for a while....and then comics, and i like comics, still and would like to continue doing them, but it is another industry in decline. I sure can pick em.

but.... weird inspiration came along. I had just gotten a game, The Bard's Tale. not only is it a great game (Cary Elwes is the voice of the Bard! can't go wrong there) but it has this thing where if you donate gold to these priests that are in the towns, it unlocks special content. and so i saw the concept art gallery and it was like *ding!* CONCEPT ART! why on earth hadn't I thought of it before? I've always admired the production art in the 'making of' movie books I own, so I really dunno why i never considered it...

but, i need a more extensive portfolio before I think I could swing true production art, and definitley need to work on my background and mechanical drawing skills. but storyboarding is a nice inbetween phase.... and it can move into either movies or games (most games have intricate cutscenes these days, and all games of course go through intricate concept design stages)

my ultimate goal is something like this place: http://www.iceblink.com a collection of production artists founded by Doug Chiang, formerly of ILM.

oh. and. while Calgary can't compete with NO snow over the winter like Vancouver (albeit lots of rain. but i'm fine with rain) Calgary does have it better than most of Canada.... when i was in Toronto, when it got cold, it STAYED cold. you never got a break until spring came. but Calgary gets chinooks. sure it may get cold sometimes. sometimes it gets stupid -40 below cold, but you can always count on having breaks, thanks to the warm air from the western side of the rockies being pushed up over the mountains, then rolling right over us. so it can be freezing one day then the next, snow's melting, it's warm (for winter) and you get a nice little holiday from winter.

Garble · Post by **Garble** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 12:19 am

Wow, that's wonderful news!
Good luck, Bamfette!

I don't know how much experience you have with storyboarding but it's a very valuable skill since it's still used for CGI animation and even many live action films use storyboarders.

Batai · Post by **Batai** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:42 am

I have lived in both Calgary and Vancouver...

Not to say I didn't like Calgary, but Van City is much nicer. (Better weather too!) You will have a great time there!

Alas, I am back in Ontario now. So I can enjoy neither city.

Batai · Post by **Batai** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:43 am

Oh, and good luck!