lucas film interview!

here's a first-hand account (long ass one too that is) on the once-in-a-lifetime interview with lucas film. okay maybe not once in a lifetime but its not everyday you get like fucking big studios coming to your college doorsteps, giving few students chance to strut their reel and talk about themselves!

here goes.

i went to class very nervously, i slept only 3 hours the day before, woke up early to composite my final animation teaser and compose it in my reel. rushed to the lrt catch my bus and arrived to class with thudding heart. my classmates were playing CS again. the usual. no one seem excited that lucas is coming to give a talk. i know i am. it's crazy. only me and jennie seems excited about lucas. the rest were so nonchalant that you have to be wondering why are they there in the first place. (not being obnoxious but seriously... it's holy molly crap big boss lucas film man)

so then i found out lucas is coming at 1pm, after lunch. so just hang around in the class, being called by vinay and mona every few minutes to help them with their playblast and animation... it got a little too annoying they were calling me every few frigging minutes. i had so little sleep and i was cranky but i think i didn't show it. okay cut cut cut lucas came. we went to the main class with a projector, they started introducing themselves, apparently the department that came here were the handheld games department, requiring 3d animation, modeler, background artist and such. but of course being in lucas film whatever department they have requires you to have a high standard of your own. they talk about what to do with your sshow reel, who to send it to, how to make sure the reel is effective, etc etc.

i might appear annoying to some ppl cause at the beginning they ask who's not sure where they wanna specialize in yet i raise my hand. then they ask who wanna do animation i raised my hand again. then they laughed at me and said so you do know what you wanna do. i'm like yeahh i like them all but i like animation but it got drowned out by the laughter that came from dunno where.

okay so after giving us the lowdowns on reel they show us a video of lucasfilm singapore. holy moly macaroni. i feel like i'm watching a US studio directly. the studio seem real huge, and there is sooooooooo much going on there! they have classes for artists there, they have rooms for discussion, classes for acting, omg!! a very creative working atmostphere and the interior is beautiful to boot! it seems like a real world class studio NOTHING like in malaysia AT ALL. they even have direct contact with california division discussing about work and stuff. so it's really good to know that too. lucasfilm seems like a dream........

then later they will be interviewing people, selected by lecturers, to watch our reels and give us direction hopefully for the future. so we went downstairs to the library floor, the new ground floor of go academy. i wasnt sure i was selected, but i checked the list and thankfully sam put my name in it. i was the fifth one. they had 8 ppl all together there. so begins the long waiting process. then i realize an error. i didnt have a frigging resume. others brought resume and reel. i only have reel. my mouth and eyes went ---> O . O|| <-- with the stress lines

at first i was pretty dumb, i took blank sheet of paper and wrote roughly my biodata with my crappy handwriting... then i realize shit this is goonna look soooo utterly bad. i rushed upstairs back to my class, typed a short resume hastily only providing them with details they need to know and plead the receptionist to print it for me. thankfully she's nice to me, and say yes i'll print for you. i thanked her profusely. then she ssaid if you get the job you can treat me rm100, i'm like of course! right away! she's like, really?? i'm like yeah!! bye! and ran downstairs. XD

so wait wait wait finally reach my turn!!! okay heres the part

i went in nervously. i'm a nervous person. i remember johnny told me yesterday that i should act like myself, and use the nervousness to my advantage. so i took that and become as silly as i always am. i grinned sheepishly at them uttered a big hearty Hello! with all the expressiveness that i always do and took my seat . i should mention here the lucas people; one american white tall guy, 2 chinese lady, one about 30+ the other is 25+ quite pretty(Alicia, forget the other names). and the american guy was like HEY i remember you! you were the one that kept asking question and annoy ppl and laughed. okay off to a good start i reckon. so my little careless stunt i did during the talk sorta paid off. and then they said, we know what you want to do, its character animation. then i told them about my aspirations and what i like about animation so much that strive me to do this. and then i showed them my reel.

i start off with my latest life drawings, stuff that i did lately cause i notice my affluency with pen + speed lifedrawing and nude models. oh i also showed them my concept paintings, and some of my latest sketches with compilation of illustrated characters, despite producing very few good ones, when i combined them together they seem okay. then my 2d animation, they loved the paper, and said it was so beautiful, the way i did everything. the american guy loved it, safe to say they were suitably impress by it. i also showed them courage, petshop animation, snowman and stuff. courage ignite some laughter. hehe. 2d took about 50 secs of the reel. then motion graphic. and commercial i did with ambi pur. they seem to really like the ribbon effect too lol.

then 3d animation. this is where i pack my punches and my assets lie. i started with the bouncing ball that i did, the one that Sam asked us to do with story. he laughed again at my bouncing ball getting angry. then some sneak walk animation. and minnie. the punch. (the only punch i had infact -_-) when they frst say minnie jumping into the background they pause it. and said this is amazing did you do all this on your own? i said yeah. they love the trees the design, and the lipsync. they play that part again and again. but one part they didnt seem to like is minnie lifting weight animation mainly because they didnt laugh at the ending where i crushed minnie. they didnt comment on it and didnt say anything about it i guess its not so good =/. and finally norman jumping like an idiot.

having finished the reel, the american guy (happens to be head department for games division) played it again and said i have some really amazing work in my reel. he played the reel, paused and scrutinized some parts ( i almost said: pls dont pause u'll see the weakness lol) and they were watching minnie again, and said they could really see minnie in their games too, this sort of things work well. i was practically sky high at cloud nine after this, i was grinning like a sheep and hamster, my hardwork was sooooo worth it. then he explained in games animation they also do character animation, so all that i'm doing is completely what they will do in lucas too. alot of action animation and stuff. and he asked me to send them more animation, now that they've seen my ability in arts and designs, they want me to just concentrate on animation and send them more of it. no more fancy stuff, just plain ol' animation. lol. he said and once i send them more animation they'll discuss about my work again, and if there's an open slot they'll give me a shout out. i thank them profusely for the direction, i now know what i have to do and what i have to improve on, becoming my prime focus.

so many emotions are going through my head i was stuttering a little and my body were shaking with excitement, i wish them have a great day thanks for the time and walk out grinning again, baring all my metallic teeth. w00000.

all in all its an eye opening experience. i really really really must work hard now. i was told by the top company's recruiter that i have some skills. regardless of all the things other people say to me, how horrible my things is and how sucky it is.... it's an ultimate sense of fulfillness to know that my hard work is appreciated... i know what i have to strive for now.

so when they left , Sam told us to give them a big round of applause which we did, we shook their hands again, and american guy ask me, did the interview help me in any way, i was like oh yeah definitely man this is such an experience. maybe because of my nervousness, Alicia was beaming at me and saying Bye Jackson!! Gee she remembered my name! the recruiter!

only part i remember about interview is that i was sometimes like motor mouth i speak b4 my brain and sometimes i might say dumb things. maybe not too dumb tho, but may appear not so good. lol. when i get excitement i juz cant think straight.

euphoria euphoria euphoria. such feeling. i know i might not get the job so soon, cause they know i just started doing 3d animation a month ago, but... gosh... i must work harder than before!!! no way in hell i'll let anyone who tell me otherwise to stop me now!!

thanks lucas for this inspirational visit. the fire in me is ignited bigger now.