Personal and Professional Practice 3: 'Research' Studio Brief - FuturLab

The next company that I looked at was FuturLab as I attended a talk last year about there company and it was really interesting.The company itself probably isn't going to be one I would ever consider working for, but this is due to the fact that they are making 2D games, and I want to go more towards 3D. But they do offer some really brilliant advice on there website about how to make it in the games industry, good hints and tips that work well for getting your CV looked at and some good advice for getting into the industry in general.

On there website they give some really good essential but possibly obvious tips for when sending off a CV to them, but the information could be applied to other companies as well and it gives a very clear message of think about what that company does before you send off your CV. 

'Essential Tips When Sending Your CV
Spell and format our company name correctly
Mention at least one of our games
Mention why you think your skills will help contribute to our games. So many people offer their photo-realistic 3D rendering skills, for which we have absolutely no use as our games are 2D' (Source)

They also offer some really helpful advice on there website about how to get into the games industry and how you should go about it. Its a long process sometimes but there are ways of getting there just by doing certain things and working your way up. It has some really great advice, especially in the portfolio section which is something I am going to be putting together over the next few weeks. This information has been so helpful and it's definitely going to be worth a revisit later on when I thinking of applying to some companies in the future.

'MAKE THE GRADE?
Minimum education qualifications for an artist are generally good GCSE grades in Maths and English (art wouldn’t hurt too). Qualifications demonstrate to employers that you can focus and work hard on a specific task, so having a good set of GCSE’s is important. A-levels and further can only help.

PORTFOLIO
A strong online portfolio and good work ethic will get you further than any qualifications though. When creating a portfolio it’s better to only have a few really outstanding pieces of work in your portfolio rather than swamping it with everything and anything. Employers aren’t going to spend ages sifting through lots of artwork, they will make their minds up in the first few pieces that they see – so make them good!

It’s also imperative that your portfolio is easy to use and navigate through. Split your work into a few simple pages, e.g. 2D Work, 3D Work, Animation. Or if you’re more specialised, for example a 3D artist, then Vehicles, Characters, Props etc. Employers will know what they’re looking for and if you can help them find it easily then you win bonus points! It’s also worth creating a blog where you can explain your approach and technique to each piece.

GET SOME EXPERIENCE
There are a number of events and projects that will help you gain experience. Anything that you can put on your CV which demonstrates a passion for games will really help.

WORK YOUR WAY UP
It’s also worth thinking about getting a job in QA (games tester) if you have trouble finding an art role immediately. It’s really the only position in the industry that doesn’t require any previous experience, and a fantastic place to learn about the production of games.' (Source)