Franco Barroeta​

VFT Program-2006​

What education did you have before you took the Visual Effects for Film and Television course?

My name is Franco Barroeta and I'm from Mexico. I have a background in graphic design. At first I was looking for a motion graphics course, but I ended up learning a lot more of what I expected as the course went through.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.

I came to Seneca College in 2006. I found the course was very technical, which was a great thing for me after coming from a more artistic background. The teachers were really passionate about their specialty and the groups were kept small and focused. I also met some of my greatest friends and partners here.

How do you use the education you got at Seneca in your job today?

I'm currently working in broadcast design and motion graphics. I really use a lot of composting and VFX techniques not only on my motion graphics work but also on graphic design for print. I am a generalist so I like to study and do as much as I can from concept and design to 3D and rendering. This course helped me get a general glimpse of various production tasks and gave me a great start to continue learning by myself.

What advice would you give potential students who are thinking of taking the course?

I would advise students to try to be as strong in their visualization and design skills before studying the course. It will help you improve and learn new things, but it's a good idea to already have a strong and solid visual background. Try to apply everything you learn to the context that interests you, for example if you like motion graphics try to apply your compositing, 3D modeling and particles into your graphic work. And finally think of building your portfolio while doing the assignments; don't just see them as homework, but as an excellent opportunity to experiment.

(Written in 2007)​