Mark Hammond
Mark Hammond
VFT Program-2012/2013
Mark Hammond
What education did you have before you took the Visual Effects for Film and Television course?
I had a Diploma of Animation and Digital Arts from Durham College and some background in After Effects and Maya / Mudbox.
Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.
I learned a lot at Seneca and had a great time while learning. The teachers were all extremely knowledgeable at what they teach and a great help with your individual projects. The learning process was very hands on. Professors take the time to go over things more in detail and cater to problems that students have run into while doing assignments.
Thanks to the hard work of the professors I had a job within a month out of the program doing composting at a small company and moved up to SPIN VFX a month later.
How do you use the education you got at Seneca in your job today?
I was hired a Compositor by SPIN the summer after school. Everything I learned in the VFT program I am using in my compositing at work. Things like Keying, Rotoscoping and Colour Correction are used on a daily basis but having 3D knowledge in Nuke has been a huge advantage when it comes to different shots.
Mark's demo reel when he graduated from Seneca
What advice would you give potential students who are thinking of taking the course?
The teachers aren't there to hold your hand. They are a huge help but only if you keep up in class. Choosing your focus early on was a huge advantage for me. Take it all in for the first half semester and figure out what it is you want to do. Work hard and get everyone's input, and keep working.
If you push yourself the professors will continue to teach you new things, their knowledge seem to have no limits.
(Written in 2013)