Navdeep Singh - 2016/2017

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

I graduated from the 3D Animation program at Seneca College in 2016, where I learned different aspects of animation and I decided to choose animation as my career. I met many professionals from industry who inspired me to learn more, which lead me to the VFT program at Seneca College and I also landed in Pixomondo as an Animator. Also Before Seneca, I completed a 3 year "BA in 3D Animation and VFX", from MAAC India.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.

VFT is a very informative, intense and well-organized program, in which all the aspects of VFX Industry are packed in eight months. I made the most out of this program and learned everything needed to make magic happen on screen. All the teachers are professionals in the industry, which helped me to make many professional connections. I always wanted to make short films to explore my storytelling capabilities and VFT gave me that power. I spent all my time working on assignments, and it was a bit intense for me because at the same time I was also working part-time at Pixomondo. I feel I could have done a better job if I had more time.

VFT offers a variety of professional equipment to their students to live a real world professional experience and I totally missed that. The coordinator keeps this program up to date with the industry and technology which was an advantage.

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

Currently, I work in Pixomondo as an Animator and I have already worked on many blockbuster Hollywood films and Tv series. Some of them are 'Wonder Woman', 'Fast and Furious 8', 'Power Rangers', 'Star Trek Discovery' etc. The best thing is that now I can coordinate better with each department because I have a better knowledge of all the software and techniques used in the industry. It made my job easier as an animator because I can also animate crowds in Houdini and track stuff in PF track whenever I needed. At the same time, I am trying to build my own professional channel on Youtube to teach 'Creature Animation' and showcase the extra work I do in my free time. I already have more than 2000 subscribers and over 2 million views on my channel. now I don't need any external help to make a VFX shot because VFT taught me all software and helped me to build a professional eye. In future, I am also planning to sell my tutorials.

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

I would say that if a person wants to get a job in VFX industry in eight months, then this program is for you. There are so many things you learn every day that sometimes it's hard to keep track of it, so you have to be ready like a soldier to be in this program. You get the most out of the money you spend. Don't be lazy like me and be on time in class. Never miss a single class and try all the expensive equipment you get from teachers. If you give your best, you may end up getting your dream job.

(Written in 2017)