Paul Turner -2018/2019

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

Before attending Seneca I graduated from Ontario College of Art ad Design majoring in Drawing and Painting. I also attended both Sheridan College for Classical Animation and the Academy of Realist Art. For several years I have been working as an exhibiting Visual Artist and Arts Educator. While teaching lots of classes, doing portrait commissions and of course my own personal work I have always had an interest in VFX, specifically Matte Painting. With my fine art experience and training it’s a natural fit. Wanting to get work as a Matte Painter, I began to try and build a reel on my own. Photoshop has always been part of my fine art practice and through sites like Pluralsight and Youtube I began learning the basics of Nuke and Maya. I found this limiting though and building a reel on my own between my teaching schedule was next to impossible. I heard about Seneca VFX and attended an open house and decided to go.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.

My experience at Seneca was a very positive one. It required a lot of hard work and there was an incredible amount of new information to be absorbed. It was certainly not easy but the instructors where very supportive and extremely knowledgeable. It was fast paced but the arc of information delivered and increasing complexity of assignments being given were logical and cumulative. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. Over all I had a really amazing time working closely with my instructors and other students in the program, building my knowledge and creating my reel.

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

I felt the program prepared me for my job as a Matte Painter very well. I use my education from Seneca everyday. It’s the foundation of my workflow and process; It informs the way I approach my tasks how I solve problems and deliver my shots. I continue to build on that foundation based on my own areas of interest and what is required of me at work.

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

Pick your area of focus as early as possible. Try your best to plan ahead and use any flexibility in assignments in first semester as opportunity to create elements that could be used in shots for your reel. Take responsibility for your own learning experience, set your goals and do the work!

(Written in 2019)