Pranjal Choudhary
Pranjal Choudhary
VFT Program-2014
What education did you have before you took the Visual Effects for Film and Television course?
Pranjal Choudhary
Before coming to Canada for VFT I was enrolled with MAAC (Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics) where I learned the basics of 3d packages like Maya and 3ds Max. I also have a degree in Information Technology which helped me to grasp the technical side of the Visual Effects. I really believe that Visual Effects and compositing specifically is an amalgam of technical and creative skills.
Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.
Fast, Intense and Informative. The experience at Seneca was outstanding. Though I had some prior knowledge of Visual Effects and how it works, the course at Seneca changed my workflow and style quite a lot. I learned new and correct ways to do things. The course has some rare breed of instructors that are well versed and updated when it comes to industry standards. The instructors were readily available whenever I needed them. They were times when I was working during the break and the instructors were more than happy to make video tutorials explaining things to me and problem solve my shots. My classmates were also very supportive and quite honest when it came to feedback and I think that helped a lot in polishing my work.
How do you use the education you got at Seneca in your job today?
Today at work, in some way or the other I am using the techniques and fundamentals learned at the course. The course not only teaches software skills but also gives a good understanding of approaching a shot, problem-solving and surviving in the industry. The in hand industry experience knowledge shared by the instructors facilitated me to transition smoothly from studies to work.
This was Pranjal's demo reel when he graduated from the program in 2014.
What advice would you give potential students who are thinking of taking the course?
The course is very robust and is designed to give you the most in 8 months, which can be overwhelming sometimes, but If you get sure about what interests you the most that will be very helpful. It's not really about the GPA or marks in an assignment, all of it boils down to the Demo Reel you have by the end of the course. A rough plan on how you can approach your Demo Reel will get you a step ahead and keep you away from all the last time confusions. At last but not the least, love whatever you do and be passionate about it.
(Written in 2016)