Prashant Goel

VFT Program-2015

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

After finishing high school I did a 3 year Visual Effects and Animation program from Picasso Animation College from Delhi, India, building my base for this industry. After that I got placed as Roto/Paint artist and eventually as a Stereo Compositor. I gained a total of 4 years experience including Nuke knowledge. But, with a bit of research and friend's suggestion I was sure about why am I going for this course even after the experience I had. 

Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.

Everyone who studied at Seneca for VFT, says the same thing and I'll also repeat the same... It's "The Best" if you're sure that you want to be in this industry as your career. For me, I was thoughtful and was questioning myself.. "Will it be worth it?" But, truly I was glad with my decision to take this course. It was amazing experience being taught by the mentors who are NOT just mentors but are working with the industry and have the knowledge of latest pipeline and workflow of an actual studio. They know very well how to motivate and prepare you for the industry you are stepping into. 

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

I was holding a job as a compositor in one of the best studio in Toronto and that was before graduating!! What else you can expect? I was using Nuke before Seneca too, but I was not knowing the full potential of Nuke. The in-depth knowledge of software helps you understand and learn it more efficiently and much faster too. The tips and tricks being shared by faculties helps you get your everyday work at a studio. And I am still connected with them for any help/troubleshoot. 

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

- 1st advice I'll give is to be sure where you're heading. If you're sure about it read further. :) 
- I'll prefer you to have a prior knowledge as its short duration and sometimes can be hard to catch but definitely you can always ask your mentors. 
- During the course, try to choose your own field of interest as soon as possible which will help you a lot saving your time for your reel at the end be it 3D/FX/compositing or motion graphics. I was not sure during 1st semester that I will end up with a FX reel or a compositing reel and spent so much time with R&D which obviously was not helpful for my reel. Try to do your VFX shots as if you are going to put them in your reel at the end. Don't be too ambitious with the shots. You will realize what I mean when you're doing your VFX Shots...  
- Be dedicated and focussed as its just 8 months and yes...time will literally fly.... ! 
- Try to make use of 24/7 accessible lab as much as you can.
- And also, there are lot of fun things happening around the campus, keep checking them too for a stress reliever. :)
- DO YOUR BEST... and hopefully will meet somewhere around.. Thanks for reading. 

(Written in 2016) 
Prashant's IMDB page