[convoyrider]

Wow, this is great news, but are there any aussies here who now what the front is like down under?

[good bye]

This all sounds very...depressing and very stressful. I doubt I would last a minute. Unless you can put up with lots of shit, kiss a lot of ass and live on breadcrumbs - it doesn't sound very promising. None of it does. There's no way for me to make a living.

I hate everything.

[Lunatique]

Errrr. Flippin' burgers or pushing pencils is better?

[jasonN]

All this information is really great, but I'm in the same boat as convoyrider. I need info about the Aussie industry!!
Are there any local professionals out there that could offer their insights?

After I finish my degree I might have to move overseas, which will be super costly....

[zayats]

MoleculeMan queried:
heres a question: what if you have experience in programming AND art? Are there any opportunities(sp?) out there for people like that (ie prolly me! heh)

Heck yeah...
I work at a large Visual Effects studio.
Folks with programming AND art skills are crucial to a number of positions at my company:
a) Character Setup, which involves building skeletons for digital "puppets", creating custom constraints and controls, writing expressions so the character puppets have extra "bells and whistles", binding geometry, dealing with deformations, etc. Gotta be technically savvy with an understanding of character anatomy and movement.
b) Animation Support, which involves solving technical problems and writing programs directly related to streamlining the animation process. Gotta be able to write code and understand how artists are gonna use (and abuse) your programs. Interface design skills are helpful as well.
c) FX animators, who generate smoke, hair, cloth, fire, water (etc) effects. This requires a good deal of math as well as an aesthetic eye.
d) Digital compositors, who combine separate elements into finished images. Often requires scripting skills.
e) Lighting TD's, who often need to interpret cryptic lighting software, writing custom tools and batch routines. This job requires technical skills as well as an understanding of color theory and light & shadow.

Individuals who can bring aesthetic sensibilities as well as strong technical skills to such jobs can command very high salaries in the film FX biz, because folks who are equally experienced in both areas are extremely hard to find.

Experienced Character Setup & Animation Support TD's can easily make $2k per week or more.

[Loki]

hey Zayats - who you're working for?

[zayats]

Sony Imageworks.

[razzak]

this has been really great, and like many things this is coming to a close too. thanks everyone. you dont know how much youve helped me with this, its very much appreciated.