VFX Job Interview Questions - Top 5 Tips (For 3D Artists)

[@ArjunGhimire]

It's crazy how we get to learn so much things regarding this field due to this amazing person ALLAN MCKAY!! 🔥🔥♥️♥️

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks so much Arjun! I hope it helps again, any subjects you specifically want to see covered, or questions you have - let me know and I'll see what I can do to help. Thanks Arjun

[@juhairakhter1495]

I come back to this video every time I get a job interview and it has always helped very much. Thank you for everything you have done for this community.

[@AllanMcKay]

That’s so great! Thanks for sharing

[@Dr_Disconnect]

One time I asked "What is your ideal candidate for this position?" At the end of an interview and was told, "Not you." with a laugh after it. I told them I wish them the best of luck with finding that person and smiled then left. Won't lie since it was my first interview with a company I went sit in my truck and cried.

[@AllanMcKay]

I'm so sorry that's honestly terrible - all I can say is that you wouldn't want to work for a place like that so it's a blessing in disguise. I don't know how anyone can talk to someone like that - so I'm sorry you experienced that. Hopefully one day you'll have the satisfaction of shooting them down because if that moment

[@Dr_Disconnect]

@@AllanMcKay Thank you for your kind words. I'm so glad I found your channel recently it's helped inspire me again and taught me so many things already. I hope to one day work for an amazing company like Blur. The first time I heard of them was because of the video "League of Legends The New Dawn". I loved how they handled Rengar who is one of my favorite champions in league. That video helped inspire me in a completely different way then my child hood favorites like Toy Story. The amount of action and story telling in each shot is a step above anything else I saw at the time. Sorry about getting off topic, but thank you for replying. I hope you are having a great night.

[@seung2694]

19:26 research about the company 20:56The reason why do you want to work with us

[@maxcardenas8257]

I laughed so hard when you said someone sent you your demo reel with thier name on it

[@AllanMcKay]

I know crazy right?!

[@karanparekh3947]

Just Finished with the interview, 1 hour before i started watching this video, found very useful. So i made some notes. This was my first Job interview and was nervous . And I Cracked it. Thank you Very Very much McKay. Thank you for All the information.

[@AllanMcKay]

That's so great! Congratulations!

[@epereyralucena]

as a personal experience. I was a freelancer for a studio, and they hired me in a fixed position, because not only i worked well, but because on the meetings i made them laugh w jokes or just being outgoing. So when the time came, to choose the next hire, the producer went with me. And when he told me why (i live half a planet of distance, and are the only foreigner on the entire company) i couldnt believe it.

[@AllanMcKay]

That’s awesome man thanks for sharing, it definitely matters a lot that you fit in with the culture and are likable. Ultimately interviewing someone isn’t as much about the hard skills (if they’re interviewing you it means they feel pretty confident of what you can do) but more about how you’ll fit in with the team

[@cantabrian1009]

The tell me about yourself question has been so unnecessarily tricky for me and I don't think I've heard anyone take the time to elaborate upon this like you have done. In hindsight, this kind of advice around demo reels, interviews etc should have been up there with the main points of focus in uni courses. Nice one Alan, binge watching your content at the moment.

[@vfxank]

❤thanks Allan well yesterday I have an interview for the role of compositor and what a coincidence running into your vedio suddenly felt like blessing... thankyou for taking out your time and guidance:)

[@AllanMcKay]

Best of luck!

[@absolutelydoesntmatter]

Today i JUST discovered this channel and it is SO helpful!

[@komradkyle]

Curve ball Questions are fun. I got one before that asked "if you were in a room and were trapped and no sound could escape how would you communicate with the outside world?" The answer was use a phone however my brain considered using the phone sound, so Their question stumped me.

[@balduinoiv6440]

Allen, im just glad i found your channel, i have no words to express you how happy i am with all the things you´re doing for the vfx community Regards

[@Yetike]

Wish I found this video a few days ago! The hr interviewer was solely focusing on my management, leadership and coordination skills... art wasn't even on the menu. For a senior artist position. I was so dumbfounded, had to improvise and keep a pokerface. We'll see how it goes.

[@AllanMcKay]

Definitely keep me know how it turns out! And it's odd when they advertise for one type of position and focus on another. In a way it helps you get a better understanding that if you were to take on the job you are likely not to be doing any art at that place. So maybe it's not a job that interests you, who knows? It's good to ask questions too to get a better understanding of your responsibilities don't feel that it has to be a one sided conversation

[@mannywiebe]

Great video! Also regarding the explosion scenario. I would say to make sure the explosion is over exposed as well. If it's too underexposed and you see alot of detail in the explosion it will look alot more fake. Explosions are very very bright and camera exposure will normally be adjusted to darker things so when explosion happens it will be over exposed. Also reference. Reference is great. That was a bit of a mouth full but felt I had to say lol

[@greog1108]

Hey Allan, very useful and doubt-killer. I swallowed the video like good food, thanks for your effort.

[@AllanMcKay]

That's great - thanks Greo! I'm glad you found it valuable! I'll be posting more content next week - as well as another VFX Case Study (Rogue One)

[@akshayjayakrishnan7940]

thank u allan for choosing this topic. helped a lot...

[@AllanMcKay]

That's great Akshay! Thank you

[@EdmundasPilvelis]

Great insights that should be common sense, but some how gets forgotten of low self worth and fears

[@TheEjazzaidi]

Awesome video almost every tough question asked in an interview was covered Thanks Allan for sharing all your experience.I learned a lot from your videos.

[@AllanMcKay]

Cheers EZ!

[@flurishart612]

Thank you for this. I'm still trying to land my first 3d job this is really useful.

[@AllanMcKay]

That's great to hear! If there's any big burning questions, just let me know, I'm always happy to help!

[@flurishart612]

@@AllanMcKay Do you possibly have any tips for being a self taught artist and applying for your first job? I feel like not having studio experience is going to be a big hurdle and my demo reel will really need to excel to get a chance.

[@hazaonly]

Till now, no dislike!... Hmmm... people wanna learn. Thanks sir

[@yeongyeongkim7523]

Thank you so much for giving us warm and very useful tips. Hope I work with you for making cool works :)

[@SeanFoxxx]

Having a listen to this the day before my interview. If I remember I’ll let ya know how it goes haha

[@minhaj_khan]

Do let us know!

[@abeepeep]

@@minhaj_khan How was it?

[@lwandolawrencemoshani4879]

This is a very helpful video. thank you very much for making it.

[@EarleSara]

I can't believe that there are so many arrogant artists out there! I don't think I've ever badmouthed a company, especially in an interview but I do have a hard time not badmouthing the university that I went to.

[@coverfaker8341]

Thank you Allan!. You looks like Chris Pratt :)

[@akash8403]

Thank you so much sir to telll us about this field and leaning a lot of tings from you ALLAN MACKAY❤️

[@AllanMcKay]

Thank you Akash! 🙏

[@johnmellor932]

I always wanted to get job as a sound editor for film and TV and tried hard for a number of years, did several short interns, but no one would hire me. Just wrong personality is the only thing I could put it down to. Enthusiasm or over enthusiasm can come across as 'knows-it-all'. They think you'll be a nightmare who won't listen. 12 guys were interviewed for an internship as a trainee Foley artist. They each got a turn assisting the Foley artist. They picked one guy. When he asked why they hired him over the other candidates they said: "You were the only one who didn't make suggestions on what prop to use or where the mic should be placed".

[@mikefxv]

I like this video, very helpful and honest

[@Marisafrodge]

So I got a big question, I am working for a bachelors degree for computer animation and I really want to succeed in the future. I know I am very new to computer animation and definitely need a mentor, someone who can guide me to be the best I can be. My question is how do you get a job and a mentor to gain experience while in school so when I graduate I will have gained a good reputation? Will companies hire you while your in school?

[@Atlasmartdesign]

Very nice Video Allan, thanks a lot for charing your experience and also to share your time with us

[@vinodgaitonde1460]

That's really great stuff. Loved it!. Thanks Allan!

[@MahmoudHamdyGad]

Thank you Allan for your effort..

[@AllanMcKay]

You're welcome Mahmoud - thank you

[@rattlesnake3d]

Hey Allan, great job with your videos! Thanks for sharing all this info with everyone 😎🙂

[@DonTerrell]

Great video Allan!! A lot of great insights for interviewing and not just for effects positions. Of course money always seems to be the big elephant in the room. Looking forward to your next video. Cheers.

[@almogct]

Super helpful, as usual. Thanks Allan!

[@flyzvfx]

Great video and cool lamp!

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks @flyzvfx - and I love that lamp too! :)

[@Kardasov]

Thanks a lot Allan. Great information

[@diegosmurillo]

Thanks man! Amazing video 👍🏻 reaaally interesting. Cool advice and great narrative

[@ArjunGhimire]

I LOVE YOU ALLAN MCKAY!! ♥️♥️🔥🔥🤭🤭

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks so much Arjun I appreciate you - 🙏🙏

[@hugowijaya883]

I got an interview with a VFX studio tmr and i'm pretty nervous rn... wish me luck!

[@AllanMcKay]

Good luck let me know how it goes!

[@hugowijaya883]

@@AllanMcKay Hey Allan! It went much better than i expected. They liked my demo reel and basically spent majority of the interview asking me various technical questions about it. Also, they did not ask any of the questions you talked about (which was totally fine), but they really liked that I asked about "what in my application concerns them the most". Because it went superbly well, I woke up this morning with an offer letter. Thanks for the interview tips!

[@AllanMcKay]

@@hugowijaya883 that's great man! Congratulations! Yeah honestly most of the time in vfx you are going in for an interview you're 80% likely to get the job, just at that looking they're trying to lock down that you're not weird and that you do know what you're talking about. So that's great man, really great job!

[@letdaprodoit]

Hi Allan, Thank you so much for the tips! This video is very informative! I really appreciate you doing all these videos to shed some light for people like me that's trying to break into the industry. I do have one question that i was asked in an interview. "What position do you see yourself in, in the future?" this kind of questions to know about your career goals. So my answer to them felt like they don't see it aligns with the position I am applying for. Cheers!

[@mariiazatorska]

thank you so much! it is very helpful. Any advice going freelance without office experience?

[@AllanMcKay]

Build a strong portfolio let your work speak for itself. I would just focus on what you can do rather than needing to address that you don't have any experience

[@lagfx9]

Thanks you so muchhhhhhhh! I really appreciate your help. you're the best

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks Atmane, I hope you find it valuable

[@rishigajbhiye7096]

hey allan, great job its very awesome

[@Consisto7]

Wow this was great, Thank you!

[@dimitriskoutris6139]

I always wanted to destroy cities lol! Oof interview tommorow wish me luck! Thx for the content!

[@diogocarrijoa]

That's gold! Thanks Allan!

[@Mina77pink]

Really great tips!

[@DGalious]

Is this a good idea to ask questions about any differences between the company's deadlines and basic project shedules? I mean, working a whole week for 12 hours, spending days literally in front of a screen, how rush affects on salary or anything around that topic? Thank you very much for your video! It is very helpfull and encouraging.

[@belovedangels6457]

Hi allan i noticed alot of your tips are how to stand out amongst Houdini and 3D artists, such as creating particles and simulation showreels that VFX hirers look for. However, what about compositors and someone who looks to get a job as a compositor in a high budget studio like ILM? How does someone looking to get into this, create a reel that stands out from the crowd? What can you put inside a reel to make it outstanding?

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks so much for your message this absolutely applies to compositors, since most of my friends are compers or came from that background before moving to supervisor. That’s a bit of an open question, in terms of what to put that stands out. But simply just your best work and some creative breakdowns, show the initial directional concepts that you’re trying to mimic and show that you’re able to deliver on it so that way you’re consistent and contain direction. Or that they’re complex shots that you’ve managed to pull off something complicated. Websites like Action VFX agreed to get lots of stock elements to also miss around with, and you can always team up with Matte painters or other otters and try to composite their work. There’s loads you can do, but it’s really about showing that you can do production level work and do some thing that demonstrates that you can go above and beyond, if that makes sense? Again feel free to follow up with more specificity, and I’ll be happy to try to get a bit more specific with my answer. But the short answer is you can absolutely apply everything being discussed to compositing as well without a doubt, thanks so much for the message

[@belovedangels6457]

@@AllanMcKay Also yeah your advice was to stalk high budget studios for the kind of work they produce, to know what sort of simulations they do: SUch as water simulations or pyro sims What about compositors? What do compositors have to look out for when stalking studios? I mean pretty much studios apply every compositing technique in compositing right? So what can be put in a reel to stand out?

[@unknown-hj4gh]

Thank you Allan! :)

[@Swanstardesigns]

Thanks for this - very helpful! I'm wanting to change careers and get into the vfx industry, but this video was really helpful all round. The question I often find annoying in interviews is "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I have to bite my tongue from saying "5 years closer to death", lol, but I think my answer would be: "Thinking back 5 years from now I'm really happy with the progress I've been making, and my hope is that in 5 years time I'll look back to now and be blown away by how far I've come." And I'll try to make it either general or more specific based on what the job is I'm getting interviewed for. I assume they're wondering if I'm just using the job as a stepping stone, or whatever. What do you think about this question? Is it something you ask? What answer would you be looking for?

[@irisfailsafe]

The most intimidating thing is that you feel that you cannot screw up

[@mattskonicki4357]

Awesome video sir :)

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks Matt!

[@Voolcan]

Thanks for the help man.

[@himalayadwivedi5886]

Thank you so much sir for help us

[@kagnihotri3480]

Hello sir, I m from India nd ve experience 10 year in vfx nd stereo both now searching job in London so please make technical interviews tips nd questions answerfor ( 2d artist paint nd comp )

[@megha55339]

Thankyou so much sir for this vedio :)

[@himalayadwivedi5886]

What is the salary of a matte painter ?

[@Voolcan]

btw do you have any similar video regarding "Money and Payment" in this industry? would like to hear your expertise on that.

[@viilth576]

Hello Allan, I'm french and next year I will go to a french school : ESMA. What do you guys think about schools like this? Many people say that these are great but I would like to know what you think about these :)

[@aracturus6220]

Sir, I am 21 and I still didn't started working. That's because i want to study a bit longer as my parents want that I presue higher studies in this field. Is it fine that I don't go for a job and study a bit more? Or should I just go for it and start working? Please note that I want to work in the FX industry. ( Simulation and dynamics) and please tell if is it okay if I don't have any programming knowledge.

[@AllanMcKay]

Hi Aquib, honestly - the sooner you get into the industry the sooner you can start making waves. The longer you study, the longer you're prolonging starting your career. Your first 2 weeks in the industry, at any decent studio - will be worth years of studying. So work on your reel now, land that first job and start gaining traction in your career. I hope that helps

[@aracturus6220]

@@AllanMcKay sir can you please guide me on how good my reel should be and what topics should it cover in FX if I want to try for companies like MPC as a fresher?

[@flyzvfx]

@@aracturus6220 Check this :) ultimatedemoreel.allanmckay.com/freebook He also did several videos/podcast on this topic

[@aracturus6220]

@@flyzvfx thank you!

[@anupFx]

@@aracturus6220 bro even I'm doing a course and I'm working on my reel now for fx dynamics. What softwares ru learning?

[@rossgilbert6459]

this is great

[@AllanMcKay]

Thanks Ross!

[@AD-nu9ih]

First question on 0:25 is actually illegal is a lot of US states lol

[@naveenkannanarunachalam4631]

I’m a zbrush modeller, am I get any jobs in ur company , if there as apprentices???

[@kagnihotri3480]

Sir u didn't answer my question pls make video on technical interviews for 2d comp nd prep artist pls nd pls give us tips

[@8to5pros]

What do you do when you are in an interview and the Interviewer looks at your Reel and say "You didn't create this work You downloaded a template"... But you really did do the work... you created the template from scratch... IMO that Employer isn't a good fit for you...

[@jean-pauls.g.3406]

Thank you!

[@islamben9607]

Hi bro im from Algeria and as vfx artist there is no match work in her how i can get more work with ather studios in the industry of vfx in the world

[@Adityakhati96]

Hello Allan I was about to Mail you regarding a question but then I thought my question could help others also if i post it here. I am an aspiring VFX compositor. what skills should I polish? and is there a need for a compositor to learn sketching? Thanks

[@gangadhardandge6677]

is there any guidlines for freshers who have passion in vfx ??????????? and is it possible to make VFX as career in india !!!!!!!!!!! :(

[@Im0jun]

Why the greenish color theme though?

[@EarleSara]

I submitted an application about four days ago for a job posted that same day. Is it too soon to send a follow-up email?

[@AllanMcKay]

That's fine I would do it in a way that isn't "hey did you check my portfolio" if you show you're just passionate about the position it can work on your favor. So by saying 'i submitted my reel a few days ago, however I did want to just follow up to see if there's any other information you need - this position is something I'm really excited about and want to make sure I'm about to match the requirements as best as possible. So if you need to see more work or shed light on anything please let me know. Hopefully I'm not overstepping my boundaries, just it would be an amazing opportunity to work with your team and I'd like to give his application everything I've got". Personally I feel like communicating that way is a mess of difference than badgering them because you're actually showing passion humility and genuinity through wanting to give this application everything you've got. Hope that makes sense and good luck!

[@EarleSara]

@@AllanMcKay thank you for your prompt reply! I sent the company a follow up email this morning. *fingers crossed*

[@vazak11]

Very helpful, thanks! Though 'not weird', whelp I'm out XD

[@swapnanilnag3713]

I will really be glad if and helpful if you reply me sir ... I am in India ... And studing CGI and VFX it's my 1st year , I am studing it after my 12th , it's a 3 years course but ... It isn't a degree course , I always wanted to go to a BSC animation college but in my city there is not good college (and I am not able to go abroad for some reasons) Can u help me by saying what the qualifications are needed for working in UK or America I will be really helpful if you reply me sir

[@ilyassfouad5190]

Hi Allan , i hope you are well ......i am 3d animator from Morocco , and uselly we speack Frensh as a second language , my level of Englesh is averge so i can understand very well when someone speack to me , but talking is mush more difficulte , so i got a lot of interview , but i was not accepted , because i had meany stuff in my mind and didn't have a way to say it correctly , my question is , is it to late for me now ?...i mean they will say , no this guy we don't like him because he is not a good speacker ? thank you in advance .

[@makowiec2k]

What do you know about the company? AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?

[@Conceptsofsanket]

I am a 3d asset designer , can I join Ubisoft ?

[@megavisartguru]

Sir please send me a link where I can reach you want to have a one on chat with you, I am a 3D artist and I want to up my game around you. Tanks boss

[@diegosmurillo]

And maaan your confidence and simplicity is amazing. You advice is reaaally good. Do you have a mail or Facebook? I would like to talk to you to ask you about some stuff about the industry and stuff

[@apmanti12]

>talent is easy to find um... not really... i mean yeah, there's a lot of talented ppl, but talented people usually are busy and don't sit around without work... but i see what you're saying. yes, nobody wants a talanted dickhead who will screw you over, but cmon that's rarely happens, at least in my exp.

[@rakshith_4eal]

just 360p

[@AllanMcKay]

KZbin posts the video and then posts the HD version once it's finished processing. Should be 1080p now - but I appreciate your eagerness :)

[@lukaszfojcik9257]

In one of video, You mentioned about music in a presentation and that this is one of the ''mistakes''. I have to admit that I am watching your videos one by one and I think your intro is too long and too loud. I am jumping directly to a moment after to avoid this intro.

[@javichsaenz3307]

well you have to take on consideration, in these vids, he is not applying to a job and what if is the first time a person sees this vid, they have to know all the credentials in a stand-alone video, because it might be the first time that person watch it :)