Engin Arslan
Engin Arslan
VFT Program-2008
What education did you have before you took the Visual Effects for Film and Television course?
I attended university in Ankara/Turkey and obtained a B.S. in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering. During my university years, I found myself being more attracted to artistic fields so I started to pursue a related career. At first, I was interested in Graphic Design but my attention soon shifted to Computer Graphics & VFX as it seemed like a better match for my skills and background.
Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.
I studied 'A LOT' at Seneca college. I came from an educational background that I didn't necessarily enjoy and given the second chance to build things up there was really no reason for me to not do so. So I considered and treated the program as a top priority in my life at the time.
How do you use the education you got at Seneca in your job today?
Compared to other courses I have taken in my academic life, our program at Seneca was very dynamic. Our teachers were employed in top visual effect studios in the city so they knew what skills and technologies were in demand which was reflected in the curriculum. This up-to-date and dynamic culture of learning has shaped my perspective and approach to any challenges I face in my job. In a field as vibrant as computer graphics you need to stay fresh and up to date to current trends and the culture at Seneca ensured that this was actually a skill which we would take away from the program.
What advice would you give potential students who are thinking of taking the course?
Don't try to be everything at once, given the vast amount of roles out there (rigging, animation, modeling, lighting, fx, motion graphics, etc) this can be challenging, inefficient and exhausting. Optimize the limited time you have in a way that suits your talents and needs and then make the most of it. Be realistic about your expectations, goals and your current knowledge level and then try to be the best you can. There is no reason for you to not to succeed if you are to put your mind to it. Your are here for a very short time, so make it count.
Engin Arslan, Lighting Lead at MrX.
(Written in 2012)