Jonathan Gaspari -2018/2019

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

Honours business administration at the Ivey Business School of Western University.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.

One of the hardest yet fulfilling 8 months of my life. The VFX program at Seneca is extremely fast paced, but it’s this environment that helps you to succeed and drive you to learn. I believe this program has not only given me a solid foundation in visual effects, but has shown me how much I can achieve, learn, and create in such a relatively short amount of time.

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

Everyday! I primarily use Houdini and I often find myself looking through old recordings to remember concepts from class. Additionally, because this program covers all the major departments of visual effects, is taught by teachers in the industry, and uses all the current industry standard software, you enter the work force using the tools and completing production styled shots that you would in a studio.

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

By ensuring you’re mentally, physically, and financially stable before starting the program will set you up for success by allowing you to focus solely on your school work and worry less about exterior distractions. Also, don’t get hyper focused and stuck on little details that won't get noticed because it's more important to finish the shot than handing in half of a perfect one. And most importantly, never give up!

(Written in 2019)