Zhuang RiYuan

VFT Program-2020/2021

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

I finished my bachelor's degree in Digital Media Games at York University. At that time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do video games or vfx in the future because I liked them both, but I didn't know anything about visual effects, so I searched on the Internet and find out Seneca's vfx reel every year are super cool and I decided to go to Seneca's VFT program.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the college.

I had a fantastic experience at Seneca although it's also quite busy. The program covers everything you need to know about the vfx and each class corresponds to a career in industry. And the course is up to date, as Seneca did some bonus classes with Unreal Engine in 2021 due to the rise of virtual production. The first semester was very busy because I had to learn all the software in 4 months, but everything pays off and teachers are super helpful even if all the courses are online. The second semester is what I liked the most because we have 4 months to prepare and finish our demo reel without any homework. Teachers will not force you to learn something you don't like or need in the future, if you love fx and you can just only focus on that. At the end of the course, you will not only gain knowledge, but also meet a lot of friends.

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

I used almost everything l learned from Seneca on a daily basis, such as pyro, particles, flip and rbd. Seneca taught me everything I need to know to complete my shot. However the best thing I learned from Seneca is not just using the software, but how to solve the problem. I don't panic when something goes wrong because I know I have the ability to solve it.

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

The advice I will give is try to learn as much as possible before applying. Then just try your best and don't be shy to ask questions and everything will be rewarded

(Written in 2022)