did these for the toybiz HP pitch a million years ago... always liked them, so i colored them up for my games portfolio. my record of zero responses from any game or animation studio remains intact. yay!
I'm surprised that you are getting little to no response Ben. Through personal experience, I have noticed that game studios are particularly difficult either due to a more "cartoony" portfolio or, perhaps insecure art directors. You should be having better luck, your stuff seriously ROCKS.
although i must confess that i did hear back from the 4 major animation studios no), but in each case it was only through the intervention of someone i knew personally. in one case, before that the studio had lost my portfolio, so i was never even reviewed, which just makes me nervous because who knows if anyone is even looking at my work anywhere? especially for games, they (understandably) make it impossible for you to follow up with anyone. boo hoo. games studios might simply think my work is just not good enough -- most of the stuff i send them is not cartoony at all -- although i suppose, like animation, they might just think my work is too individualistic. (i must confess, i never thought my work was all that unique.) but most likely, i just don't have the resume... you can't get a games job unless you've already worked at a games job! and i'm sure there are lots of other applicants who do have the experience. i suspect that i am going to end up staying in freelance limbo. i suppose there are worse things, but i really did want to do animation or games!!!
I know that a lot of entertainment companies (game companies included) won't even accept artist samples any more for fear of legal entanglements. I had a sample pack returned with a form letter from a game company. The old days of "we'll keep your stuff on file until blah blah blah" are over I guess. Have you considered making a post on the Drawing Board Forum that you are looking for a gig? You've got so many fans there that are in the biz that I'd be surprised if you didn't get a foot in the right door somewhere.
in theory, "we'll keep your stuff on file until blah blah blah" still applies... at least, that's what their automatic replies say: submission received, if you don't hear back you didn't get it, but we'll keep you on file... but like i said, you never even know if anyone will look at it or not. don't get me wrong, though, i understand that i'm trying to get into 2 of the most demanding and competitive art careers there are. i'm also an unusual case in that there's probably a much larger discrepancy between my artistic "talent" and my resume than is usually true. so under the right circumstances, it's POSSIBLE that some AD or whoever might see my work and say "let's take a chance on him", but i bet most recruiters see the resume, or fail to see one specific thing that they're told to look for in my portfolio, and that's that.
i've actually been getting help from friends and fellow-DBers, at least at the animation studios. otherwise i wouldn't have gotten anywhere! i've been very lucky with that, and they've done everything they can to help me, it's pretty humbling. part of it is that i'm trying to do my regular work and take care of my daughters while job-hunting, so everything is a lot slower than if i was just unemployed... oh, the irony! and i think the freelance, non-studio background counts against me. finally, as one person very helpfully and accurately put it, my stuff looks like it would be awesome... for a ben caldwell film. which would be a concern for directors who want to fit me into a pre-existing style. so i'm still plugging away, with newer design samples, and various storyboards/tests. it is just a very slow process, and i don't have an indefinite time to look. so i can't say i'm not getting a fair shot or anything, it just isn't happening right now. i'll keep at it and we'll see what happens!
Equally suprised and sad; You're very talented and it's a shame if people are worried about your style being too dominant for a pre-existing one. Not unlike Sean Galloway, you have a unique style that'd be fun to see animated, and like him, you might have to be pulled back a bit for the studios' but the talent is obviously there, so the bastard's should hire you!
6 comments:
I'm surprised that you are getting little to no response Ben. Through personal experience, I have noticed that game studios are particularly difficult either due to a more "cartoony" portfolio or, perhaps insecure art directors. You should be having better luck, your stuff seriously ROCKS.
i likes me that halloween troll. he's fancy.
and yeah, it's criminal that you're not hired. BOOOOO
yes, poor me.
although i must confess that i did hear back from the 4 major animation studios no), but in each case it was only through the intervention of someone i knew personally. in one case, before that the studio had lost my portfolio, so i was never even reviewed, which just makes me nervous because who knows if anyone is even looking at my work anywhere?
especially for games, they (understandably) make it impossible for you to follow up with anyone. boo hoo.
games studios might simply think my work is just not good enough -- most of the stuff i send them is not cartoony at all -- although i suppose, like animation, they might just think my work is too individualistic. (i must confess, i never thought my work was all that unique.) but most likely, i just don't have the resume... you can't get a games job unless you've already worked at a games job! and i'm sure there are lots of other applicants who do have the experience.
i suspect that i am going to end up staying in freelance limbo. i suppose there are worse things, but i really did want to do animation or games!!!
I know that a lot of entertainment companies (game companies included) won't even accept artist samples any more for fear of legal entanglements. I had a sample pack returned with a form letter from a game company. The old days of "we'll keep your stuff on file until blah blah blah" are over I guess.
Have you considered making a post on the Drawing Board Forum that you are looking for a gig? You've got so many fans there that are in the biz that I'd be surprised if you didn't get a foot in the right door somewhere.
in theory, "we'll keep your stuff on file until blah blah blah" still applies... at least, that's what their automatic replies say: submission received, if you don't hear back you didn't get it, but we'll keep you on file... but like i said, you never even know if anyone will look at it or not.
don't get me wrong, though, i understand that i'm trying to get into 2 of the most demanding and competitive art careers there are. i'm also an unusual case in that there's probably a much larger discrepancy between my artistic "talent" and my resume than is usually true. so under the right circumstances, it's POSSIBLE that some AD or whoever might see my work and say "let's take a chance on him", but i bet most recruiters see the resume, or fail to see one specific thing that they're told to look for in my portfolio, and that's that.
i've actually been getting help from friends and fellow-DBers, at least at the animation studios. otherwise i wouldn't have gotten anywhere! i've been very lucky with that, and they've done everything they can to help me, it's pretty humbling. part of it is that i'm trying to do my regular work and take care of my daughters while job-hunting, so everything is a lot slower than if i was just unemployed... oh, the irony! and i think the freelance, non-studio background counts against me. finally, as one person very helpfully and accurately put it, my stuff looks like it would be awesome... for a ben caldwell film. which would be a concern for directors who want to fit me into a pre-existing style. so i'm still plugging away, with newer design samples, and various storyboards/tests. it is just a very slow process, and i don't have an indefinite time to look.
so i can't say i'm not getting a fair shot or anything, it just isn't happening right now. i'll keep at it and we'll see what happens!
Equally suprised and sad; You're very talented and it's a shame if people are worried about your style being too dominant for a pre-existing one. Not unlike Sean Galloway, you have a unique style that'd be fun to see animated, and like him, you might have to be pulled back a bit for the studios' but the talent is obviously there, so the bastard's should hire you!
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