Houdini In Australia And Nz

[Angelorcks]

hi guys,

this is my first post on this exiting forum.I am a wannabe houdini artist.

Anyway I kindly request u to advice me on a decision i am abt to take.

I checked the course in houdini in Vancouver film school.I would like to apply there.I think its a six month course.But the thing is that i have no production experience.I have been playing around with maya for a long time now , and i can confidently say that i have atleast passed the beginner stage by a great mile.

Now my query is,if i do Houdini and produce a good demo reel,will studios atleast consider me.If not in the US atleast in Australia and NZ.The truth is i am from Singapore and i know the studios hate to go through the immigration issue.But if i learn houdini and develop good skills,will they give me a chance to prove myself? Bcoz the course at Vancouver Film School is pretty dam expensive.

I have a bachelors in multimedia(3 years) and have been working as a lighting artist in small studio.Will these factors add any weightage?

I know this is pretty personal question and depends an luck to a large extent.BUt the question is by learning houdini,can i get a break into the industry?

I think this will do for now.

Anyway thanks in advance.

[GallenWolf]

Hey man!

First off, welcome to Odforce. I'm also from SG, currently completing (1 more week left ) Internship with SESI in LA.

If you are going to do the course please check (if possible) with people who have already completed the course, see what kind of reels they have done, and what jobs they took up after. You probably know that back home in SG there is like zero need for houdini artists (and after touching houdini i really really do not want to go back to max!)

If you want to work in the states, for us SG ppl, you should first look into the H1B and H1B1 visa to see if you can qualify for it. If you do, I think with a good demo reel you should have no problem. AU/NZ, I'm not sure which companies using Houdini right now. I was told Rising Sun Pictures was using it? If they do I would love to head there as well check out life there

You mention that you work as a lighting artist? I'm sure some studios use Houdini in their lighting pipeline but i think the majority of the houdini users are geared more towards VFX work. So do think carefully about your future path, and then decide which school you wanna go to and what package to work on with.

I think another old bird may chime in... not sure X)

GW

Edited November 14, 2007 by GallenWolf

[doc]

I think GallenWolf's suggestions are sound.

other things to consider:

I know that there are a lot of working houdini users who went to SCAD (http://www.scad.edu/)

they seem to have a very comprehensive program.

You might also consider viz acky (http://www.vizyacky.com/) the guy who runs that school (Garman)

worked in production for years before starting the school. He has a wealth of experience and he's a

great teacher.

like GallenWolf, a lot of existing houdini users got their start via the internship program at sidefx.

After finishing your course I'd look into trying to get an internship.

As you said school is very expensive, make sure you're getting your money's worth.

Make a point seeing the students demo reels and ask the schools specifically where their

graduates are employed. And if at all possible get in touch with those graduates and let

them tell you what their experience is.

Are there any Vancouver film school grads out there? perhaps they can comment.

Hope that helps

L

[Marc]

Weren't there a whole bunch of VFS projects in the WIP section at one point? The work looked pretty good and it seemed like a good program.

As for getting a job, Houdini users seem to find it relatively easy to stay employed. But as with everything it has a lot to do with timing, your reel and who you know as to how hard it will be getting your first job.

Cheers

Marc

P.S. oh yeah, the intern suggestions are good ones..

[Angelorcks]

Gallenwolf, doc and marc.thanks a lot for the reply.

Will be checking out Vizy acky.

I will try to contact any students from VFS and check out their opinion.

[rob]

The current trend is still Maya in NZ and Aus. RSP has a couple of seats Houdini which is used for FX. They tend to hire only seasoned users with a track record for specific jobs as they only have a couple of seats. Things might change in the future here in Aus and there might be a lot more houdini seats with any luck

Edited November 26, 2007 by rob

[meshsmooth]

Kanuka studio is a new studio working on the film daybreakers. We are located in Brisbane.

We are small but what we are doing is big. But is'nt that is normal for a houdini based studio.

[Angelorcks]

hey meshsmooth,

can u give more details abt the studio u work in.Checked the website.Looks like u guys are silently doing some big time work.

Do u hire fresh houdini graduates by any chance.Even a small chance?

[stevenong]

Hi there,

I'm the old bird GallenWolf mentioned. I'm also from SG and had an internship with SESI which definitely opened doors for me. I highly recommend the internship if you can do it. Coincidentally, SESI is looking for interns now.

I'm not sure what you really want to do. Do you want to do lighting or FX or...? Or are you thinking of learning Houdini so you can work in the US and elsewhere? If you create a great demo reel with whatever software you're comfortable with, you will get chances to work anywhere. Yes, Houdini artists are in higher demand but at the end of the day, a demo reel is what a potential employer will know of your ability. If you prove yourself to be a good artist, many studios will get you a visa.

While trying to decide on a course, please download Houdini Apprentice & go through all the tutorials you can find to see if you like Houdini in the first place.

Good luck!

Cheers!

steven