What I do

I create digital visual effects and sculptures for a variety of creative productions, including video games and advertisements.

What my role entails

In my role, I am assigned a brief and then I go away to model or sculpt whatever is required for the brief – I am currently working on making the clothing for an avatar. I make the clothing by drawing it out, and I then create a digital pattern and stitch it together and fit it to the avatar, using software like Z Brush to add details right down to the fluff on the fabric.

My work is usually either sculpting, which means working with organic matter like humans or creatures, or modelling which is working with hard surfaces which are not organic, and we use different software depending on each. After this, the models I have worked on will be integrated into the final production.

How I became a technician

I went to school in Manchester and had no clue what I wanted to do when I left school. At first, I thought I wanted to be a fighter pilot, and then wanted to work on yachts so I got a certification to work in maritime but soon realised the yacht part was only in the summer and the winters were spent in boat yards which put me off! I also played basketball to a semi-professional level and travelled a lot, going to Italy and then New Zealand.

I then had a bit of a self-reflection moment and thought back to what I liked to do as a child, I loved sculpting and making things, so I decided to try it again and made sculptures and sold them to local galleries.

When I moved back to the UK, I met someone who worked in special effects who really inspired me, so I reached out to special effects companies whilst teaching myself the software I’d need and saw the apprenticeship at The Mill and started my 18-month apprenticeship last year, through the Next Gen Skills Academy.

A typical day in my
working life

I work in an office in Central London and when I get to work, I either carry on with projects that I am currently working on or start something new. I usually work on one project at a time and if I have any down time between projects, I sculpt my own things to add to my portfolio.

I work in a team so there’s always someone to talk through ideas with – like how to make sculptures more realistic with more wrinkles or creases etc – we all bring something to the table.

Don't cave into social pressure and do what you want to do!

Try different things and focus on what you love.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

Being creative and doing something different from one project to the next – it could be making armour for a knight, making a creature or bones, making clothes or a cart for puppets. It’s so varied.

My favourite piece of equipment

The software I most enjoy using is Z Brush, we use a Wacom tablet and draw with a pen while we use it. Coming from an organic sculpting background, it’s closest to home for me.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

To get in with a top company without much experience has been amazing – I’m straight in at the deep end! Also, I’ve worked on a lot of video game trailers, one of them called Wild Hearts has just been released, it’s about mythical creatures and hunters and was great to work on.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Don’t cave into social pressure and do what you want to do! There are so many choices, it can be hard to pin down one thing – try different things and focus on what you love.

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

Nine apprentices sitting on sofas socialising

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