My interest in the 3D world began when I was 17, after playing "Diablo 3" and seeing the cinematics within, especially the photorealism of "Leah". When I first saw her, I thought it was a live-action cinematic, so I began researching and when I found out that it was actually CGI animation, I was amazed. The level of realism was nothing I've seen before, every wrinkle and skin pore being worked in detail. This made me want to know more about the techniques and processes involved in the industry.

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   The reason I picked this course is knowing that I will have top notch staff's support and state of the art facilities, which will give me the opportunity to learn and enhance the skills and techniques required further on.

 

   During the first year of college, I've learnt how to use a range of software such as Maya and Unity, one of the projects done being an explorable New York rooftops level, having to model and texture the assets in it, then import the scene into Unity and add different particle effects, scripts and lights to create a more lifelike scene. I've also learnt different rigging techniques from how to set up joints to using IK handles and blend shapes. Other programs would be Mudbox, Photoshop and After Effects, programs which I've mostly used to create maps and textures for my projects in Maya, and After Effects for the final visualization of them. I used Flash for 2D animations, creating a Fire Safety one, and also creating a game entirely done in it, where I had the chance to learn basic scripting, using IF statements, variables and others. Because I am enjoying using these programs, I am currently working on my own game in my spare time, a project which is still ongoing, adding any new knowledge I've gathered along the way, for example reducing the number of polygons on the assets and creating displacement maps for detail instead.

 

  I participated in the BFI Animation Camp, where I've learnt multiple techniques of stop motion animation, from paper cuts and sand to clay figurines. In small groups we had to create a short film, which helped me develop my team working and crafting skills. My main involvement in this group was modeling the characters, using aluminum wires for the armature and polystyrene balls to increase resistance and decrease weight, then adding clay over to actually model them. I was in charge of 2 of the characters animation, and edited the final movie together. I also had the chance to talk directly to professionals in the movie industry, such as Steve Gear, which gave me tips about how to improve my work, and how to catch the eye of the viewer.

 

  Drawing is something I learnt during my time at the High school of arts - Sibiu, an activity I find relaxing, always seeking to improve it by drawing every time I have the chance to, from short sketches of people doing their regular activities, to still life or designing characters. I've also recently began to go to museums, such as Victoria & Albert or British Museum to draw after statues of great artists, analyzing the curves and muscles of the human body.

 

   My greatest influence is Blizzard Entertainment's design team, creating some of the best games and having the some of the best cinematics in the industry. I'm always trying to achieve the level of detail, quality and realism of their cinematics, constantly seeking to improve myself in this domain. They are the company I'm aiming to work for and continue learning from, creating some of my favorite games of all time, and combining great stories with both great gameplay and design.

 

   These being said, I'm looking forward to continuing my development at university, and am confident it will enable me to be an asset and successful, helping me to achieve my purpose and get to create something shared and loved by millions of people.