Conclusion

Overall I found that there was not a huge amount of modelling jobs available at the moment. Which makes me realise that there are a lot of modellers out there. Therefore modelling is a job that has high demand, which means you need to make sure you fit all of the requirements and be the best that you can in order to get a job in that specialism. However I found the research extremely beneficial and it opened my eyes to other fields of animation within the industry, therefore I am now no longer as narrow minded as to just say that I only want to work in the film industry.

I now have a much better understanding of what is required of me to become a modeller. There are key elements that every company requires and I am going to make it my goal that I reach them. I think that I have learnt a lot this year that has made me a more liable candidate for jobs within the industry. I have definitely gained a more vast amount of knowledge this year and have improved everything that I already knew. However I still have a lot to learn and have not even come close to reaching my potential. I think that with a lot more hard work, practice and tuition I will soon be ready to apply for one of these job roles. This year I learnt the valuable skill of  UV mapping and texturing. Most of the modelling jobs that I found required their modellers to be able to UV map and texture. So hopefully if I develop and learn more about those two skills as well as develop my modelling ability then I will fulfill the criteria that these job roles require.

The skills that I am confident that meet the job requirements are:

• How to deliver a "clean" model with tidy polygon/sub-d placement and good basic UV layout for texturing
• Work with teams to deliver models within time and budget constraints.
• Have experience in using Maya
• Have experience rendering animations using Mental Ray
• A very keen eye for detail 
• Strong spatial awareness and a good sense of form, scale and proportion  
• Able to learn in house work flows and methodologies 
• Able to adapt to changing requirements or briefs 
• Resourceful 
• On time delivery 
• Show continuous improvement 
• Ability to deliver any required model at an appropriate level of detail and realism, which fits smoothly into the pipeline of a show 

Despite meeting lots of requirements I still have a lot to learn in order to meet the modeller requirements. The skills that I need to learn are:

• Ability to work with packages such as Mudbox or Z-brush are an advantage 
• At least 1 years experience in feature films would be beneficial. Experience in other areas of visual effects (TV, Games) will also be taken into account
• Experience in a 3D paint package 
• A good knowledge of Linux would be an advantage 
• A strong portfolio
• A knowledge of Max
• Industry Experience

There are not too many requirements that I do not meet however there is still a few too many. I am confident that with a lot more hard work and practice I will soon fulfill these requirements. Apart from not knowing some software, Experience seems to be a key feature. Unfortunately as I am just starting out this is something that I will not get until I have got my first industry job. So perhaps its more worthwhile that I look at job positions as a runner.

To conclude this exercise has shown me that I have come along way and learnt a lot. On the other hand it has also shown me that there is still a long way to go. I think that if I keep practicing, I try my hardest to always improve and I learn more and more then I am all set to fulfill my ambition of working in the animation industry!