How Much Is a CGI?
Sam Milner, is a CGI Artist at Smoke & Mirrors London. He's well versed in CGI, having studied visual effects at degree level years ago and he's been taking briefs from clients and working at his current agency at professional level since 2014. We managed to sit him down for a few minutes to ask him about his career so far, to discover what he really loves about making CGI, his favourite jobs and projects and his advice for budding CGI artists who want to join the industry.
LBB> How did you get into CGI?
Sam Milner> I studied Visual Effects in Film and TV at the University of Hertfordshire. About half way through my first year, I did a week’s work experience at Smoke & Mirrors. It seemed to go pretty well- after my third day, they offered me a position! Keen to obtain my degree too, I began my double life- 2 days a week (and every holiday) at S&M and the other 3 at Uni. It wasn’t easy, but hard work really does pay off!!
LBB> What’s your favourite part of your job?
SM> There’s nothing better than getting a challenging brief from a client and being able to bring their vision to life. I’m lucky enough to be a part of a great team here- collaborating with colleagues that I’m lucky enough to call friends and bringing together all of our skill sets to create really visually interesting work makes me look forward to coming into work every morning.
LBB> Which recent project did you love being a part of and why?
SM>I recently received a brief from Someone Agency to create a Pegasus. The challenge here, lay in creating a photo-real creature of a mythical animal. Creating the right anatomy, and figuring out how it might move and what the proportions might be was a challenge I particularly enjoyed.
LBB> What advice would you give to someone starting out in CGI?
SM> Carry on learning. Work on personal projects in your spare time to improve your skill set, and always say yes to work experience opportunities.
LBB> What’s your favourite anecdote or quote that you've heard uttered from a client/ colleague?
SM> How much is a CGI?
