Arena Newsletter April 2020 by Creosouls

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Posted on May 26, 2020 - 13:24 pm

Arena Newsletter April 2020

The Rookie Awards 2020

The Rookie Awards is the world's biggest contest for aspiring creatives in games, animation, visual effects, immersive media, motion graphics and product visualisation.

This is the 10^th annual contest so it's one you don't want to miss. Take a chance and share your work to industry heavyweights and influencers, receive badges and certificates, connect with other young artists and launch your creative career in 2020.

Eligibility: You can be a student, self-taught artist, or even a hobbyist. If you have more than 12 months professional experience in any related field that puts you at a distinct advantage over emerging artists, your entry will be disqualified. No work completed at a professional studio can be shared.

Entries closes on 1^st June, 2020. For details on Categories & Submission of your work, please visit the official website mentioned below:

Website:
https://www.therookies.co/contests/groups/rookie-awards-2020

YouTube Link:
Rookie Awards 2020 | Teaser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAvYGTpqADg

Rookie Awards 2020 | Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tVF9onPx7A

Image Credit: Artwork by Alexandre Mougenot

Courtesy: www.therookies.co

The Game Industry steps up in the fight against the Coronavirus

The game industry is known for its fierce competition. But during the coronavirus, cooperation is happening. As the people who run these companies go beyond survival mode, they are stepping up with charitable efforts, donations and awareness campaigns.

It's getting hard to keep track of everything. The biggest effort is PlayApartTogether, a campaign joined by 56 game companies so far. This group has agreed to spread messages from the World Health Organization to try to slow the spread of COVID-19.

They are encouraging physical distancing, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and other preventive actions people can take to fight COVID-19. The campaign started at Zynga, and it caught on fire as virtually everybody came on board.

YouTube Link
Zynga #PlayApartTogether
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JOFayIap4Y

Image Credit: PlayApartTogether

Source: Dean Takahashi @ DEANTAK

Courtesy: www.venturebeat.com

The Game Industry steps up in the fight against the Coronavirus

Fundamental VR offering Free Ventilator Course for Health Professionals

The medical simulation company has collaborated with Imperial College to train the skills to ventilate COVID-19 patients.

There is an unprecedented demand for ventilators due to the coronavirus pandemic, yet the physical machines are really only part of the equation.

To help medical staff (re)acquire the necessary skills to do that, FundamentalVR, a start-up that develops immersive simulations to train surgeons, has worked with Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to develop an online tool that allows medical professionals, to gain the key knowledge they need to properly ventilate patients in around 30 minutes.

YouTube Link
Virtual Reality Medical Training from Oxford Medical Simulation | Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj1tGuuM8Ro&featur

Image Credit: Getty Images / FundamentalVR

Courtesy: www.vrscout.com

Online Induction Program

Our Regional Academic Head Mr. Swapnil Gaikwad, Mr. Amar Trivedi, and the sales & placement teams from West came together to conduct an online induction program for our new students' admissions. The students got an understanding of the different amenities available to them throughout the course, such as studio visits, alumni meet, in addition to their classes. Additionally, a session was also conducted to motivate students to attend online classes during the lockdown.

A Week of Workshops

We conducted 4 online workshops for our students, led by Mr. Swapnil Gaikwad our Regional Academic Head, on the topics of Human & Animal Anatomy, Character Design, Portfolio Development, and Color Theory & Graphic Symbolisation. The students displayed great enthusiasm for these sessions, and the feedback was very impressive.

Thinking Design & Creativity

Design and creativity go hand in hand. Design helps your creativity stand out, and creativity makes your design stand out from the rest, helping you create your mark on the industry. To instil this thought process in our students, our Regional Academic Head, Mr. Suresh Kumar conducted a series of online workshops on the topic that was attended collectively by more than 200 students. The response to these sessions was so impressive that we received inquiries from the students, asking when the next workshop would go live.

A Creative Career is always Trending

It's true, as the trends in the M&E industry are also regularly evolving. To align aspirants with the current trends in the industry, Mr. Suresh Kumar, our Regional Academic Head, conducted an online session for 42 students from IZEE College, Bengaluru.

STUDY TOUR FROM NIMS COLLEGE TO ARENA ANIMATION

Dominating their Digital Painting Skillset

More than 170 students attended an online masterclass on digital painting on 15th April 2020, where our faculty, through a live demonstration, showed them the process of designing digital art, from start to finish. The class was a great learning experience, as the students got a chance to interact with the trainer and get their doubts clarified.

A Professional Life in and after the Lockdown

Given the current lockdown, our students had a lot of questions regarding their career prospects ahead of them. To answer their doubts, we conducted an online industry interaction session on 25th April 2020, where Ms. Neha Mishra from our Industry Connect & Alliances team gave them insights on the current job scenario and tips on how to adapt as we move ahead. The 130 students in attendance also clarified their doubts related to showreels, interview tips and career trends.

Real Expertise in the Third Dimension

3D textures are better when they imitate reality to the last detail. Designing realistic-looking textures is a highly demanded skill in the VFX and animation sectors of the M&E industry. We organised an online 3D texturing masterclass on 28thApril, 2020 that was attended by 52 students. The masterclass covered all the aspects of texturing, software, and insights on how to create realistic-looking textures. The students also got a chance to have their queries clarified, and were glad to be a part of this learn-from-home session.

Building Expertise with the Experts

There's no better way to learn how an expert does things than learning with an expert from the field. On 26thApril 2020, 176 students got a chance to learn about Layout & Animation from our guest industry expert Mr. Krishna Mohan, Creative Director at Green Gold Animation. The workshop covered topics such as:

• Current Netflix series project at Green Gold Animation
• Animation pipeline
• Importance of basic sketching
• Tips on how to concentrate on animation without distractions
• Various books on creativity students can refer to
• Importance of animatics, blocking & animation in the journey to the final output
• Software currently being used in the industry for 2D & 3D animation
• A Q&A session to clarify students' doubts

Learning the Magic of VFX from a VFX Wizard

We invited Mr. Prasad Kuttikrishnan, a CG Artist with more than 16 years of experience in the industry to conduct an online industry expert session on Digital Matte Painting on 6th May, 2020. Prasad started his career as a CG Generalist at Maya Entertainment in Mumbai and works as a Creative Director today with Graphic India. 404 students attended this online workshop, and the feedback was very impressive.

Creativity Wins

We conducted three engagement contests for our students in April. The response was enthusiastic, with each entry showcasing the exceptional talent present amongst our students at Arena Animation.

Here are the winners of our contests, congratulations to you all!