THE ROOKIES 2016
Winners talk about what it takes to win this prestigious award
Formerly the CG Student Awards, The Rookies is the largest online awards for creative students and is an annual international meeting of young creative minds. The Rookies was established back in 2009 by visual effects veterans Andrew Mcdonald and Alwyn Hunt, who created the awards as a way to discover and showcase outstanding new talent emerging from higher education facilities. The awards also help graduates get in a foot in the door at the world’s top creative studios.
For the last seven years, The Rookies has attracted aspiring artists from all over the globe, showcasing their impressive portfolios in a number of creative categories – including VFX and Animation, Next-gen Gaming and Motion Graphics. Entrants are in with a chance of winning not only a prestigious award, but also top prizes that include state-of-the-art hardware and software and industry recognition. The biggest prize of all is an intership at some of the world’s biggest video game, film VFX and advertising studios.
And the winner is…
Once again, the judges had their work cut out for them, but after much deliberation, the results are in. Walking away with the top spot in VFX and Animation was Filmakademie Badenwürttemberg student and second-time Rookies entrant Martin Lapp. “I entered The Rookies two years ago and made second place in the VFX category,” he explains. “I skipped 2015 because my demo reel needed updating, but I wanted to enter again because I knew from last time that it’s a great chance to compete against some really talented artists and it’s also
super-fun to see their work. The broad range of skills you get to see at The Rookies is also very motivating.”
Martin was confident 2016 was the year to apply again, putting his success very much down to a commitment to study. “This might not apply to everyone, but certainly in my case, applying to Filmakademie was absolutely key to improving my skills as an artist,” he says. “Most of the work I uploaded is student work and it’s safe to say that without almost six years of studying at Filmakademie, I probably wouldn’t have had the time to try out so many software packages and techniques. The last six years studying were really crazy, but they helped me get a scholarship, then a job at Method Studios and win a VES, CG Student and The Rookies award. So kudos to that great school. I would recommend aspiring artists apply there or another school teaching VFX and animation.”
The future looks bright
The skills Martin acquired during his time at Filmakademie clearly caught the judges’ eyes. “My work may have stood out because it shows a broad range of different skills, which is the result of being a generalist,” he reveals. “Other than that, it’s just a collection of years of hard work, late nights, great support from family and friends… and having the great luck to still absolutely love what I do. That’s what’s most important, that you’re in love with it – if not, there is no way to succeed, I think.”
Since Martin won The Rookies, a number of new and exciting possibilities have presented themselves. “Just taking part in the competition is a great way to get your foot in the door and get attention from the studios,” he says. “It can often connect you with job offers and internships – and let’s not forget the great prizes if you win!”
Next-gen gaming award goes to…
Another artist currently celebrating Rookies success is Ray Thuc Le, winner of the Next-gen Gaming title. “I was still a student at Think Tank Training Centre and wanted to enter a competition upon graduation, so I did some research and found The Rookies,” explains Ray, adding: “It’s the most prestigious and well known competition for students.”
Wanting to enter a highly competitive industry, Ray knew that bagging a Rookies award would add a lot of weight to his profile. “If you want to be an artist, the first thing you need to learn is how to sell yourself – get noticed and get your name out there!” he says. “It’s even harder for a new graduate without a long history of work experience, so I had to have something that would make me stand out. Entering (and winning!) The Rookies was exactly what I needed. The competition really motivated me to create better work, and overall it was a great experience.”
broad skills
Ray thought carefully about the work he uploaded for his entry to The Rookies, choosing artwork that showed a broad range of technical and creative skills, as well as demonstrating an understanding of the industry. “There were four characters in my entry – all of them were based on 2D concepts or fan art of famous games,” he reveals. “I chose to work from concept art because I wanted to show I have the ability to recreate other people’s ideas in 3D, because that is the nature of this
I found that being dissatisfied with my work was a good thing because my taste and ability to recognise ‘good art’ is developing faster than my ability to create Ray Thuc Le, Next-gen Gaming award winner
job, creating 3D models based on a design from concept artists.
“I mostly prefer to work on realism and creating realistic human characters because I believe this area is the most challenging. It requires deep knowledge of human anatomy. If you make mistakes on a monster or creature, it could be forgiven because it is difficult to see. There is no right or wrong in creature design. However, if you make just one small mistake on humanoid characters, everyone will notice it, especially when you are making female characters. And these are the reasons why my entry stood out because it satisfies most of the important requirements that recruiters look for in a good portfolio,” he says.
hard work pays off
Since winning Rookie of The Year, award, Ray has got a step firmly up the creative ladder. “The Rookies helped me land a job at Akimbo Creation, a start-up company with a small team of passionate and talented individuals,” he says. “Besides creating all 3D characters for the game from concepts, I also help the environment artist with props, web, and graphic design. I’ve learned a huge amount by working in an independent studio.”
So what advice would he give to aspiring artists? “Never give up,” he says. “Everybody has to start somewhere, nobody is ever great from the start. I was so disappointed with my first sculpt that I thought of quitting school and changing industries. However, when I think about it, I found that being dissatisfied with my work was a good thing because my taste and the ability to recognise ‘good art’ is developing faster than my ability to create. All I need to do is just keep practising and learning. Winning the title Rookie of The Year means all my hard work is finally starting to pay off – thanks to those that supported me!” See all of The Rookies entries at www.therookies.co