The Vancouver Convention Centre is not the only place to catch some industry insight during SIGGRAPH. As Digital Character Animation grad Caroline Jarvis (now a 3D Animation & Visual Effects Teaching Assistant) writes here, three representatives from Zoic Studios gave VFS students an inside look at how things run at their company.

Guest Post by Caroline Jarvis

This morning, 3D Animation & Visual Effects students had the privilege of sitting in on a presentation by three of the driving forces behind Zoic Studios: Loni Peristere (Co-Founder/Exec. Creative Director), Patrick Mooney (BC General Manager), and Chris Roff (BC Head of Production). Zoic has helped create impressive screen work from Zombieland to Battlestar Galactica.

What impressed me the most was hearing Loni Peristere reiterate how important story is: “If nobody cares about the story then all the rest of the hard work will be for nothing.” He encouraged the audience to keep being open to being a student as they enter the industry. Chris Roff added, “Our industry, it’s like music, like learning the blues. You find a sequence that inspires you, break it down, analyze it, learn as much as possible from it. From there you can take your passion and knowledge and make the next big thing.”

Loni and Chris, along with Patrick Mooney, helped guide students in pursuit of their dream careers. Patrick acknowledged that students learn such a huge amount in such a short time period, and notes you might not reach your career goals or have the perfect reel right away. But the reels that stand out are the ones that show a glimpse of your potential and talent that can emerge and evolve over time. Showing your passion through little scenes that are unique from your peers will set you apart.

This panel was extremely inspiring and really encouraging for those trying to break into the industry. Passion and story seem to be the driving force of this team and it was a real privilege to have such motivating speakers who inspire passion and a pursuit of greatness.

Thanks, Caroline!

You can check out some photos from Zoic’s visit on the VFS Flickr profile.