Member Spotlight - Sébastien Dussault

Please state your name, where you're from, if you had previous animation experience, how long you have been studying at iAnimate, and what workshops.

My name is Sebastien Dussault and I am from Quebec City, Canada. Overall, I did 5 workshops at iAnimate. I started in the feature animation workshops with the close up acting (Workshop 4) and the full body acting class (Workshop 5). After completing those workshops, I realized I was still struggling with body mechanics and also needed to improve my workflow in order to become more efficient. At the time, the Games workshops were just announced. It was a perfect fit with my ambitions to improve those specific skills so I enrolled in. I recently completed the Games curriculum and am really happy with my choice. Afterwards, I did an internship as a gameplay animator for the prototype of "Project Lune" at iAnimate. Prior to getting hired a few weeks ago, I had close to no experience in a studio environment as an animator. So all my experience basically came from my studies at iAnimate and this internship.

What studio recently hired you and how did it all happen? Tell us your story (application, interview, studio tour, etc)

I am now working at Ubisoft Quebec as a gameplay animator on an undisclosed project. The interview process was quite quick which was great. Within a week from applying, I had my interview with the recruiter, the project manager and the animation director. We had a pretty cool discussion on various subjects and the next day I got an offer to start the next Monday.

How was your learning experience at iAnimate, pros and cons and how did it help you to strengthen your animation skills.

I had an amazing experience at iAnimate. The workshop’s curriculum, especially the games division, is really tailored to the needs of the industry. What I had to do for assignments as a student is pretty much what I’m now doing on a daily basis now as a gameplay animator. My mentors were really great.  They helped me a lot to improve my skill set in a small amount of time and teach me techniques various techniques to improve my workflow. It has really helped me to manage my time when working on a shot, know what to prioritize and always think of the impact of every animation within the context of a system and the game.

The fact that you can watch other instructors’ lectures is also a plus, because it helps you to see various workflows and approach to different game styles. The growing library of characters with crazy designs is also a great thing because it pushes you to think outside the box to accomplish animations to fit with there particular design. I also love the fact that every block the workshops are being revised and adapted depending on the industry needs and the student’s comments. It really is a proof that the school tries to improve and offer the best workshops possible. I think that those improvements have really help the students to get the best out of the experience and the latest student show reels are really a testament of the animation quality being thought at iAnimate.

On the other hand, I think the school would benefit from a little upgrade to the site for a review section. At the moment, there is so much stuff in the home page that new animation uploaded for critique is lost in the mayhem of information. Having a more visible list of videos on the right side screen would be great. Students would simply have to check that they ask for critiques on this video before uploading. This way it could show on the side tab and could be access rapidly by other students who want to give a critique. Otherwise, what I would have suggested for improvement would have been to do a creature animation class and a motion capture adapted class…which were announced a few weeks ago. It’s a really nice addition to the already great curriculum.

Do you feel your time at iAnimate helped you to land this job? And how so?

iAnimate was an amazing learning experience for me. I've grown a lot as an animator but also as a person. Being critiqued every week in a live session forces you to get rid of your ego and be professional every time. It also gives you a chance to discuss with industry veterans and ask any questions you might have concerning the industry, game engines, animation system, advice concerning shots, life experience, opinions on a game or a system… It is a perfect situation to grow as an animator and create a great professional network within the student and mentor community.

With the assignment that are really tailored to the industry needs, makes your animations really show that you understand the needs of a game and how to create animations for a precise system. Plus with the various rigs that iAnimate offers, it really helps to make your demo reel stand out compared to the common free rigs that are vastly used

Also, what I’ve been taught concerning game engines, game design and animation systems is a really big plus to accomplish my everyday tasks. It was also something that helped me stand out in the interview process. It has really helped me know and understand what is expected of me, but also helped me be able to communicate easily with my colleagues with various specialties.

Even though there is a lot and will always be something new to learn, I really think the games workshop have helped me to be industry ready and prepare me to be adaptable and enjoy the really iterative process that defines the video game world.

Would you recommend iAnimate?

I would totally recommend iAnimate. I think the workshops are really beneficial, varied and adapted to the industry needs. There is a great line up of instructors with various backgrounds, a complete curriculum and an amazing number of cool looking characters to play with.  

Anything else you'd like to share?

YOU GUYS ROCK! KEEP AT IT AND CONTINUE TO IMPRESS US WITH YOUR AMAZING WORK.