Lee Cocks (Salvemini)
Lee was one of the lead artists on the worlds first open movie projects elephants dream , a fully 3d CG animated short movie.
www.leewj.com

What are you doing right now - work wise?
After working in a team project that expanded my work capacity and greatly inspired me. I've decided to create an individual CG short film for the next couple of months, to have an example of my work to show for future jobs, and to put to practice all the new skills I've learnt.

What's your average day like?
When not working on-site such as now, sometimes I'll wake up at 4pm, sometimes I'll wake up at 5am. As soon as I manage to get out of bed I dive for the headphones, put on some inspiring music and get to work. I make sure to have a couple of evenings to rest or go out, but CG can become a very fun addiction, so I have to scheduale it or i'd never leave my study.

What does your future hold?
I hope to just keep learning and trying new things until the end of my days. Having experiences working in a team and individually now, I still can't pick a favourite way to work, but I know I could work in a team forever, it's great to work with other company and those with a different skill set. When I'm making animations in a team I get along well with and trust the synergy is amazing. So I think for the future I would love to work in a small to medium studio and make things I really beleive in.

What qualities/strengths make a good 3d artist in your field?
For animation, being able to act and get into character is a great skill to have. On any given shot needing animation I'd work on, I'll spend half of it acting or jumping around my room or the studio working out how a certain character will get from A to B, or how the character will feel and react. It's probably the most physical industry in CG, and theres always something new to bring to life.

Do you believe it's a growth area and if so why?
I think Animation in this industry will always grow and change. There's motion capture, now people can act in real life and gather the body and even facial motion at the same time, but there are places where this type of movement applied to 3D doesnt fit, and some things humans or animals can not do. It is also one of the more global area's of 3D Animation, where 2D Animators or Clay Animators can use the exact 12 principles of Animation. For all the movements there are in the world, there are as many possibilities to animate them, and 3D animation tools keep growing in amazing ways.

What value do you put on training in terms of 3D?
For any area it's very handy to get training. The contacts with those in the industry and knowing you are being taught by somebody with great experience is wonderful. Just like working in the industry training allows you (with more time to experiment and play) to challenge yourself, after each day of such brain and soul expanding you feel on top of the world.

What words of advice would you give someone looking to enter into your particular field of 3D?
Passion and detemrination are a powerful mix. If having the dream of a great animation or type of job is the target, keeping at it will make sure you get to it. Keep in contact with like-minded people, read tutorials in magazines or on the internet and do some courses, play around and try out new things in your spare time. If you enjoy 3D and really have the drive to accomplish things and have fun along the way, you can go anywhere in the industry. Play and work have become the same thing.

Why did you choose mad academy*?
I had been playing around with 3D Programs for almost a year, and I suddenly found out a CG industry existed locally. I found the Mad Academy website and applied to Max fundamentals. It was very exciting to meet some others who were doing CG and to talk to and be taught by those in the industry. Mad Academy appealed to me more then any other form of training I could find, it was a form of training that sat in the middle of the industry.

Do you think that your mad academy training was useful?
On many levels, understanding the industry more from those in it, having certificates in a certain area or general area in 3D, and suddenly being in a place where people know what you mean when you start talking about IK setups or micro-poly displacement.

What was the most pleasing aspect of your training at mad academy?
When I began doing courses at Mad Academy, I had gone from being the only person I knew not in a global internet community doing 3D, to being put right into the middle of the industry as soon as I stepped in the door, I could feel it around me, very cool thing to experience.

What is your dream job?
My dream job? Working with a small/medium team with the purpose to bring to life that story I've always wanted to do, and to allow all others in the team to do so as well.

What kind of things do you look to for inspiration today?
Apart from the usual good movie, series or short; being a musician before I was a CG artist I find a tremendous amount of inspiration in music. The most important advice I was given (by a Managing Director of a CG studio) when I was first starting was to 'live life as much as possible, and learn and draw from life'. So I make sure to have a nice walk to the rocks at the beach or just sit down eating lunch and watch how people walk or talk and find fun ideas there.

Your Demo Reel Advice?
Find a peice of music that will fit the rhythm of your reel, or visa versa. Many people who view reels may turn off the sound, but the rhythm told in the Reel and the way it is presented will be shown. Oh and as they always say, only show your best work, but more I think the frame of mind should be; put in the Reel work you can imagine showing to someone in the industry you admire most, and automatically a great reel will form.

Is there a particular project or job that has changed and re-shaped your perspective more than others?
Working on a short film in Amsterdam. This was my first large scale CG job after studies and completely changed me in my work and as a person. The project lasted 7 months with a 6 person core team and each day I was constantly challenging myself and pushing my limits with the team I was in, it was a very fun and rewarding experience.