APRIL 2013

First Invasion Andrei Ardamil

3D Animation Bachelor of Interactive Media 1st Term

A guide to making it to the creative industries.

>> Left Brain vs Right Brain >> The Dos and Donts of a Creative Portfolio
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(Untitled) Xue Lei

Game Level Design (UDK) Adv Dip of Screen & Media 2nd Term

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Prologue
APRIL 2013

What is Digital Media? Do I Have to Be Artistic to be Creative? Six Qualities of Highly Creative People Digital Media Facts Jobs in the Creative Industries How Much Do They Earn? Recommended HSC Subjects Preparing Your First Portfolio: Dos and Donts Getting into the Industry: Insiders Tips AIT Key Dates
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What on earth IS DIGITAL MEDIA?

The definition of digital media is constantly changing as the boundaries of technology expand each day. Generally, digital media is understood as the production of any media which are digitally produced including interactive magazines, website creation, animation, multimedia authoring, short film, and computer games. These media contents are often used as an alternative form of communication: incorporating elements of storytelling, user experience and visual communications design. The output of the production could be shared and distributed via the internet, smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, game consoles, interactive billboards, film and television. With the introduction of social media networks and mobile applications, the face of media has drastically changed in the recent years. It is a fact that people are increasingly thirsty for knowledge as information becomes readily accessible through the web (consumed more via mobile devices). Learning, sharing and communication of ideas became affordable to many with the emergence of popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This general shift in human and social behaviour changed the ways advertising and marketing professionals interact with the world (i.e. their consumers), and will continue to drive the growth of the digital media industry. Digital media production has become a standard process in creating what the world sees, hears, and absorbs each day.

Turcotte, Bryon. What Is Digital Media Production? WiseGeek. Ed. C. Wilborn. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www. wisegeek.com/what-is-digital-media-production.htm>. Lacoma, Tyler. What Is Digital Media Production? eHow. 8 April 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6505051_digital-mediaproduction_.html#ixzz2PsGZ7QvS>.

The interactive games market in Australia will continue its strong growth over the forecast period, increasing at an expected compound annual growth rate of 7.4 percent to reach $2.2 billion in 2016.
PricewaterhouseCoopers,
Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook 2013-2016

Prescott, Lara. Between Minds: Left Brain vs. Right Brain Thinkers. Mindjet. Conspire A Mindjet Publication, 16 May 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://bit.ly/KVuWXe>.

Do I have to be artistic

to be creative?
Artist artist (Noun)
Artist is a descriptive term applied to a person who engages in an activity deemed to be an art with aesthetic values. An artist also may be defined as a person who with the ability to express him- or herself through a medium. The word is also used in a qualitative sense of, a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, an artistic practice. Examples of artistic activities: Drawing Painting Sculpture Acting Dancing Writing Photography Music

Creative /krtiv/ (Adjective)

Creativity is a pervasive force. Creativity, like inventiveness, is a fundamental curiosity. Its our imaginative capacity to generate new ideas, images and ways of thinking; new patterns of behaviour; new combinations of action. It is an innate and universal human trait. Examples of creative activities: Brainstorming Puzzles Sudoku Computer programming Strategy games / board games Creative writing
Prime Ministers Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC), 2005, The role of creativity in the innovation economy, Independent Working Group.

Me Designer Victor Limsila

Digital Illustration Bachelor of Interactive Media 1st Term

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
Writer & Creator of Dilbert comics

Six Qualities of Highly Creative People

Intense curiosity Creative people are wonderstruck. They are tickled by the newness of every moment. They have lots of why and how questions and always have an open mind.

Break the rules: think outside the box Creative people need to free themselves from the mental constraints by removing assumptions and restrictions set out by the general public. They encourage themselves to be open to new ideas and solutions without setting limiting beliefs. Optimist & Self-motivated Creative people are enthusiastic about reaching their goals and solving problems - whatever that may be. This optimism works as fuel for their creative journey, and drive them to achieving their creative vision. Persistence Innovation involves more than just great ideas. We need faith, hard work, and a laser-sharp focus for the end result to keep persisting for your job.

Loves problem-solving By asking the right question and finding the right problem, creators can define the boundaries of their fields that can be extended or broken. Take risks They enjoy a constant seeking of excitement and stimulation from new ideas and perspectives. They accept failure as part of their creative quest and they have the ability to learn from their mistakes.

Scott Adams,

Digital Media Fact #1 The Australian game industry is forecast to reach $2.5 billion by 2015, a compound annual growth rate of 9.5%. Globally, the interactive game market is expected to reach $90.1 billion by 2015.1 Digital Media Fact #2 Females make up 47% of the total game population, up from 46% in 2008.2

#3 edia Fact uss Digital M sers, disc l media u ia c hile o w s f ia o ed 33% n social m 3 o s m ra g T V pro the show. watching

Digital Me dia Fact # The avera 4 ge age of video gam e players in Australia is 32 years o 4 ld.

Digital Media Fact #5 In 2012, 92% of Australian households have a device for playing computer games, up from 88% in late 2008 as mobile gaming has become mainstream.5

Digital Media Fa ct #6 The last thing 47% of the Australian consumers do be fore going to bed is check email; 27% check Facebook.6

PriceWaterhouseCooper, Entertainment & Media Outlook 2011 2015 Bond University and Interactive Games & Entertainment Association

2, 4, 5

(iGEA), Digital Australia 2012 (DA12)

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AIMIA, Yellow Social Media Report ExactTarget, Digital Down Under Report

What kind of jobs are available in the

creative industries?
Actor Advertising Professional Animator Business Owner Brand Strategist Broadcast Technician Cinematographer Client Services Compositor Communication Designer Copywriter Creative & Art Director Design Management Director Editor Experience Designer

Film Producer Game Designer Game Developer Graphic Designer Illustrator / Cartoonist Industrial Designer Interactive Designer Interface Designer Information Architect Level Designer Mobile App Developer Modeller Motion Graphics Designer Multimedia Developer Music Publisher Music Composer Photographer Post-Production Manager Producer Product Designer Production Manager Project Manager

Publicist Retoucher Script Writer Screen Editor Social Media Marketer Social Media Designer Sound Editor Textile Designer Theatre Professional Three-D (3D) Artist UI/UX Designer Visual Artist Visual Effects (VFX) Artist Web & Digital Designer Web Developer Writer

How much do they

Game Designer
AU$ 42,000 AU$ 70,000

EARN?
NOTE - Salary ranges can vary from country to country. The type and size of business were not taken into consideration. The data was obtained from www.seek.com.au in April 2013 and is for general reference only.

Animator
AU$ 34,817 AU$ 60,000

Graphic Designer
AU$ 32,723 AU$ 72,425

Film-Maker
AU$ 34,748 AU$ 88,869

Web Designer
AU$ 36,150 AU$ 118,359

Motion Capturer
AU$ 34,500 AU$ 98,800

Software Developer
AU$ 56,304 AU$ 300,000

Which software are used in the industry?

3DVIA Virtools Adobe After Effects Adobe Dreamweaver Adobe Flash Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Lightroom Adobe Photoshop Adobe Premier Pro Autodesk 3ds Max Autodesk Maya

Autodesk Motion Builder Autodesk Mudbox Autodesk Softimage cineSync CryTek Final Cut Pro id Tech Maxon Cinema 4D Pixologic ZBrush RAGE RealFlow

RenderWare Source Engine The Foundry Mari The Foundry Nuke Unity 3D Unreal Development Kit
...and the list goes on.

Recommended hsc Subjects

It is recommended that you take on a combination of the following subjects in HSC to get a head-start in your creative education. Information Processing & Technology (IPT) IPT subjects (or a Certificate II in IT) offered at high school is a great introduction to information systems, word processing, and design oriented software. Skills obtained in IPT will be useful towards courses such as the Diploma of Digital Media Technologies or the Diploma of Software Development. Design & Technology (D&T) Students could get a head-start in digital media with D&T subjects which will enhance their understanding of the media production process taught in digital media courses like the Bachelor of Interactive Media. Visual Arts It is recommended (though not necessary) that students possess basic art skills (such as sketching, painting and drawing) prior to commencing creative courses as it could help boost their visual communication skills. Software Design & Development Students will be introduced to the various programming languages and software used in the IT industry. This is beneficial for students looking to take up the Diploma of Software Development or a Computer Science course after high school. Mathematics Students looking to pursue a career in software development (a.k.a. programmer) are recommended to possess strong background in mathematics.
Punk Dude Xue Lei
3D Character Modelling & Sculpting Adv Dip. of Screen & Media 2nd Term

Far Away Wai Ming (Ivan) Fung

3D Animation Bachelor of Interactive Media 2nd Term

Tips for preparing your first

A

Creative Portfolio!
Grimoire One Day Studio
3D Animation & Game (Virtools) Adv Dip. of Screen & Media 2nd Term

As an aspiring creative professional, your portfolio is going to be the heart and soul of your work, and an ultimate tool to drive your creative ambitions. Your time in college will mostly revolve around self-exploration, developing techniques, and sharing your passion with like-minded people. The decisions you make in preparation and the execution of your portfolio can hugely affect your career. Below are some tips for you:

DOs
Do keep it short & simple. Have a logical flow to the work you want to showcase so that its easy to follow. Present your work in a tidy manner keep it short and simple.
Dont Let Me Fall Crystal Li

DONTs
Dont overload your portfolio with junk. Only include your best work and the work that you are most proud of. Be critical with each piece of work you include in your portfolio. Dont use low quality images. Nothing is worse than seeing a beautiful image in pixels. Dont be outdated. Try to keep your portfolio up to date with fresh and relevant work. If the work is over five years old, you might want to think twice about including that in your portfolio. Dont forget your credentials. Make sure to include a copy of your up to date resume, and make sure you have the right contact details! Dont forget to proof-read and get constructive criticism from people who matters.
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2D Animation (Flash) Dip. of Interactive Digital Media 3rd Term

Do rehearse your portfolio presentation. Its always nice to hear your creative process and where you get your inspirations from. Tell us a story, paint us a picture to make your portfolio memorable. Do think outside the box. Dont be too generic. Try to stand out. Give that wow! factor. Do start and maintain a digital portfolio. Free online portfolio sites like Behance Network, the Loop and Carbonmade is the easiest way to keep track of all of your digital media work online.

Bokeh Cindy Lemes

Short Film Bachelor of Interactive Media 6th Term

You cant just give someone a creativity injection. You have to create an environment for curiosity and a way to encourage people and get the best out of them.
English author, speaker and international advisor on creativity and innovation

Sir Ken Robinson,

The usual advice is always good: draw and doodle as much as possible. Playtime is crucial, as a diet solely of commissioned work is souldeadeningat least for me it is. A lot of my best ideas seem to come from doodling absentmindedly. And finally, the best job magnet is simply doing good work. Do the best you can, each time. Disappointingly simple.
AIT x Oomph! Studios

Visual Communications

Helen Holt,

Internship Program Bachelor of Interactive Media

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3D Artist

Robert Mc G

owen

The biggest key to landing a dream job in multimedia is a strong portfolio. A truly strong portfolio is one that not only shows the technical skills you have with software but also demonstrates your creativity, your design skills, your artistic talents, your personal styles and most of all your personality. The portfolios that make an impression are the ones that are unique, memorable, entertaining or downright clever. If you want to stand out from the crowd, and land the dream job you need to literally sell yourself.

Have a strong current portfolio and showreel of your recent works. Make sure they are strong. You are as strong as the weakest piece in your gallery. Do not include everything you did since you were five years old, and do not include things with too much objectionable material in them. Create a book out of this. Get it printed. Bring it to the interview. If you also have a website version, even better. All you need pretty much are these weapons. Art and multimedia requires proof more than papers and certificates. Make your weapons really strong, and then attack!
Illustra

Nik Su

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Game D

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The ones that really want to work in the industry dont even to think about it. Th need eir passion drives th em to focus more on learning and absorb ing every lesson le arnt, which enable to create the projec s them ts of their dreams. There is an obvious different between a piece of work that completed overnigh was t, and a piece of wo rk that a lot of time spent perfecting. Em was ployers wants to se e your passion for creative industry. the Simple! Its quite ea sy to see who hass passion, and who do the esnt. So the key is, to find something yo love because it will u show through your professional portfol io.

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ACADEMY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Level 2, 7 Kelly Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 Australia T 02 9211 8399 F 02 9211 8355 E info@ait.nsw.edu.au

Courses
Bachelor of Interactive Media Associate Degree in Interactive Media Advanced Diploma of Screen & Media Diploma of Interactive Digital Media Diploma of Software Development Diploma of Digital Media Technologies Diploma of Business

Register to Free Events & Short Courses online on: www.ait.nsw.edu.au/events.

Magical Creative Campus Wai Ming (Ivan) Fung

Creative Photography Bachelor of Interactive Media 3rd Term

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