Special and Visual Effects Technicians

Students who like to build things, who tend to be curious about how things work, or who enjoy working with computers, might be well suited to a career in special and visual effects. To learn more about the profession, visit your school or public library and bookstores to read more about the field. Read Hollywood trade magazines and other related material on your area of interest. Animation (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/anm), ANIMATIONWorld (https://www.awn.com/animationworld), Cinefex (https://www.cinefex.com), Variety (https://variety.com), and The Hollywood Reporter (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com) are all good places to start.

Since experience and jobs are difficult to get in the film and television industry, it is important to learn about the career to be sure it is right for you. Working on high school drama productions as a stagehand, "techie," or make-up artist can be helpful for learning set and prop design, methods of handling equipment, and artistry. Community theaters and independent filmmakers can provide volunteer work experience; they rely on volunteers because they have limited operating funds.

Alternatively, if you find you are adept in computer classes and curious about advances in computer animation, you may wish to pursue this field by continuing your learning and exploration of computer techniques.