Virtual Studio Researcher at Weta Digital Visits NZSE
We had a special guest visit us!
Jaewoo Seo, Virtual Studio Researcher at Weta Digital, one of the world’s premier visual effects companies, was invited to meet our digital media students to share his experiences in this fascinating and cutting edge industry.
It was an exciting experience for our students at the city campus to meet and interact with such an accomplished and experienced animator who has worked for best seller movies such as Fast & Furious 7, the Hobbit and Dawn of Planet of the Apes.
Here are some excerpts from this stimulating encounter.
What did you study at University?
Technology has always been my keenest interest. I completed Bachelor’s degrees in Digital Media and Computer Science at Ajou University (South Korea) followed by a Ph.D and a Master’s degrees in Culture Technology at KAIST University (South Korea)
What was your role at WETA Digital?
I am currently in the Research & Development Department dealing with programming/scripting and have done some very interesting projects in this role.
How did you land the internship at WETA Digital?
When I was a student, I got the chance to meet a senior person from Weta at a seminar and had an opportunity to showcase my research projects. He loved the work I produced and we went from there.
What has helped you the most with developing your skills as a programmer?
Having an open mind to every changing technology. Also, years of study have definitely enhanced my researching skills.
How long have you been in the industry?
I have been working in the industry for 5 years now.
According to you, what are the learning challenges in this field?
The animation field is at the cutting edge of technology. To my mind the greatest challenge is always trying to keep up with the new and ever changing technologies. To tackle these challenges ongoing research and experiments must be undertaken to stay on top of new developments.
If there was one piece of advice that you were to give aspirants who are seeking to excel in this field, what would it be?
Practice makes perfect. Prefect your skill/art and get as much from your studies as possible. It also doesn’t hurt to intern and get some real work experience.
