Creative media and art students at Telford College listened to an insightful talk from London-based VFX artist John Kay about his career and the industry.

Having worked on blockbusters such as Star Wars VIII, Harry Potter, Venom and many more, John’s presentation captured the imaginations of students and where a career in special effects could take them.

“When I left college, it was the early days of CGI, which required a mixture of programming and being artistic” says John. “In 1991, I made a cartoon, ‘Pear People in Car Race’, that was aired on TV and at many festivals. After that, I was hired by a games company to initially create a game about my cartoon, but it was my first steps into the industry.

“I’ve travelled around a lot with my job, to such diverse places as France, Marrakech, Stockholm and Istanbul working on Film and TV.

“My favourite project was a B-movie called Grabbers; I had so much fun animating this crazy twenty-six tentacle creature that attacks a pub in Ireland. I also enjoyed working on Star Wars too, it was amazing to sit behind the cameras and watch all the actors on set filming – including the late Carrie Fisher acting with Laura Dern from Jurassic Park.

“It’s really exciting to work on big movies that are household names, but the reality is that most of the time we’re sat in an office animating, away from all the action! We do get chance to visit sets – one highlight of my career was being able to set foot on the Millenium Falcon.”

When asked what skills John thinks are important for anybody looking to get into the industry, he emphasises the importance of specialising skills.

“It’s so important to gain a general understanding and practical skills, but choose what you enjoy doing, as it will be what you’ll be doing all day every day. I enjoy doing animation, I get a real buzz from the initial design and modelling to rendering. No matter what course you’re doing, you should always do something you enjoy and perfect your skills at home.”

“It does help to network too, getting to know people in the industry in a professional or social setting is very important to build any potential future collaborations, as well as team-working and meeting deadlines when part of a team.”

Joe Adams, curriculum team leader for creative & media, said: “John’s visit was both engaging and incredibly informative throughout. Our students have benefited hugely from the presentation, with the depth of knowledge and experience John has”.

John Abbott, learner manager for creative & music, added: “Tutors within the department work very hard to develop and maintain industry contacts that provide vital insight to our students in all areas of creative studies.

“Giving students access to meet with industry professionals provides such a positive reinforcement to their learning.” 

Our media students recently helped film a brand-new podcast with movie stuntman Justin Pearson – find out more