The Spitalfields-based VFX studio has launched its sixth annual Futurefolk competition, its initiative to nurture, inspire and kick-start the careers of the next generation of VFX talent.
An ever increasing demand for VFX in film, TV and commercials has created a global shortage of people with the right skills and industry experience, so the Futurefolk mission is to spot talent from all VFX disciplines.
The one month paid internship will allow experience within Freefolk Commercials and Freefolk Film & Episodic, in either the 2D or 3D department to provide great opportunities for all students who are interested in starting a career in post-production. Futurefolk was created to help build a workforce that reflects the society we live in.
We all know how crucial it is to discover the VFX experts of the future and this initiative allows us to find the talent and nurture it. Covid and remote working has had a major impact on entry level and junior artists. The development and career progression of this group has been stalled, so through Futurefolk and our existing junior staff, it’s our duty to do all we can to reverse this.
Fi Kilroe, Managing Director of Freefolk
One of the Futurefolkers of 2022 was Nuke Compositor Josh Hockney, who explains the value of his experience.
The opportunity of getting to work on live industry projects, and the experience it brings in: dailies, internal pipelines and rendering, working as part of a production line, assessing work and applying feedback from supervisors and clients are huge steps into making me a much more comprehensive and industry ready artist.
My colleagues always made me feel very welcome and there was definitely a family feel around the office that was felt both on days inside the office and while working at home with everyone being very accessible and always helpful. I was lucky enough to get to work on a variety of shots for both a television show and an advertisement and got to work alongside people all around the office.
Josh Hockney, Nuke Compositor
This year’s hybrid placement will take place during the summer, with a combination of both remote and minimum two days at the studio, with timings to work best for all. The initiative is open to all VFX students, pre and post graduate, and to those have not taken the university route. The deadline for submissions is 23 April at midnight. See more details on the Freefolk website here.
