From School to Studio: VFX Compositor Minkyoung Jo
Alumni highlight & Student Success
We reached out to one of our VFX Compositing graduates for her to share her journey through the industry to where she is now.
Minkyoung has multiple film credits, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, One Piece and Forgotten Island.
What first inspired you to pursue a career in Visual Effects? What is it about compositing that still excites you?
“I’ve always loved movies and storytelling, but during my high school years and in college, superhero movies were huge. I think it was just a very natural thing to be curious about how those visual effects were created whenever I would find something cool, and I stumbled upon breakdown videos from studios. (thanks youtube!)
I love that as a compositor, you get to touch on every element that’s been created by other talented artists, and it’s my job to make sure that each one works to seamlessly create the final vision.”
Minkyoung’s Student Reel from 2023
What were you doing before joining Campus VFX and what led you to choose this program?
“I majored in 3D Animation and VFX, but my emphasis was on animation. I knew what I wanted was to work on films and feature shows, but that’s super vague! I lacked information on what specific things I needed to be trained for within the pipeline until my last year of university. I took a compositing class as an elective, and I was immediately hooked. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to get a job at a design studio working on mobile advertisements. However, that experience just cemented what I already knew; I wanted to work on films.
When I made up my mind, I got to researching how to approach the possibility of having to go back to school. Having experienced going to an art university firsthand, I knew that I couldn’t just go to schools with the biggest billboards and ads, but I needed to find somewhere where the graduates are active in the industry and are happy to recommend the school. I went through LinkedIn to just cold-message a bunch of Lost Boys (now Campus VFX) graduates; most of them were kind enough to write back about their time there and how they’ve been doing since graduation. That helped me make up my mind.”
What were you doing before joining Campus VFX and what led you to choose this program?
“I majored in 3D Animation and VFX, but my emphasis was on animation. I knew what I wanted was to work on films and feature shows, but that’s super vague! I lacked information on what specific things I needed to be trained for within the pipeline until my last year of university. I took a compositing class as an elective, and I was immediately hooked. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to get a job at a design studio working on mobile advertisements. However, that experience just cemented what I already knew; I wanted to work on films.
When I made up my mind, I got to researching how to approach the possibility of having to go back to school. Having experienced going to an art university firsthand, I knew that I couldn’t just go to schools with the biggest billboards and ads, but I needed to find somewhere where the graduates are active in the industry and are happy to recommend the school. I went through LinkedIn to just cold-message a bunch of Lost Boys (now Campus VFX) graduates; most of them were kind enough to write back about their time there and how they’ve been doing since graduation. That helped me make up my mind.”
Can you tell us about a project you really enjoyed working on during your program and what made it stand out for you?
“I really enjoyed working on my actor replacement project not just because I got to go through a bunch of my favourite movies, but because it ended up being the most time-consuming one. There wasn’t a known answer for the issues I’d encountered during it, because everybody’s shot was different. It felt like the most accurate representation of working on an actual shot rather than just an exercise.”
How would you describe your experience at Campus VFX (LB)? In what ways do you think it prepared you for your next steps in the industry?
“I loved that I could be in the school working on things til late with other classmates, and that it was all project-based. It felt very flexible, and having a teacher around during lab time was always helpful in finishing up on each shot. It didn’t really feel like a school but more of a studio setting, as we had to manage our own time in finishing up shots and get reviews in a group setting.“
What has your experience been like in the industry since graduating?
“I had one of the worst timings as I was hit with the strike early on after my graduation, but I was fortunate enough to be able to work on a variety of different projects. I’ve met so many LBs graduates as senior artists in all the different studios, and it makes me want to work even harder to get to that level.“
Minkyoung’s VFX Compositing credits
Do you have any advice for someone who’s thinking about starting in VFX?
“I think there is no such thing as enough research and planning!
Learn what you like to do and is good at. A lot of people want to start with blind passion, but I think it’s important to know how to harness it and point it towards a goal, to use the passion as a fuel for you to keep going.“
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