UCAS Route
Throughout this college year I have considered taking many different routes with my life, not all which I was able to follow up with. Instead of going to university and doing my UCAs application form and personal statement I focused on finding a college I wish to attend after these two years of my diploma are over. I have always been intrigued by English Literature and Language but not only that, I have also found interest in Sociology and Teaching as subjects. Because of this is was a huge struggle deciding what I wanted to go on to do subject wise and I applied for two separate colleges. One at West Thames College for Access in Teacher Training, where I could go on to become a teach of the subject I am studying now or later take up university in languages and take up that as my main area of study. The next college I applied to was Westminister Kingsway College, which offers Language and Literature English for students 19+, which I couldn't find any college except this one do. I was quite happy to apply there also. I am still awaiting approval to attend either of them. Below are included information on the two courses from the college's official websites.
Of course during my research I have also looked up a couple colleges I would have liked to attend after my additional two years of studies in English Literature and Language or Teacher Training. One of such universities was the university of Southampton which offers and undergraduate studies in English and then further application for full English University experience.The only problem applying to this said place, was the fact they didn't have their requirements specified on the website so I would be required to attend to them in person.
Another college I have considered was actually a University I could apply to after finishing this course, it is a Game Art and Animation course at SAE. I have always been at most intrigued by 2D animation and character concept arts and would have loved to join this course after I get more experience and feel more confident in my skills as an artist, in both the 2D world and the 3D one.
CV
Patrycja Brzostowicz
64 Roxborough Avenue, Isleworth, TW7 5HJ
07584583464
PBrzostowicz@outlook.com
DOB: 29/04/1999
Personal Statement
I am a current student at West Thames College, working towards my extended diploma in Animation and Game Design. I am on the second year of my course and currently work on a 0-hour contract with the LSS allowing me easily to balance both my work and college life. I aspire to earn enough money to continue onto another course, Teacher Access Course, after which I will apply to a university, following my interests and dreams of studying English Literature and Language on a higher level. I am fluent in two languages; Polish and English; both speaking and writing in the two comes easily and naturally to me. I am an eager learner with a passion for discovering new things to be taught and enjoy thoroughly partaking in group activities or individual tasks.
Education
GCSE’s
Brentford School for Girls, Brentford –Grades
A Religious Education
B English Literature
B English Language
B Science
C Additional Science
C Maths
C Maths Statistics
B ICT
C Art and Design
D History
A Level
West Thames College-Grades
Games Design and Animation- Diploma- Merit
Other Qualifications/Certifications:
-Character and Environment design using the following software; Maya, MudBox, Unity, Krita.
-IT skills (Able to use Photoshop, Krita, Pain Tool Sai, Microsoft programs, IMovie and Movie Maker).
-Team-work skills (Well-spoken and eager to meet new people).
Referees
Mr Angus Luscombe (Past Lecturer) -West Thames College
020 8326 2000
West Tham
Career History and Accomplishments
Work Experience
2015-Office Assistant – Syon House– Year 10 work experience. Involved having to work with many different types of people not only through face-to-face communication but also through phone calls and e-mails regarding the current activities that took place at the time inside the Syon House and gardens. This career involved me needing to keep track of all the events and planning them; it taught me customer/employee situation and communication skills and working in tight deadlines.
2016-Chocolate Films – Year 12 work experience. Required the knowledge and taught vast amount about the film and production industry. Allowed creating our own documentary; editing and filming included in teams and professionals through the use of their high tech filming equipment.
Current Occupation
2018-LSS-Twickenham Stadium. I am currently employed by the LSS on a 0-hour contract, which allows me perfectly to balance both my college and work life. I found that the flexible hours are perfect for someone with my schedule. I am responsible for handling many corrosive and chemicals and have been trained during my course of working here on multiple pieces of machinery, which require physical strength to handle.
es College, London Road, Isleworth TW7 4HS
Mr Andrew Segal (Current Lecturer) – West Thames College
02083262000
West Thames College, London Road, Isleworth TW7 4HS
Miss Charlene Beedie (Current Manager) –Twickenham Stadium
07786660151
LSS, Rivermead, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, UB9 4BF
Cover Letter
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On the left are three separate examples of Cover Letters that I have decided to pick out for inspiration and help on creating my own letter. I have found them while looking for CL's on google search and I believed them to be best examples of what I am looking for when I would be writing one. As seen on the provided examples in the slide show, CL typically use professional language, and only one of them uses rhetorical questions to speak directly to the 'audience' which I find interesting. This gives off a very energetic attitude in it which as stated by itself is a similar quality to the one the job application wished for which shows me that in order to respond with a good letter you firstly have to read through the requirements thoroughly and apply everything in the search to your CL to show your true and honest interest in it.
As seen on the cover letters it also shows that the first paragraph usually refers to the application and what it states; also showing that you paid attention to it and that you're interested in the position. This is undoubtedly the most important out of the three paragraphs since you have to make an amazing first impression with it and make sure it catches their attention since otherwise they can just put off your CL into a pile. Then the second paragraph concentrates on talking about your skills and education, all of which you mention should apply to the job, for example don't talk about your artistic skills too much if you're applying for a cashier job or other way round. Also it is helpful to include a couple good qualities about yourself such as being an independent learner or being able to work within teams. As usual the third and last paragraph has to close things off nice and neat, stating what you wish to come out from this application and that you wish to see them again or can't wait till your interview if you're sure you will be getting one/it was stated in their search. It also helps to include how you found the job you are applying for and why you wish to apply for it, including a couple lines on your future prospects with the career.
From this research I also gathered the layout that has to be used for a cover letter, it is quite different from writing normal letters as well as writing a CV.
Patrycja Brzostowicz
64 Roxborough Avenue, Isleworth, London, TW7 5HJ
07584583464 (PBrzostowicz@outlook.com)
Dear
Good day, sir, I hope this letter finds you well. I have read your online search in regards of a temporary character modeller for your company. I believe my modelling and creative abilities are well aligned with your specific requirements and I have been highly interested in working along with you for an extremely long time and will be a viable addition to your team.
If you are seeking someone with years of experience on your programs, search no further. I am a freshly out of college student who worked with Maya, Zbrush and Mudbox for the past 2-3 years non-stop and know them in and out. I adept at character sheets and personal creations of such, as well as re-creating creations others have made on paper and putting them in the 3D world.
In addition to my experience; I have a solid education background/foundation and a passion for work and take personal enjoyment from working alone as well as in teams. I am easy to get along with, great at keeping with deadlines and creating models off of written descriptions without needing concept art which is one of many skills you require from your employees on this station and that I proudly own.
I look forward to meeting with you in person and discussing the position as well as further career possibilities. Please also look forward to my CV that is attached below on your website.
Sincerely,
Patrycja Brzostowicz
On the left you can see my cover letter that I would use if at this point I wished to apply to Blizzard for the position of their temporary character modeller. Of course although it is a fake application it proved to be excellent practice for the future when I would like to actually apply to a gaming company or anything similar which requires a cover letter since nowadays most professions even as a salesman require both a CL and a CV. However as I noticed through this unit a cover letter is much more job specific than a CV and not only has to be updated every time, but unlike a CV is preferably entirely rewritten at each application we make.
I attempted my best shot here at writing in a professional yet entertaining way, taking great inspiration from the cover letters above that I have taken the time to analyze and research. I took the time in the first paragraphs to explain what job I was specifically applying for, and a bit about my qualifications, however only in the second paragraph do I delve into why I am a suitable candidate for the job and why I should be chosen for the job of a character modeller. I believe that although this is my first time writing a cover letter, I did quite well and in the future will be all the more prepared to apply into this or any other field.
On the other hand, the research I did on this matter was quite limited and the help I received through internet searching was scarce, since again, the job industry is very wide and everyone is searching for something different, and to a point, outstanding from cover letters that they receive. The letters have to stand out in order to be taken into consideration and I am still unsure whether mine is written with a professional enough tone. If I were writing a real cover letter I would have also enjoyed putting some examples of my private work on it and also this website since it contains years of development that I have shown on this course.
In all, I am quite proud looking back at this attempt and would happily send it out to apply to Blizzard, given if I had more experience in this field and a couple years of university past me. I am much more confident now in being able to write a consistent tone in my letters and one of professional standing, similar to that of my CV which is shown above this sub-unit. However next time I would also have liked to write a bit more on a CL, possibly a page worth although as seen on given examples above, it is best to keep it to the point and also short, yet some bullet points I believe would still make it more interesting, however seem possibly less professional.
Industry Reseach
The first company I looked at for my industry research was Intelligent System who are responsible for working alongside Nintendo to create great games like the recent Fire Emblem additions, which are my favourite games which is one of the main reasons I would love to have joined this company in the future. Although the entire site for applying was in Japanese I was able to translate most of it and the main position I looked into was Graphic Designer since I have always been mostly intrigued by character creations and modelling. My main area of interest is character sheets and character profiles however since they had no such available positions I was willing to settle for Graphic Designer which as a position deals with things like sketching, painting or modelling character, environments and small props for the games. To be able to apply for this position my understanding of Japanese would have to vastly improve since it is positioned in Japan as well as I would have to gather many more years of experience to show off on my final portfolio.
What I love about this studio is the verity of games they help create as developers and how closely they work with one of my favourite biggest game studio's; Nintendo. They helped along with creating games such as; Wars, Paper Mario and Fire Emblem Fates, all of which I love for their colourful graphics and in FE's case deep story line and character interactions. They work as small teams which I also find very appealing since I never did well with large crowds or stuffed environment however at the same time it allows your seniors to help you out in times of need.
The second company I looked into is much more well known within the gaming industry; Blizzard is responsible for titles such as Hearthstone, Overwatch or World Of Warcraft. I believe the main aspect of why this company is so amazing is their graphics since even after years WOW graphics still hold out on the market and many people still enjoy playing it, I'd go as far as saying their characters and designs and renders are always from beyond the time the games were released which lets them hold out for years on end. As for which position I would have liked to take on their team; I am rather interested in their current open position of a temporary character modeller and although I still do not have the experience or confidence to join the studio, I went as far as writing out a cover letter for this position since it struck me as perfect for my love for character art. I do enjoy vastly working along with character sheets that I or others have created to model a character or portray them on a different note than paper; but just as stated on my cover letter I happily also work with written descriptions or none.
As stated on their website it is preferable that the applicant has experience using Maya, ZBrush, Mudbox, which out of the three I do know 2 quite well however would still require training in ZBrush since there were no occasions for me to use it during this and last year in college. All of their requirements are very simple to follow up with since although the portfolio you pass to them has to be perfect, they do not require any education background like university or even college diploma in the field I would be applying for which possibly stems from how anyone can learn the programs.
The third and last company I looked into was TellTale Games. This company has a very iconic art style which refers to comic books which I personally adore as well as its dark themes and atmosphere. They are famous for working along long running franchises and making games based on them, notable titles are; The Walking Dead, Borderlands and Game of Thrones, all of which I have personally played and enjoyed. Job wise I looked into the position of character concept artist which is a position I feel would suit me more considering my long running fascination with character designs and creating complex characters along with their backstories or based on them for myself or others which would give me the broadest portfolio out of all he other positions I would be applying for. The only problem I could experience with this position would be keeping up with their well made and preserved, constant art style which I have very little experience with considering most my life I drew in my own style or adapted it slightly to franchise artworks. Also I know the franchises they work with very well which
would help me in the long run with character concepts. The requirements for the job are a well rounded portfolio with examples of my work preferably in cartoon/ semi-realistic style, which I have been working with for most of my life. Also experience with Maya is considered a plus, which I have a lot of because of this course that I have been on for two years and which required me to work with nothing but Maya all this time. I also think that I am able to create a cohearent story board and fill in with all the requirements.
Showreel
The video above presents my end of the year showreel that contains all the work that I am most proud of during this year. I included a bit from each of the units we have done and am hoping to have it presented to a group of audience at the end of the year.