If there's any one question that I get asked most, it's "How do I find a job/career in the 3D industry?" I decided to go out and get some friends who have "been there and done that" to share with us the reality of the 3D/VFX industry. Due to the sheer amount of interview data that came back, I have split the article into two parts so that you can digest the information easier.

This week, we speak to Jason Schleifer, Markus Manninen and Dennis Price:

Jason Schleifer - Senior Animator, Weta Digital
Jason Schleifer is currently a Senior Animator at Weta Digital in New Zealand working on The Lord of the Rings. In addition to animating, Jason as taught two Maya Master Classes on setting up Animation Rigs (SIGGRAPH 2001, SIGGRAPH 2002), co-taught a SIGGRAPH Course on Character Rigging (SIGGRAPH 2002), and spends way too much time chatting away on www.cgtalk.com. Before his gig at Weta, Jason worked as a product specialist at Alias|Wavefront in Santa Barbara helping the R&D team think of things from an animator's point of view.

Markus Manninen - Joint Head of 3D Commercials, Framestore CFC
As Joint Head of 3D Commercials at Framestore CFC, Markus Manninen has worked on award winning commercials as Animation Supervisor or Animation Director. The client list includes Levis, Microsoft, Shell, Fiat, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s. A MSc graduate of the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, he discovered Computer Graphics at the University of Massachusetts, USA. Markus joined Framestore CFC in 2000 from Filmtecknarna, an award-winning traditional animation studio.

Dennis Price - Digital Cinematic Artist, Blizzard Entertainment
Dennis Price has spent the last 4 years in sunny Southern California, which is a far cry from his origin of 20 years in Houston, Texas. He is currently a Digital Cinematic Artist working at Blizzard Entertainment - his most recent accolade being part of the cinematic production for Warcraft III. He drives an '02 Black Mustang GT convertible, likes to attend car shows and play computer games with his square-headed girlfriend.