Tim Griffiths
Junior CG Artist, Fathom
Bachelor of Design in Digital Design with a minor in Cinematic Arts
Certificate in Science and Technology
Working at visual effects company Fathom is his dream job, says Tim Griffiths who studied a Bachelor of Design in Digital Design and is now a junior CG artist.
“I’m very happy to be working in this industry and being a part of some really cool projects. One of the best aspects about my career is being able to see people’s reactions to something I’ve worked on and hearing that they enjoyed watching it. A highlight for me was working on the A24 film Maxxxine. I’ve been a fan of A24 and the projects they have produced, so having the opportunity to work on one of their projects has been incredible.
“I'm a creative person, so I love making things. And at work, I get to do just that; spending my days with likeminded people and constantly learning so many new things. I typically spend my days creating or prepping 3D assets that get used in various shots throughout the films; including texturing, modelling, simulations, animation, tracking and lighting.”
A passion for visual effects
For Tim, studying a Bachelor of Design was the first step towards the exciting career he has today.
“I wanted to pursue a career in film, and I thought that VFX is a great mix between artistic and technical ability. I started out not knowing much about it in my first year of my AUT design degree, but I soon fell in love with how creative, yet challenging visual effects can be.”
He has some great advice for students who are only at the start of their own university journey.
“My advice is to always be open to new opportunities. University is the best time to learn, have fun and explore as many different things as you want!”
Highlights and achievements
His final-year project was one of the highpoints of his time at AUT, Tim says.
“Working on our final-year project and using all the skills from the previous two years was definitely the highlight. It felt like a really big challenge, and to spend those days working hard alongside my classmates who are as passionate about the work as you are really made the whole experience better. I’m especially proud that our project, ‘Rent is overdue’, was awarded the AD21 Visual Effects Team Projects Award as well as a Silver award in the Best Awards.”
He also loved being able to study cinematic arts as part of his degree.
“One of my lecturers in the Cinematic Arts minor definitely played a huge role in my understanding of not only the history of film, but also the production side of things too. The course that had the biggest impact on my understanding of film was called The Texture of Time, and covered both analogue and digital filmmaking including camera handling, in camera effects, darkroom film processing, film splicing and film editing as a basis for understanding time, light, duration, composition and contrast in film. This course really sparked my interest in filmmaking.”
