RenderQ

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Editor's Advice

My Experiences at SIGGRAPH as a Rising VFX Junior

Gracie Szymanski

Illustration by Jordan Wolfanger

This past July, I flew from Florida to Denver, Colorado to attend SIGGRAPH. SIGGRAPH is an annual conference centered around computer graphics. It stands for Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. I first heard about the conference through my visual effects professors at SCAD and was very interested in going. Last year, I sent in an application to be a student volunteer at the conference. Being a student volunteer, you agree to work the conference for 25 hours but also get to attend for free. You also have access to special student events organized specifically for student volunteers. I heard back from SIGGRAPH at the beginning of June that I was accepted as a student volunteer. This is how my week went: 

The first thing I had to attend was the student volunteer orientation. This was a brief check in process and lecture to get us all checked in and up to date on information. It was essentially like a mini training session for the week. It also got me very excited for the week to come. This was the start of meeting all the other student volunteers as well. Going into this, I was very nervous as I did not know anyone else going and was going alone. When I started talking to people, I soon remembered that we all already had a big thing in common so it was easier to talk to each other.  I found it interesting to talk to the people in computer science or engineering since I am so used to being around focused careers. I also quickly met other SCAD students from both the Savannah and Atlanta campus that I had not been able to talk to before. After orientation and the first day of SIGGRAPH, the jitters of having to talk to a ton of new people quickly turned into excitement.

After Saturday orientation, the conference started on Sunday. The conference was five days long starting on Sunday and ending on Thursday. I had shifts throughout the week at different times throughout the days from 7 am to 7 pm. When I wasn’t working, I made sure to explore the conference and go to as many panels as possible. One of my favorite panels I went to was one where I listened to ILM talk about the visual effects in the new Twisters movie. Another interesting talk I went to was one with WetaFx in which they talked about their work on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. I could go on and on about all the panels that were interesting I saw, but I’ll leave it at those two. 

Another part of the conference I found fascinating was the experience hall exhibit. Here they have a pavilion full of immersive reality booths, an electronic art gallery, workshops, and an emerging technologies pavilion. The gallery was mesmerizing to walk through and the art was genuinely so cool to look at. The emerging technologies booth had demos of technology I had no idea was even being developed. The immersive pavilion has a range of experiences, including one where you dipped your feet in water and put a VR headset on for a tranquil pond experience. As someone on the more artistic side of things rather than the engineering side, it was fascinating to see people’s inventions and uses of technology. It was so inspiring even though it wasn’t directly related to visual effects.

There were some cons to being a student volunteer at the conference. For instance, you don’t get to pick your schedule. You are allowed to shift swap with people but it does get a little tricky at times. This means that I did miss out on a few panels and things that I would have loved to go to, because I was working. For instance, I really wanted to attend a Women in Technology networking event but I was working. One day, I had three back to back shifts with minimal time to leave the convention center to grab food. A lot of the shifts are pretty easy too which can get very repetitive. For instance, one shift was a floater shift in which you floated around a room in case anyone needed directions or help with anything. This could get very tiring after three hours of minimal intensive work, but it did give me a chance to talk to a lot of interesting people. All that being said, it is hard to beat the free ticket that comes with being a student volunteer, especially on a student budget. Another thing about going this year was that, as a rising junior, I was a bit limited in some of the networking I could actually do. Because I am in the middle of school, no one could really directly offer me any sort of job. I have to hope that they’ll remember me in a few years when I do start applying. Overall, the cons did not come near to outweighing the pros. Though I was not offered an internship or job on the spot, the practice, experience, and inspiration were incredibly helpful and trained me well to hopefully go back in the future.

I got a lot out of attending SIGGRAPH. One of the best things was probably the one on one resume and reel review I got with an industry professional. He gave me really valuable advice that was specific to me. This one on one review was guaranteed for me because I was a student volunteer which was another benefit. I think this conference also heavily helped my networking skills. I talked to so many new people and I personally am someone who tends to be a little shy at first. I feel a lot more confident in myself and in my abilities to network after this. I also think I am even more excited for my career after attending this conference. With being off this summer, I haven’t done a lot of VFX work. Going to this conference made me remember how much I love to do what I am doing. It made me so excited to go into my field. I also got to speak to a lot of people currently working in my field so that I could better understand what my future may look like in the industry. After my week in Denver, I really want to try and go back next year when the conference is in Vancouver!

If you get the chance to go to SIGGRAPH at any point, here is my advice as a student volunteer:

  • People are super friendly, both student volunteers and professionals in our field. Don’t be afraid to talk to them. They genuinely want to talk to you too, since we are all nerds in the same profession at this conference.
  • You can’t attend everything you want to attend because there is just too much going. Don’t feel bad for not going to everything, just manage your time as best you can. 
  • Go to the after conference SCAD mixer! It was so fun and I met so many cool SCAD alumni and got to connect more with professors and current students. 
  • If you’re a student volunteer, bring cards for when you’re waiting around for a shift. It is a really easy way to make friends and start conversations.
  • PRINT OUT BUSINESS CARDS AND HAND THEM OUT. You’ll get so many LinkedIn connections.
  • If you want to go to an event with a big name (Mark Zuckerberg was there this year), wait in line an hour beforehand or else you’ll get stuck in an overflow room.
  • Go when you are the legal drinking age. Not being able to get into certain venues limits networking a good amount. Plus then you get to go to the big party at a club with industry professionals!!

In conclusion, I had a fantastic experience. It was exhausting most days but it was so rewarding. I really want to go back, if not this summer than next. I encourage you all to look into the conference while we can be student volunteers as the general tickets are a pretty penny. If you’re interested in going next year or have questions, please feel free to reach out to me! I’d love to put together a SCAD group to go to Vancouver in 2025!! 

Contact: gracieszymanski04@gmail.com // @aspen7129