A Day In The Life
So one of the most common questions about any job/career and what's required of those in that position, is "What is your typical day like?"
Although it will vary depending on the company you're working for, you'll probably see some combination of the following in your average day:
Communication: Probably more important than anything else, since a team that doesn't communicate is a team that falls apart. You need to stay in regular communication with those that you're working with, whether it's instant messaging or e-mails. Oh yeah, here's a good habit to get into: Answer your e-mails. Seriously. It's not difficult, and if you don't know the answer to a question someone asks, you can point them to someone who does know.
Get Latest: I put Communication before Get Latest, because it's usually a good idea to check your mail before you get the latest build. Every once in a while you'll get a company-wide e-mail that says something like DON'T GET LATEST!! Because somebody broke the build. If you get latest while the newest build is broken, you'll be broken too, and will be twiddling your thumbs until a new working build is released.
FUN FACT: Westwood Studios used to have a giant pink sequined sombrero. If you broke the build you had to wear the "Hat of Shame" for a few hours.
Perforce: Although you may or not be working with Perforce itself, the odds are good you'll be working with some form of version control software. The short explanation is that it prevents multiple people from working on the same files at the same time, by making sure only one person can have a file checked out at once. Otherwise, you'd be stomping over each other's changes, which would be bad. For you, it means that you try to check in all your work at night before you go home, and in the morning, you "get latest" to make sure you're working with the latest versions of all files. All newly changed files will be downloaded to your system.
Jira: Again, Jira may not be the specific software you use, but you'll probably use something to track bugs. Bugs will be assigned to you from QA and others on the project, and it's your job to fix them as they come in, including a note about what you fixed, or if you couldn't fix it for some reason.
Check your Schedule: Hopefully you have a schedule, either one that's been provided for you, or one you've created yourself. There's a LOT to keep track of as you light your way through the levels (or the cinematics) and you need to stay organized and track what's done. The important part is creating something that makes sense to you, that you can check off as you complete all the steps needed in each level.
Light it Up:
The first thing you'll be doing is a "first lighting pass" where you're setting up a rough look of what you thing the lighting should look like.
Lunch!
Oh look, lunchtime! My favorite part of the day! You probably already know about this part.
Art Meetings or "Dailies":
Different studios have different protocols, but there will be some form of meeting where you show your work, and take notes about any changes required. Typical notes might be:
"Add a rim-light to the right side of the monkey's face."
"Increase the intensity of the key light, and warm it slightly."
"Decrease the front fill, and increase the fog in the background for better depth separation."
More Lighting:
After your dailies meeting, take your notes and make any changes that are required to the levels and the cinematics. You'll then likely capture a new video of the cinematic or a run through of an area you're working on to show at the next meeting.
Separate Lighting Levels:
Oh, before I forget, try to convince the powers that be on your project to incorporate lighting levels. What are they? The main, or environment levels contain all of the environment art, and much of the design elements, so they're frequently checked out while someone works on them. Having separate lighting levels means levels that have nothing in them but your lights, lighting volumes, shadow-casters, etc. That way, you can be working on the lighting any time, without having to worry about whether or not the environment level is checked out. This will make your life much easier!
Update the Tracker: As you make your way through all the levels and cinematics, keep your tracking sheet updated constantly. This is especially handy if you haven't worked in a level for a long time, and you're not sure whether you've done something in it or not.
Submit Your Work for Review: There are probably directories on the network for you to submit your latest work to. Put your stuff in there so your latest work is ready to show at the next meeting.
Final E-Mail Check:
Check your e-mail one more time before you go home to make sure nobody had any last-minute panic attacks and needs something changed. Don't forget to e-mail people on the FX and Environment teams if you've had to make any changes as you lit, or if you need any changes made so you can improve the lighting somewhere.
Go Home:
-or-
Crunch Mode:
Boooo! Yes, the stories you've heard are true. Some companies want you to work insane hours all the time, and it never seems to end. While crunch mode is a real thing, it hopefully only happens once in a while. If you find yourself working at a company that demands you work crazy-long hours and it never gets any better, it might be time to look for a new company. Rumor has it that there really are companies out there that believe in a better work/life balance, and don't have a problem with you visiting with your family from time to time.
And that's about it for a day in the life.
