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Iva Kasapova

Profession
MA 3D Computer Animation Alumni
College
London College of Communication
Person Type
Alumni
Iva Kasapova

Biography

Iva Kasapova graduated from MA 3D Computer Animation in 2021.

Interview

What attracted you to postgraduate study, and MA 3D Computer Animation?

I was looking for Postgraduate 3D Animation courses in London and this one sounded the most promising when reading the course page. I was sold when I spoke to Luke Bridger (Course Leader), as he sounded confident that my professional path would be highly supported via exposure to the industry (which turned out to be very true).

What experience did you have prior to joining the course?

I had just graduated from a Bachelor’s of Science course in Games Design and Development and had no professional experience at all.

Can you tell us a little bit about your final major project? What was your inspiration behind it?

I’ve always loved fantasy as a genre and fantasy creatures (especially dragons of course) and during the course I developed an interest in creature animation.

I thought it would be a great challenge to try to animate a four-legged dragon. I used the topic of fantasy creature believability for my thesis, where I developed two different terrestrial animations and two different aerial (flying) animations based off different real-world animal species.

Did the course provide opportunities to engage with industry? 

Certainly, Luke Bridger introduced us to a few industry professionals throughout the course (in the form of guest tutors and guest speakers) and more than one offered continuous contact and tutoring. It helped me understand the industry better and made me feel more prepared for it.

Not to mention that Luke also has lots of experience in the industry, which is so valuable, as he can give viable industry-relevant feedback and insight.

What was the most important thing you learnt from studying MA 3D Computer Animation at postgraduate level?

A lot about industry-relevant practices, software, pipelines and different areas of animation. I cannot stress enough how important such exposure is for a student looking to get into the industry after graduation.

Why would you recommend studying your course to others?

This course truly allowed me to build a high-quality showreel. I never felt like I was learning something that I didn’t need and I felt like I had every opportunity to just keep improving my showreel as part of various projects throughout the course.

I also never felt much pressure in terms of deadlines compared to my Bachelor’s experience. I can honestly say that this is a very well-paced course.

What was your personal highlight of studying your course at London College of Communication?

Having access to all the tools that I needed! As part of this course, I had easy access to the university computers through a virtual desktop whenever I needed them. I also had access to a whole library of 3D assets and character rigs, which allowed me to develop any idea that I had.

A huge plus is the Render Farm that is reserved for a few courses, among which this one, which makes rendering high-quality animations so much easier and faster. The pipeline that Luke built for the course is also a huge quality-of-life benefit as it lets students have easy access to a lot of different tools useful in Maya (and is also similar to pipelines used in the industry).

What are you currently working on / what are your plans for the future?

Since March I have been working on an exciting AAA game project as a full-time Junior 3D Animator for a UK-based games studio called Fabrik Games Ltd. The team is absolutely fantastic and I am excited to see what the future holds for this studio and what other amazing projects I may get to work on!

Related area

View the MA 3D Computer Animation course page.

Links

View Ivas's final project on the UAL Showcase.

London College of Communication

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 6500

Address

Elephant & Castle

London
SE1 6SB