On this week’s blog entry, we have our former student Thomas Djalloul, now a lighting artist at Super Massive Games.
What course did you study?
Short course Video Games Art Production.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working at Supermassive Games as a Junior Lighting Artist. My role is to lit the different scenes and all the different cinematics to bring the atmosphere and the mood into the game. I’m afraid I can’t talk more about the projects I am working on at the moment but stay tuned!
Also I am always trying to work on some personal projects on the side to learn and improve my skills both in Lighting but also Environment Art and texturing.
What work are you most proud of working on and was/is your most notable achievement?
It’s always tricky to pinpoint one project in particular because we spend a lot of time on most of them…
But I would say that my UE4 Lighting studies is the one I am the proudest of. I’m very attached to this project and proud of it because this one made me realize how much I liked lighting and I wanted to pursue my career down that path. It’s probably not the best but It’s one which made me understand a lot about lighting, composition and Colour grading.
If you had to sum up your time at Escape Studios in one word, what would it be and why?
Fun!
First of all, having a teacher like Christian is so enjoyable, he jokes, laughs and teaches in a way that you forget what’s outside and you focus on what you are doing at the moment which makes your time spent on your work more appreciated.
“Fun” because when I was at the school everything was almost like in a Video game studio. Sharing and talking ideas with other students, teachers and meeting with new and nice people every day!
All that added, of course, to the nice classmates that I could have especially the one I shared grapes with…
What lessons have you learnt during your time studying and your time working in Games?
From the time studying, I’d say I learned that in this industry, there’s always new things to master and so many ways to achieve something.
Working from home is one thing but seeing people is a valuable aspect of our job, you never know when someone will bring a new idea to the table and It’s this interaction with people which can make it happen.
A tough skin is a requirement as well, you need to be able to take criticism in order to progress.
Being in the industry and looking back I’d say that this is a tough industry to break in but It teaches you to be committed and tenacious and It shows me that we’re lucky to live from our passion.
What is your advice for those considering entering the industry?
I know that trying to break into this industry can be overwhelming at some point but never give up and do what you love is the most important aspect in my opinion. It shows that you are passionate and committed to the choices you are making.
Seeking advice and interacting with artists already in the industry is always a good lesson and who knows what’s coming next!
What’s your favourite game and why?
I’m sure no one can ever come up with a straight answer but so far my favorite game would be Control from Remedy.
This game gave me such a slap in the face when I played it. The story is very weird but so interesting and I love weird 😀
And graphically speaking, It’s astonishing! This strong contrast in the Lighting supported with the Brutalism Architecture really got me so much that I actually did a personal project about this.
A huge thanks to SuperMassive Games and Thomas for this great interview and as usual don’t forget to check his portfolio at:
Escape Studios Game Art 
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