Lighting Artist Interview

We've been researching game roles in 3D design and what exactly each position on a game team does. I read bout the role of a lighting artist and interviewed lighting artist Jeremy Vickery about his experience.

In the interview, Vickery talked about his process, what studios look for in a lighting artist, and the particularities of creating lighting for games as opposed to films. 

In general, lighting artists have a high degree of artistic fundamentals and technical know-how.  Their job is incredibly important because the light of a scene determines the mood, the story, and the player path.  Good lighting will look invisible to the player, as in it won't take them out of the mood.  Bad lighting is visually messy with an unclear mood. Vickery also talked about how his school experience didn't prepare him for the industry so much as get his foot in the door. But while many of the tools he learned in school didn't necessarily carry over into the industry, his main message was that school taught him how to learn.  Technology changes, and you can keep up with it if you are willing to learn.

Here is a link to the presentation I did about lighting artists and my interview with Jeremy Vickery