Data collection

 

For a certain section of my coursework, I was required to research and describe a job role in the media industry I was interested in. I chose to research the role of a character rigger as it is not a well known job and is quite prevalent in the production of CGI for movies and video games. Below is the information I gathered and summarised: 

Job role: Character Rigger

Many employers will differentiate in the behaviours and attributes they look for in employees for their job. For example, firefighters require workers that are hardworking, brave and fearless in order to do their job the same can be said for police officers. However, for more office based jobs, employers will be looking for workers that can get on with their tasks and be able to work within groups or on their own.

Riggers create digital skeletons for 3D computer-generated (CG) characters. These skeletons, or rigs, are like puppets that define the movements of a character or creature, such as how a big cat runs or how a person's face and mouth move when they sing or how someone raises an eyebrow. (https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/character-rigger, 2023)
Most employers of character riggers require candidates to have at least a bachelor's degree as well as an internship to help develop rigging skills further. Required skills to become a character rigger include; extensive knowledge of animation, thorough understanding of human anatomy and a proficiency in physics and mathematics. Within the work environment employees will also need an ability to use computer programs and languages like Motion Builder and C++, attention to detail, communication skills, collaboration skills and organizational skills.

 
Required / useful skills

Practical and technical skills: Character riggers must be able to use a computer and know their way around certain software that will contribute to the movement of the character. As well as the ability to use a computer, character riggers will also need to the laws of physics and the action/cause of movement for specific objects.

Specific industry knowledge: The gaming sector is extremely competitive so it is useful knowledge when working in this sector to provide only your best effort otherwise the risk of being fired is hire.

Communication skills: Character riggers must be able to understand social skills such as body language and expressions, as well as having a strong attention to detail that will be important in providing the finished product and making the movements of a character look fluent.

Organisation: Saving files in an ordered form as well as notes is equally important when working as a character rigger this is because it helps managers access work and see progress easily and efficiently.

Creativity: This is a major requirement for a character rigging job due to the movement and posing style of the characters and how the player will get a feel of this within the game. Character riggers will also have to adapt the creative style of the artists who pass on the rendered designs of characters that will be worked on.

Problem solving skills: Character riggers will have to work together in order to solve puzzles of how certain aspects of a character should flow and move. Along with movement issues there are puzzles of dissecting character designs from the game artists and working to understand a piece together any missing ideas that were left out of the design.

Working as part of a team: This is a key aspect within the gaming industry due to the collision of creative ideas that occur in the workplace. Character riggers will be part of a large or small team that compare and contrast ideas on certain mechanics should function and look like in game.