Max Murray

Personal Statement

I am a second year University of Surrey student seeking a placement in VFX that will allow me to meet and learn from experienced people in the industry. I am organised, punctual and will gladly accept any assignment. I am a hard worker who prides himself on his patience and will work any hours with a smile. I have a passion for compositing, and my ambition is to work in this role.

Experience

Treasurer of StagTV (April 2017 - Present)
StagTV – www.stagtv.co.uk
Guildford, Surrey

I filmed and edited videos for the University of Surrey’s student-run television station StagTV throughout 2017. In 2018, I became the Treasurer of the station.

Responsibilities:

• Keeping track of all station spending, from both our own and Students’ Union funding

• Writing year-end financial reports to the Students’ Union

• Assisting the Head of Production with training with cameras, scripting and editing software

• Filming / editing videos

• Working on live streams

Junior Porter for Haddon and James (June 2017 – October 2017)
Haddon and James (www.haddonandjames.co.uk), St. Albans, Hertfordshire

Part-time work at auctioneer Haddon and James.

Responsibilities:

• Taking orders, collecting them, packaging them and preparing them for shipping.

• Packing pallets and assisting in loading them onto trucks.

• Setting the prices for items on the online auction.

• Fulfilling collection orders and solving problems for customers.

Waiter / Bartender / Kitchen Porter for Appetite4Work (Nov 2017 – Present)
Appetite4Work (www.appetite4work.co.uk), Godalming, Surrey

Part-time work with hospitality agency Appetite4Work, as a waiter, bartender or kitchen porter.

Responsibilities:

• Working as a waiter (Twickenham’s 2018 ‘6 Nations’ Rugby tournament, Old Thorns Hotel).

• As bar staff (Old Thorns Hotel, Ascot Racecourse, Sandown Racecourse)

• Referees available upon request!

  As a kitchen porter (RHS Wisley).
   

Education

Digital Media Arts (September 2016 - present)
University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey

Over the course of my degree, I have developed a wide-ranging understanding of theory and production, completing editing, compositing, filming and 3D modelling / animation assignments. During the course, I have developed a passion for compositing and VFX, spending many hours practicing with software such as After Effects and Nuke. I now incorporate effects into as many University projects as possible!

Notable projects:

As my main interest is in VFX and compositing, I have invested a lot of time in this area, developing skills that will prepare me for work in industry. More recently, I have been extending this with more general skills and am currently displaying the best examples on my portfolio website. Key examples:

• Visit to the World’s Fair - 2064

In this project, I presented a snapshot of what our world will look like over 50 years in the future, using Nuke to realise the outcome.

• VFX practice
  Various projects, including compositing, sky replacement, clean-up, rotoscoping and 2D & 3D tracking, all to increase my proficiency with Nuke.

Sir John Lawes secondary school
Harpenden, Hertfordshire (September 2014 - July 2016)

• Media Studies = B

• English Literature = A

• Philosophy and Ethics = C

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Key software skills:

• Nuke – Intermediate

• Adobe After Effects – Intermediate

• Adobe Premiere – Proficient

• Adobe Photoshop – Proficient

• Autodesk Maya – Basic / Intermediate

• Unity – Basic