Richard Dufty - Motion Graphics

"Your showreel is your calling card."

On Tuesday 4th December, Media Production students welcomed Motion Graphics Designer Richard Dufty to hear about his career in the media industry and to learn from his experience and passion for all things graphic. 

Richard has had a long and successful career in the industry. He first began his journey at university and since worked on a variety of projects encompassing branding, post-production, broadcast design, channel launches, live television and digital video. Richard primarily works in After Effects and has his own studio in Brighton.

Check out his incredible portfolio here.

Our favourite pieces of advice from Richard:

  • Your showreel is your calling card.
  • There are opportunities everywhere in the film and tv industry – every piecce of film needs editing, putting together and animating.
  • Never had a single employer ask to see his university degree. Having said that, Richard learnt a lot from his uni experience that he continues to use every day.
  • A lot of your work will come from people you know or once knew, e.g. those at university.
  • Employers see real value in the projects you create yourself.
  • Have a passion and build a strong body of work.
  • Behance is key for professionals wanting to showcase their work online.
  • Instagram is also really powerful
  • Get a Vimeo acount – professional ad easy to embed – looks a bit slicker than YouTube
  • When seeking  work experience opportunities, find a company you like, then source the right contact on their LinkedIn page. Next find a piece of work or a campaign about the company you really liked and highlight it in your email. Show your interest in their company. Blanket emails to multiple companies don’t get you very far. Stand out from the crowd. Follow up after a week if you don’t hear anything.
Richard Dufty Industry Guest Speaker
  • Learn to speak the language of the industry you’re interested in. 
  • You can only get your personal production value so high on your own. 
  • Go to conferences, network with people. They want to talk to you!
  • Conferences are broadcasted online if you wish to see them. 
  • If you can get into a big company then you absolutely should because you’ll learn heaps from those people with experience there.
  • The industry is demanding and exciting. There are always new technologies, softwares and plugins – you must keep up to date.
  • Back up your work online! At some point, you will lose what’s on an external hardrive. Don’t be that person.
  • Loads of YouTube tutorials for After Effects.

If you want to learn new digital skills and make your own graphics, apply to study on our Level 2 / 3 Media Production course in Brighton or Bexhill next September!

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