Tilmann lit some of Battlefront II’s best-looking maps, such as Death Star II and Kashyyyk. He’s incredibly knowledgeable in his field and also a great teacher in real life and online. Check out his Unreal 4 Lighting Academy if you haven’t already!

How to get the first job? – Tilmann Milde, Senior Technical Lighting Artist

“This depends a lot on the environment you are growing up in and what the industry there is like. To give you some perspective: I started my career in Germany, and at the time, Germany was mostly famous for mobile and browser games. We had like two AAA developers in the whole country, so in regards to that, it can be a very tough environment if you want to make AAA game art, but there are almost no opportunities to do so.

Once you got that sorted out though, it all comes down to your plan and focus. Since I knew that environment art was pretty tough, I also knew that I had to kinda be the best at what I do. So it made sense to define a clear goal and to work specifically towards it.

I started by doing the Art & Animation course at the Games Academy in Berlin, where I found out that I really, REALLY wanted to work for YAGER. They were also located in Berlin and cared about storytelling, so it was a perfect fit for me. My whole focus shifted towards getting a job there, so I researched what they needed, what tech they used, and what level of quality their artists’ work was at. This helped me tremendously to custom tailor my portfolio and application. I didn’t even prepare any other applications before trying this shot since I was laser-focused on getting that job!

I was then able to get an interview at YAGER! Usually, you have to try pretty hard to fail interviews… like giving obviously bad answers, blaming other people for things that happened on past jobs, or just being a bit hard from a social angle. If you can rule those things out, show a positive attitude and reply thoughtfully and honest to questions…you will have that job! Of course, there will be people equally suited to do the job, so it’s important to leave an impression as well.

What I think works best here is honesty and character. For example, I was once asked during an interview about how I would resolve a specific situation at work that could involve talking bad about someone. Luckily, I already had that experience from my last job, so I explained in all honesty how I tried to resolve the situation. Even though I eventually had to talk to a superior about it, I talked to the guy first and did everything very carefully to not offend anyone and keep people in the loop. They really liked my response on how I solved a difficult situation and they instantly offered me the job.

So yeah, I guess in the end, a lot of it comes down to focus and preparation, but also honesty in regards to answering questions. Also, be you! Don’t try to make yourself more attractive by trying to be someone else. Have trust in your abilities and give it everything you got, you will make it!”