The easiest way to build a career in animation and software engineering is to start with simple ideas, the first Bangladeshi to win an Oscar in the field told the Digital World 2017 expo in Dhaka on Thursday.
Nafees Bin Zafar won his Academy Award in the Scientific and Technical category in 2008 for his contribution in pioneering digital fluid effects which are now used throughout the visual effect industry.
“You do not need to start with a big project; your first step should be small and simple,” Nafees told an audience at the Bangabandhu International Convention Centre.
“You can be a storyteller or work for short film or a television show. You can also work in theatre. There is a lot of other things one can do at the theatre other than acting, like set designing and writing.”
Also Read - An Oscar winner of our own
At the session, Nafees spoke about his experience in Hollywood as a programmer and gave a motivational speech before the audience.
He said his journey from Bangladesh to Hollywood began in programming at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, US. After graduating, he joined a company named Digital Domain where he created “Fluid Animation” which was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Over the past 17 years, Nafees has worked on many films including 2012, Transformers 2, and Kung Fu Panda 3. In 2015, he received another Academy Award for the development of the Drop large-scale destruction simulation system.
At the session, he said: “At the end of the day, animation is computer programming but it requires a lot of creativity and hard work. I had to work so hard in order to be what I am now. I can mix the arts and mathematics well and that is my talent.”
He told aspiring programmers to be inventive and independently creative without copying someone else’s work: “There is no shortcut to success, just work hard on your own ideas.”
Also Read - Nafees Bin Zafar invited to become member of the Academy
He further emphasized the importance of investing in research and development in the ICT sector in Bangladesh, to which Bangladesh Math Olympiad General Secretary Munir Hasan said the government is currently working towards that goal.
“The government’s ICT Division has introduced a fellowship and scholarship programme research in information and technology. The Prime Minister’s Office also provides funds for the development in this sector,” Munir Hasan said.
This year’s four-day Digital World is themed “Ready for Tomorrow” and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday. It aims to showcase the potential of the country’s ICT industry.
The ICT Division in collaboration with Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has organized the exposition, which is involving 170 companies including Google, Facebook, Motorola and Qualcomm.
Around 400 exhibitors from home and abroad are attending the event, which opens from 10am till 8pm every day.