Opportunities in the film industry for an engineer pursuing a dual in mechanical and electrical engineering?

I'm really interested in the field of engineering but I have't really figured out what application of engineering to pursue. I have a great passion for film and figured I could start looking in to the possibilities that area would provide for me as an engineer. I have heard of Disney Imagineers, and will be pursuing that opportunity next year as this summer I have a job lined up. I was wondering, however, if there were other opportunities in which I can step in to the film industry as an engineer.

Areas of Impact Machines , Space , Sports & Entertainment

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Selma Sabera , Artsybot

Answered Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 4:49 PM

Hi Elizabeth,
There are plenty of opportunities in film and entertainment for EE/ME. Of course, I would recommend Disney Imagineering if you would like to work on projects for Disney Parks that involve making the ride experiences. They have a variety or roles from classic ME and EE to software and experience engineering. Besides Imagineering, check out companies like Meow Wolf, Jim Henson Copmany and Hanson Robotics.

Other options are to work for visual effects and animation companies where your ME can serve either in a creative or technical capacity. In a creative capacity, you can be a hard surface modeler, and create fantastical machines and objects in the virtual world, or you could work in software to design various engines for the CG models. Also, your EE skills can come in handy for systems design, software engineering, etc. Check out places like ILM, Double Negative or Weta Digital. 

Similarly, there is a whole new world of virtual and mixed reality where you can contribute as a content creator or as a software/hardware designer. Check out places like Magic Leap, Oculus, etc. In the coming year, since you will be doing some other things, I would suggest learning to use something like Unity or Unreal engine. If you like doing more hands on work with hardware, get intimate with arduinos and sensors. Adafruit has some great kits. 

Warm regards,
Selma Sabera