Meet Wei-Kang (Victor) Lin

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wei-Kang (Victor) Lin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wei-Kang (Victor) below.

Wei-Kang (Victor), first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I am a compositor working in the film and TV industry. It is very normal for me and my colleagues to feel the imposter syndrome, especially when a task is taking too long to finish or now with lack of work in the industry due to strikes, we often feel that we are not evolving as an artist and unsure whether we are really good at our work or not when so many of us are losing jobs.
From my own experience, I think talking to my peers who are going through the same thing helps a lot, when we are doubting ourselves, having positive affirmation from peers can be a big help. Having a hobby or two to unwind after work is very important too. Lastly, keep on learning and make yourself a more valuable asset to any company, people will see how great you are and give you positive feedback.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I pursued my undergraduate studies in film in Taipei. In 2017, during my military service in Taiwan, I made a pivotal decision to shift my focus from pursuing a master’s degree in film to a more technical path involving 3D animation and visual effects. Limited financial resources and a lack of connections influenced this choice. After a year of intensive self-study, I was accepted into the Visual Effects MFA program at the Savannah College of Art and Design, marking my move from Taiwan to the United States.

Upon starting at SCAD, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted campus life, but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for learning. In June 2021, I was fortunate to secure a compositing internship at Hinge Digital in Portland, where my passion for compositing was solidified.

In January 2022, I proactively networked on LinkedIn, connecting with industry professionals such as my current show supervisor, Steve DiNozzi, and my boss, Chris LeDoux. This effort led to multiple job offers for compositing positions across the US. Trusting my instincts, I accepted a junior compositor role at Crafty Apes in Atlanta, where I enjoyed working for nearly two years. Unfortunately, I faced unemployment from February to May 2024 due to industry strikes.

I am currently employed at The Whiskytree Southern Corporation, continuing my career in visual effects.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My biggest advice for people who are job hunting in the VFX industry, or anyone at all is to be relentless, seize every opportunity you can, and don’t dwell on the past. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask for what you want. It’s never a bad thing to put your name out there even though you might not have much experience, but at least you can learn from the feedback you receive. Sooner or later, you’ll be noticed.

And for people who just started as a compositor, watch more movies, go outside, and feel nature, you will be surprised that most of what we do isn’t explosions or superpowers. Knowing what everything is like and being able to create believable images is important. And don’t be afraid to reach out to people for help if needed. Everyone I know from the visual effects industry has been nothing but helpful and supportive.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

In my line of work, and as a foreigner living in the States, I’m constantly overwhelmed by a lot of things. I don’t think I’m the best at handling stress, but every time I encounter an obstacle, I begin thinking of it as solving a puzzle, instead of panicking for long, I will try to think more logically and try to find a solution to fix problems step by step and not letting myself continuously stuck in being overwhelmed. What’s the first small thing I can do to make the situation better? I’ll solve that puzzle first and then move on to the next. I can’t completely remove the feeling of being overwhelming but I can try to resolve it bit by bit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://victorlinvfx.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-lin-vfx/