Mentorships run in 8-week blocks, but your growth doesn’t have to stop there. If you have a larger project, you are absolutely welcome to book multiple blocks back-to-back. Just keep in mind that our mentors book out fast. Let us know in your application if you want multiple 8 week blocks.
This includes 2 x one hour career coaching sessions where you can ask questions on any topic, from portfolio reviews, career advice & interview coaching.
Meet your mentor
Ted Mebratu │ Senior Lighting Artist at Lightspeed LA
🚨 Reminder: In order to get started with your mentorship, we require that you first complete an application process. If you are approved, we’ll send you the details to book and pay for your mentorship.
Overview
In this mentorship, you’ll learn how to use lighting as a tool for storytelling, mood, and immersion. The focus will be on developing your artistic instincts, understanding how light shapes a scene, guides the eye, and creates emotional impact, and then turning that understanding into clear, repeatable decisions you can carry into future projects.
We’ll begin by discussing your goals and artistic vision, then map out a path toward a polished, portfolio-ready piece that reflects the highest standards of real-time lighting. Together, we will choose a scene or shot that makes sense for where you want to go, gather targeted reference, and define the narrative and emotional intent behind the lighting. A key part of this process will be identifying and enhancing your unique creative voice, helping you stand out in a competitive field while still grounding your work in AAA best practices and production realities.
Along the way, you’ll receive constructive feedback, practical guidance, and tailored demonstrations to help you grow both creatively and technically. This can include reviewing your scene step by step, walking through alternate lighting choices, exploring different time of day or mood variations, and discussing how to present your work clearly through cameras, framing, and simple breakdowns. The aim is to give you both concrete improvements on the piece in front of you and a stronger foundation for how you approach any scene after this.
Key areas of focus will include camera composition, building a convincing atmosphere, avoiding common workflow pitfalls, and achieving the right balance between aesthetics and performance. We will look at how to block in the lighting so the scene reads at a glance and how to refine the values and color so the mood feels intentional. The mentorship adapts to your needs, ensuring every session contributes directly to your growth and feels tied to your actual goals rather than a generic checklist.
By the end, you’ll have not just a finished piece, but a stronger ability to think and work like a lighting artist, bringing clarity, emotion, and artistry to your projects while showcasing the creative vision that sets your work apart. The goal is that you leave with a portfolio piece you trust and a process you can return to whenever you start something new.
- Using lighting to support story, mood, and immersion
- Camera framing, and guiding the viewer’s eye
- Building atmosphere with fog, haze, and volumetric effects
- Balancing realism and stylization without losing readability
- Avoiding common workflow pitfalls in real-time lighting
- Presenting your work through strong compositions, sequences, and simple breakdowns
- Unreal Engine 5
- Davinci Resolve
- Format – Personalized guidance in one-on-one sessions, conducted via video calls.
- Mentee Spotlight– Your project will be featured on the Vessel Forge website and social media accounts.
- Mentee Showcase – You’ll have the chance to collaborate with us to write a blog breakdown of the project you complete during your mentorship. Note: Must be selected for this opportunity.
- Post-mentorship Support – Receive access to our exclusive community Discord, where you can connect with other mentors and mentees, ask questions, get feedback and more.
- Skill Level – Junior to advanced.
- Prerequisites – A general understanding of how lighting works in Unreal Engine. Davinci Resolve knowledge is preferred but not a requirement.
What's included?
Industry pro at your side, weekly.
Not tied to a nonsense curriculum.
The tools you need are included.
Career coaching
Get actual career advice from pros who understand.
Ask questions in the exclusive community.
Meet your mentor
Ted Mebratu │ Senior Lighting Artist at Lightspeed LA
Ted Mebratu is a Senior Lighting Artist originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with over seven years of experience in the AAA video game industry. He began his career at Ready At Dawn, contributing as a Lighting Artist on Lone Echo 2, before moving to Naughty Dog where he worked on several projects, including The Last of Us series. He is now part of Lightspeed LA, working as a Senior Lighting Artist on Last Sentinel.
He is deeply passionate about creative lighting and the role it plays in shaping emotion and driving storytelling. Known for his eye for detail, he approaches each project with a strong balance of artistic vision and technical execution. Outside of game development, he enjoys exploring light and composition through street photography, which continues to inspire and refine his artistic sensibilities.
