KEY POSITIONS WHEN WORKING IN VFX? (In the Entertainment industry.)

Film Visual Effects / Photo Credit: 3D Animation & VFX

KEY POSITIONS WHEN WORKING IN VFX? (In the Entertainment industry.)

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.

KEY POSITIONS WHEN WORKING IN VFX?

If you're going to work in VFX, then you'll come to understand the definition of teamwork. Much like the Camera Department, everyone has a particular role to perform before the process can move to the next stage. The jobs you will most likely find within a VFX company will be:

Rotoscoping. Extracting actors from the green or blue screen. In some situations, roto needs to extract the actors by hand, which can involve a lengthy process of ‘cutting them out’ of the scene. Rotoscoping is very detailed work and can mean hours of your life sat at your computer. Roto will also tidy up shots before moving onto the next stage.

Paint. Wonder why there is no such thing as a boom in shot anymore? This is the work of the paint artists, going through the film and fixing any mistakes or untidiness along the way. This can involve painting out telephone wires, power cables, cars or even people. Once the work is finished, they go through the process of creating other images to fill the gap.

Modelling. The work of the modelers’ can be used in pre-vis and continue to be developed throughout the process. Models are produced at different standards with the highest resolution being provided for the final render.

Rigging. Riggers create a ‘wireframe’ of a character that is to be computer generated. They create its style of movement down to the facial expressions, working out its skeleton and muscle movement. They hand over the frames to the animators to flesh out the characters.

Tracking and match moving. Mirroring the movements of the camera but within a 3D space. This is greatly aided if the VFX team are present during production to compile tracking markers and measurements. The camera movements are then used with the 3D software such as PF track or 3D Equalizer to merge the worlds together.

Animator. Working with the wireframe they give the character its body. Animators also work in other areas of the film, creating elements of real life such as vehicles or any other animation that reacts with the live action characters. The position of the Animator is the most popular within VFX, keep this in mind when looking for opportunities. 

Texturing. This is when the animations have a texture map applied to them, which is a bit like a sweet wrapper. Fine lines, wrinkles, pores and so on are added in the texture process. 

Technical director (Crowd, Fluids, Lighting, Building, Creature/Character, Effects). The TD’s pull together the characters/animals/creatures that have been through the texture and shading process, and apply all the external elements to give the image depth. They then put them through a process known as rendering which requires a significant amount of computer power. The render allows all the above elements to work together in real time; this is then passed to the compositors.

Compositor. The compositors combine the real time action/locations, the paint, roto and characters together. They are the ones responsible for making VFX look believable. They render the full package and ship it back to the client.

Visual effects coordinator. The coordinator will work under the digital effects supervisor to keep on top of logistics. VFX teams require a significant amount of people power so the work on one film can be spread over several companies, it takes someone with unyielding organization skills to stay on top of day to day activities.

Visual effects supervisor. Collaborates with the director and all the departments within the VFX Company. They conceptualize how they are going to make the project work technically while staying faithful to the director's vision artistically.  

Visual effects producer. Works with the line manager to ensure the production stays on target also collaborates with the post-production producer to ensure delivery of the finished film.   

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, How Stuff Works, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Bright Hub, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Liberty Me, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection, My Job Search, Prospects, David Mullich, Video University,

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Film Visual Effects / Photo Credit: 3D Animation & VFX