Month: February 2023

The next role I want to research is commander in chief of a VFX project, and it links all VFX departments together and works for the same goal, making sure the VFX process is efficient and the final work is flawless. So the third role I research is VFX producer.

VFX producer is a very significant role in the whole VFX project. VFX Producer Manages the whole process of creating the VFX for film or TV. VFX producers write the bid, the document through which they persuade the film or TV series producer to take on their VFX studio to do the work. Also, the VFX producer put together a team of artists and technical staff. They set the schedules and manage the budget. They also communicate between the crew working on the film set and the VFX editor in the studio.

While on film sets, VFX producers work closely with the live-action production crew. In post-production, VFX producers collaborate with the editor as well. Between the editor and the crew, they communicate. The amount of customer interaction varies between studios. They might provide them weekly or even daily reports. Also VFX producer work with VFX Coordinators and Editorial, oversee and organise the turnover of VFX plates and elements; schedule and distribute work and client notes among internal resources. Also the job of VFX producer requires an accurate track of production and team performance, encouraging productivity, creative collaboration, and best practices along with the CG and Compositing Supervisors within the budgeted scope of work.

The ability that VFX producer require are organisation, they have to effectively plan and manage the project using VFX production pipeline organisation software, and be able to budget accurately. Also VFX producer have been confident in giving direction and leading a team, communicating well with everyone, and creating a positive atmosphere within the team and they need to understand all aspects of VFX pipelines, know the processes, the creative challenges and the software used by the artists. And more importantly, they have to anticipate any issues that might occur during the project and adapt to changing timescales and technical issues. VFX producer work closely with the director or producer of the production firm creating the movie. They collaborate closely with the VFX supervisor, who is in charge of the artistic job, within their own studio. To ensure that the job is completed on schedule, the VFX producer then collaborates with the production manager and production coordinators.     

Through the study of these three special effects jobs, I have gained a deeper understanding of the workflow and work content of the entry and senior stages of the special effects industry, as well as a further plan for my career.

The characters, weapons and equipment, item preparation and animals or special creatures in many special effects film and television works are inseparable from the exquisite construction of model artists, so that we can see aliens on the screen, Orcs in Lord of the Rings. So the second role I choose to research is modelling artist. Model artist is also a position that I am very interested in. The level of detail of the characters and models they build has a very important and direct impact on the final presentation of special effects.

Modelling artists work at an early stage of the CG and 3D part of the VFX pipeline. The 3D models that they produce can then move on to be animated, given texture and lit. Modelling artist usually start with a brief, which might be 2D or 3D art produced by a concept artist. Or they can work from reference materials, such as photographs or line drawing sketches, which can be scanned into 3D software. Modelling artist need to be able to create a 3D model from a 2D brief, decide upon the best method to complete a 3D model quickly, while having a required level of detail and quality. The software they will use the most are Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D and ZBrush. Also Modelling artists take the brief from the concept artist. They draw their models into the work created by environment artists, so they work closely with them. They then pass their work onto the texture artists, riggers or animators. Building a good VFX portfolio is very important for the beginning of a modelling artist. And this is a showreel from a 3D modelling artist.

Through research on job positions in the VFX industry, we can more accurately position ourselves in the industry and plan our careers.

The first job role I choose is environment artist. Environment artist is a position I personally like very much. They play a very important role in many film and television works and 3A-level games. They also have a very important influence on the perception of visual art effects and the final effect that present to the audience. Environment artists create computer-generated places in which actors move. They make galaxies, lunar landscapes and desecrated cities – any environment that it’s too difficult to film in real life. It is precisely because of these excellent environment artists that we can freely travel between the stars and the sea in movies or games.

Also the environment artists are able to further sculpt the environment to more closely resemble what’s intended. They use digital tools, such as sculpting brushes, and a physical graphics pen and tablet in order to do this. To be an environment artist you need to be good at drawing and have a strong understanding of form, colour, texture, and light, know how these elements work together. It also very important for them to work with other VFX artists. Environment artists often work from a brief from a concept artist. They also work with the modelling artists who create objects to put into their environments. Once they have created their environment it goes to the texture artist to add details. They report to the CG supervisor.

I was very shocked by the environment in Batman Arkham Knight because of its details and realism, which made me deeply realize that to become an excellent environment artist, is inseparable from careful observation of the surrounding environment and continuous improvement own environment modeling technology.