In the Media Industry there are many different careers that one can go into. In the Visual Effects Industry, there are many different departments involved in a VFX pipeline, as there is in the career map. Some of these jobs can be entered at entry level, but others require experience and higher qualifications.
Above is a careers map of the VFX industry. It also has the pipeline labelled on there, which is useful when contemplating which careers I found of interest.
Production department:
Much like in any other creative industry career map, there’s always going to be a production team. This team will vary in numbers depending on the size of the company, but the roles will remain roughly the same.
Producer
The Producer works closely alongside the VFX Supervisor, and manages the schedules and budget of a project. A Producer is also in charge of recruitment, and keeping in contact with the client.
Production Manager
The Production Manager works closely with the Producer, as they’re in charge of orchestrating the schedule and timetable for the entire project. It’s the Production Manager’s job to anticipate issues and then sort them out with the Producer and Supervisors.
Production Coordinator
The Production Coordinator is responsible to collecting the data relating to schedules and feedback from the client/supervisor. They are in charge of organising all this data they collect and make sure everyone is informed about any changes made.
Art department:
The Art department may be small, but they are integral to any VFX project.
Concept Artist
Without a Concept Artist, the 3D modellers or texture artists may be confused as to what they’re required to do. A Concept Artists’ job is to communicate the general idea of how the project will come out. Concept Artists can also be 3D generalists, who create ‘previz art’ that will give a better idea of what the finished product will look like.
Matte Painter/Artist
Matte Painters are essentially Concept Artists that work with real images instead of drawing. They take multiple images and photo-bash them together to create a more realistic looking environment to work from.
Compositing/2D department:
This department is at the end of a VFX Pipeline, and deals with any unwanted flaws in the VFX.
Compositing Artist
Compositing Artists work at the end of the VFX Pipeline, as it’s their job to match up any CGI elements and blend them in with the raw footage they’ve been given.
Prep/Paint Artist
The Prep/Paint Artist’s job is to clean up a VFX scene so that it’s more believable. For example, if someone is supposed to be flying, but the harness used to create this effect is still visible, then it’s the Prep/Paint Artist’s job to erase/cover this.
CGI/3D department:
The CGI/3D department are responsible for creating any assets that cannot be made in real life.
Environment Artist
The Environment Artist is in charge of recreating the set used to film a sequence in 3D, which can be done with photo manipulation or 3D modelling with texturing, and is a generalist’s job. This model will be used by the rest of the team.
Look Development Artist
The Look Development Artist is responsible for any textures on objects or any CGI elements. This role works closely with the Lighting and Texture Artists, and Shader Development Technical Directors.
Lighting Artist
A Lighting Artist makes sure all computer generated elements of a composition are correctly lit. They work with pictures of the set to make sure the 3D objects match the background.
Modelling and Texture Artist
The Modelling and Texture Artists can be one and the same. Separately, the Modelling Artist is responsible for all the 3D assets, and the Texture Artist is responsible for texturing these. Whether these two are separate or not depends on the size of the company/project team and budget.
Technical department:
In the Technical department, there’s a vast array of jobs going on. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re highly logic based.
Animator
The Animator is key to bringing a CGI scene to life. They’re responsible for animating all the different 3D assets in the scene, which means they work between the Technical and 3D departments.
Creature TD
The Creature Technical Director is responsible for working out how CGI clothing/fur/hair will move. They work with the mechanics of movement and how it will effect something. Knowledge of anatomy is highly useful in this position.
Pipeline TD
The Pipeline Technical Director is the one everyone notifies whenever a problem arises. It’s then a Pipeline TD’s job to go and fix it.
R&D Programmer
A Research and Development Programmer’s job entails the upkeep of the software that every other member of the team will rely on.
Effects TD
The Effects Technical Director is in charge of creating things like explosions, water, or fire in a digital capacity to be used. Effect TDs must pay attention to the physics of what they are making, and if anything around them will have an impact.
Shader Development TD
Similar to the Look Development Artist, a Shader Development Technical Director’s job is to make sure light is reflecting/bouncing off a surface correctly. They work with code to describe these textures, and apply them to objects.
Others:
There are other roles that don’t necessarily fit into specific departments, but have their own roles outside of them.
Runner
The Runner is an entry level job, and is never one department they’re working with. They learn how teams and workplaces operate, and deliver food and drinks to departments, as well as keep the workspace in order and tidy.
Assistant TD
The Assistant Technical Director (ATD) works closely with the Effect and Pipeline TDs, as well as the R&D Programmers. Their main job is to make sure all the work is cleaned up and backed up somewhere.
Roto Artist
Roto Artists are essential, as they are responsible for cutting out or isolating items/people in a scene to then be edited with CGI.
Match Mover
Match Movers extract movement and spatial information from footage so that CGI planes can be added in the correct positions. This role is also called the Camera Tracker, as they have to keep track of the camera, or certain point in a scene.
I also read through a VFX Primer, which is a PDF holding a wide array of advice about the VFX industry. There’s a lot of useful information in the PDF, with advice from loads of people in the industry on everything from knowing where your skills lie to
The first points of interest I came across were specialist versus generalist, teamwork, and criticism. The first is an important question, as it mostly depends on the company you plan to work for/ end up working for in the industry. A small company might have you doing multiple tasks, whereas a large company will have you only focused on an individual area. I’ve always seen myself as a generalist, but sometimes I wonder if I should take a more specialist approach to me work. While the VFX industry isn’t where I hope to end up (my passions lie in games), I could still easily use the skills I have in the field.
While on the subject of specialist and generalist, the jobs that I’m interested in are mainly artistic. For example, the roles I’m interested in the games industry are concept artist, narrative writer and gameplay designer. All these roles are creative, and surprisingly not just about art. Being a narrative writer would mean I would be given a story, and then I would get to create the entire world around it through characters (how they act, how they interact – assuming it’s a game in which this is a feature). This is something I love doing in my free time, and I would love to use it in industry. It would also allow me to use logic as well as creativity, which I like to have a balance of when working.
The other job I’m leaning towards is somewhat of a stretch, but I have my reasons. A gameplay designer is a lot like a narrative writer, as they also get to dictate how characters interact with the world, just in a far more logical and technical way. They also get to set the rules and boundaries for the game, which is something that I enjoyed doing of my Synoptic Project last year. If I wanted to get this position in a company, I’d definitely have to brush up on my programming.
All the roles in the design department are of interest to me, as they all involve creativity and logic. As an extra stretch, another job I’m interested in is the creative director, who oversees everything in the design department. This includes the narrative, the gameplay, and even the level design. If I had that position, I would be involved in all of these areas, and would even have some say in them. Of course, this is a very far leap from the level I’m at now. Since being a creative director is a ‘generalist’ job involving many different skills, I’d definitely need to build on all my skills over the next few years.
There was also a section about teamwork, and making sure you’re working efficiently and meeting deadlines. There was also the good point of being patient. The roles that I’m looking at aren’t likely to be entry level (especially the creative director), but being a concept artist could be. This would be a good place to start, as I may be placed in a team of other concept artists, and I would be able to pick up things from them. If I wanted a job in the VFX industry, the easiest place to start would be applying to be a runner. Although it’s unglamorous, being a runner would open up tons of opportunities if I looked for them.
Working in a team would give me the opportunity to test out my strengths, or maybe even try something new. This would also help me learn if I want to try and specialise in one skill or expand my range of knowledge. Working in a team will also mean that I could learn from others and others could learn from me, benefiting us all. So far, we haven’t been set any team/group projects this year, but I hope there will be one soon so that I can become better at communicating and working with others. This would also give me a better idea about what being a part of a pipeline is like, as I would be creating assets or artwork for someone to use as reference.
Criticism is also an important part of any industry. Without criticism, no one would know what they’re doing wrong or how to improve. In the VFX industry, criticism shouldn’t be taken personally, and the advice given should be followed, as it is likely given because they didn’t feel the work was what the client asked for, or something of a similar nature.
If changes are made, explain yourself. This is a skill I need to learn, as I have no problem explaining myself in writing, yet that isn’t always the most effective way. I definitely need to work on explaining things out loud, and get used to discussing my processes to others. This is something I greatly struggle with, as I’ve always been far more comfortable communicating through writing. This is a problem, as I found out on the Synoptic Project. I wrote down all my ideas in word documents, with the expectation that these would be read.
I realised at the beginning of production that none of them communicated like that, and that I’d need to be more forward in explaining to them about my ideas. This is a mistake that unfortunately took too long for me to realise. In the next group project, I will naturally still type everything up, but I’ll make more of an effort to communicate these documents in other ways so there is no confusion. A good way to do this would be to have daily meetings where we all go round, bring up any issues or concerns, then explain what we plan to do during the day. I believe that with all of this in mind, the next group project I get will hopefully go well.
The Primer often goes back to how no one expects a new employee to get things perfect, and how it’s alright to ask for help, and be honest. It also encourages studying lights, physics and the world around you to learn the most about how to create a convincing scene. Cinematography and photography are encouraged as well, as these skills will help with knowing how to use raw footage. I have a small amount of experience with cameras, which is something I’d like to expand on, as photography can be used for games as well. I could go out a take pictures around an area and then photo-bash them together to create a more realistic concept piece.
It’s also important to fit into whatever industry or company you’re working for, so getting to know the others in a team and their skillsets is incredibly beneficial. I have the luck of already knowing some of the people on the HND from the prior two years. However, there are a few new people, and I think it would be a good idea to ask them about where their interests lie and what careers they want to go into. As VFX is a mainly freelancing industry, I’m curious about their thoughts on this.
VFX isn’t just one thing either, it’s many different fields all in one industry. There’s maths, art and cinematography, which is a vast range. If I were to go into the field, I would definitely aim for something in art, as I don’t have enough experience with the other two fields. Having a bit of knowledge of cinema, movies and media would definitely help as well, as that entails understanding structures of narratives, character archetypes, and how a story should flow.
Overall, the VFX industry is full of opportunity and transferable skills. Reading through the PDF has actually open my eyes to how many different types of jobs and specialities there are in this industry, and how easy it would be to transfer my skills to get a job in VFX as opposed to games.
The Rookies Magazine
There’s also a magazine about the VFX industry called ‘The Rookies,’ which goes into the more specialised roles that can be found in the industry. The main ones that interested me were, of course, the artistic roles. These include concept artist and storyboard artist. Storyboarding is a skill I’ve been wanting to experiment with more in my spare time, as I enjoy it. Previs artist is also a creative role, and it is something I would be willing to try out. But for the most part, it’s not what I’m leaning towards.
There were many other specialised roles in the magazine, including a lighting artist who specialises in specific textures or fabrics. Knowing how lighting and composition work are also key skills needed to go into any creative industry, and also having a good idea of how anatomy and physics work is good for many of the jobs as well. If I wanted a storyboard artist job, I would definitely need to work on composition, and also create a portfolio of my work to show in an interview.
My thoughts on Freelancing
The VFX industry is a mainly freelancing industry. Freelancing is self-employment, as opposed to being employed by someone else. Freelancers can be hired by companies for projects if needed, and can get many opportunities to work for a variety of different companies.
If I worked as a freelancer, the first thing I need to work out what kind of work I’d want to do. If I wanted to be a freelancing concept artist, this would be the kind of work I’d be pitching myself for. I’d also need to enhance my social skills and communication, as concept artists need to work closely with either the client (who had the vision and idea) or the producer. If I can’t communicate properly, or can’t understand what others want, then this will be a problem, and it could mean I won’t be rehired for another project.
The positive side of working as a freelancer would be that I’d get to work with many different companies, which would also allow me to make connections with a vast array of people in industry. It’s also very flexible, which could also be a downside, as plans might change at a moments notice. Another negative attribute would be that freelancers feel they have to work extra hard to get people’s attention.
Overall, after reading through a few articles about freelancing, I’m far more open to the idea than I was before. I think being a freelancer would give me far more freedom of what I do, whereas a company would give me tasks instead. However, being in a company would most likely be a far more stress-free environment.
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