Right here on Collegelearners, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on How To Learn Visual Effects, learn vfx for beginners,how to learn vfx online, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.
How To Learn Visual Effects
At its core, Visual Effects (abbreviated VFX) is the process by which digital imagery is created to manipulate or enhance real world footage that has been filmed with a video camera.
Visual effects involve the integration of video camera footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, expensive, impractical, time consuming or impossible to capture on film.
Visual Effects are not just limited to big block buster films, they are commonly seen in television commercials, broadcast series, architecture, advertising and more.
A great example of Visual Effects that was used in Avengers: Infinity War and created by the visual effects studio Framestore in London.
Why would you want to work in Visual Effects?
Maybe because it’s a career that involves the perfect mix of story telling, cutting-edge technology and creativity. It could also be because you love films and want to hang out on set surrounded by movie stars. Maybe you want a career that allows you to travel the world or even work remotely from home. Or maybe it’s because you love drawing and building things with your hands and on the computer. There are so many reasons why you would want to work in Visual Effects and there are dozen of possible career paths open to you across multiple industries.
Key VFX Roles and Departments
The process of creating visual effects is long, challenging and very technical. Teams are large and very diverse which means there are opportunities for all types of people ranging from hardcore coders through to illustrators and non-artists who like managing teams. Everyone plays a crucial role in producing the final visual effects and I’ve listed some of the most common creative and technical roles below to help you understand where you mind fit it best.
Art Department
The Art Department is responsible for translating a Directors vision and a script into visuals that can be shared with the entire team to truly understand the creative and technical challenges that lay ahead. These concept artists and illustrators create everything from storyboards to photorealistic artworks that show what the finished shot will look like.
#artistic #conceptart #illustration
Pre-viz
Pre-visualisation Artists are responsible for creating the first 3D representation of the final visual effects shot. They use artwork and basic 3D models to create normally low-quality versions of the action sequences so the Director can start planning out camera placement and creative/technical requirements.
#technical #planning #setup
Asset Department
Virtual assets are need in visual effects to match real world objects or create new objects that don’t exist or are too expensive to build in the real world. These are mostly created by modeling artists, texture painters, shader developers and riggers.
#creative #artistic #design #3dmodel #shaders #rig
Research and Development
Considered a very technical department, RnD artists are responsible for building new software and tools to accomplish the tasks that can’t be done, or are simply too time consuming for artists to manually complete over and over again. The role requires a very strong background in computer science and a passion for problem solving.
#technical #code #computerscience
Animation
This one is pretty obvious. Basically anything that moves on film needs to be animated. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small prop like a chair, a huge space ship or even a hero character or creature. If it moves and has a performance, an animator will most likely be behind the controls.
#actor #keyframes #characters #performanceAmazing example by animation student Joyce Kambey
Matchmove
This is also referred to as motion tracking and without it there would be no way to incorporate 3D data into live action footage. To make digital assets appear as if they completely real, you need a virtual camera that moves exactly like the camera in the live action footage. This is where matchmove artists come to the rescue. It’s their job to use the live action video footage and create a virtual camera for all departments to work with.
#matchmove #virtualcamera
FX Simulation
An FX Artist designs and creates FX animation, procedural simulation, dynamic simulation, and particle and fluid systems. They are responsible for recreating the behaviour of real world elements such as fire, water, explosions, cloth, hair and a whole lot more that most people don’t even realise. Highly technical, yet creative role.
#fire #water #smoke #destructionfound in films using Houdini Software
Lighting
The lighting artist is responsible for applying all lighting effects to the digital scene. The artist takes into consideration the light sources of the live-action plate and applies virtual lighting to mimic the existing illumination within the environment. The goal is to ensure that the VFX and live-action elements blend seamlessly, as though both exist in the same environment.
#lighting #colour #illumination #mood
Matte paint
A matte painting is an image, created using digital or traditional painting techniques, to create a representation of a scene that would be impossible for filmmakers to deliver in real life. This might be because the landscape does not exist in the real world, it’s not financially practical to travel to a location, or to extend the set outside of its filmed parameters.
#painter #mask #setextension
Rotoscoping
Rotoscoping is used to create a matte or mask for an element so it can be extracted out of place on a different background, masked out so colours can be changed or any other set of reasons. The rotoscoping artist will normally trace an object using a set of tools to create a new alpha channel for a specific part of an image sequence or video.
#mask #roto #trace #alpha
Compositing
Compositing is the action of layering all the various elements in a shot – live action, mattes, multiple CG passes, 3D lighting, animation, particle effects – and blending them all seamlessly to create the photo-realistic final shot. Working throughout the production process, you’ll need to collaborate with other VFX departments to creatively and technically problem solve along the way.
#colour #grading #layering #finaltouch #composition
Production
There are also a number of roles for people who prefer managing teams, budgets and schedules. The top production role at a studio is the VFX Producer who works closely with the VFX supervisor to project manage the entire process, defining the resources required, hiring artists and crew, managing budgets and making sure the project is delivered on schedule. Other common roles include Production Manager and Production coordinator which support the Producer by liaising with artists, flagging issues and generally tracking progress and making sure everything stays on track from a scheduling perspective.
#scheduling #management #budgets #glue
Important Skills required to become a VFX artist
There are plenty of jobs available to people in the visual effects industry. For those of you interested in the more creative and technical roles there are definitely some important skills you should focus on early in your training.
The skills I’m referring to are not related to software and technology. Those will come later when you really start digging into your training. However, a solid foundation in the following skills will help you for years to come:
- Composition and light
- Visual Aesthetics
- Drawing
- Sculpture & Anatomy
- Mechanics and Movement
- Passion for Film
- Real world observation
- Communication skills
- Photography
How much money can I make in Visual Effects?
As in any industry there are exceptions to the rule, however the following should give you a good idea of the average salaries involved with different stages of your career. This information has been sourced from multiple government databases and various industry surveys.
* Currency Conversion completed April 2019.
Entry Level Artist
US: $22,000 – $52,000 | GBP: £17,000 – £40,000 | AUD $31,000 – $74,000
Senior Artist
US: $67,000 – $100,000 | GBP: £52,000 – £78,000 | AUD $95,000 – $143,000
Supervisors & Management
US: $100,000 – $136,000 | GBP: £78,000 – £104,000 | AUD $143,000 – $190,000
How do I start learning Visual Effects (VFX)
Traditionally speaking, there are two main ways to start learning Visual Effects. Go to a school, or teach yourself at home. It’s very easy to find persuasive case studies for both learning paths so which should you choose?
In my opinion this depends entirely on you. Some people are great at learning skills themselves and don’t need help for the heavy lifting part. On the other hand, there are people who need to be surrounded by others and need strict schedules and tasks. It really is up to you, and how you like to work.
Regardless of which approach to learning vfx you take, the most important thing to do is just start. It’s that simple.
Regardless of which approach to learning you take, the most important thing to do is start. It’s that simple. Pick up a book, start sketching, watch and analyse a movie, watch documentaries about visual effects, attend local events. Just get started. If you don’t have the passion and motivation for this, then it doesn’t matter how good your education – you will never make it.
Self taught vs University – Which is better?
As mentioned, there are very strong debates for both sides of the learning process. Provided below is an overview of the most common advantages for both methods of learning.
Self taught Advantages:
- ability to set your own pace
- often a cheaper option
- no time wasted learning unnecessary skills
University Advantages:
- accreditation will help with overseas Visa applications
- access to cutting edge facilities and software
- direct access to industry experts
- increased networking opportunities
- increased motivation being surrounded by peers and lecturers
- access to educational software licenses
Important questions to ask an Art School before you give them money
When looking for a school it’s easy to get distracted by flashy advertising campaigns and glowing references from alumni. It’s also a time when you could easily make a decision that you will regret because you didn’t do your research. There truly are incredible schools out there, but there are also some that should not be allowed to teach at all.
Once you have narrowed down your list and you start talking with schools directly, here are a few questions to help you better understand which school is best for you.
What percentage of your teaching staff are working in the industry right now?
Be careful of schools that don’t have any current or recent industry professionals. Many schools employ recent graduates that have little to no experience and just set you tasks, but are not able to help or relevant advice.
Who wrote your curriculum and what makes it better than other schools?
This will show you if they have strong internal educators or rely completely on external vendors to provide their training material.
How many of your students from last year have jobs?
This will help you understand how soon it takes for alumni to get a job and what percentage actually were employed.
Tip: Ask for names here if possible, then track them down on LinkedIn. Ask them directly if they would mind answering a few questions about their experience. Don’t stalk people or be annoying. However, you will find that most people are super helpful and will share their thoughts openly.
What visual effects software will you teach me?
When you get this information, cross-check it against the list of recommended software here. Often schools will have contracts with certain companies which limits their access to industry approved software. Also make sure to ask if all their software is up-to-date.
What are the most common jobs people get after your course?
Make sure they are super specific with this one. Are graduates all working as Compositing Artists? Are graduates actually doing jobs that you want to do? Are graduates just working as Runners. This is a sure fire way to truly figure out what your employment chances are like after graduation.
Tip: Schools love to show all the films that their alumni have worked on. However, be careful with this one. Often they will use recent blockbuster films from alumni that attended 10+ years ago and were not the reason for the artists success.
Which studios do you have strong relationships?
Good schools will always work closely with leading studios. This means they will often have guest speakers, events and recruiters helping out to make sure the school is staying relevant and on track. Get the names of studios and do your own research, it will be pretty obvious.
What computer equipment and facilities do you get access to?
It’s amazing how many schools don’t even provide computers or even a working environment you’d want to spend time in. When studying visual effects, you are going to spend a lot of time at school, so make sure it’s somewhere descent.
The Rookie Awards are the most important student award and ranking globally as it has a credibility that others just don’t have. It doesn’t let advertising budgets create higher school rankings, it uses industry to assess and judge student work and discounts for any school flooding the awards with entries.
Darryn Melrose, former Chief Executive of Media Design School
The official rankings for 2020 have been calculated based on the performance of students work submitted to our industry panel. Full details can be found further down the page about how we calculate and rank schools.
