There are no standards
for visual effects titles and positions. The VES has a long list of titles
(available in the VES Handbook and on their website) but have no definitions
currently.
I'll be listing some of
the default practices but these will vary with companies and locations.
Depending on the company structure and size they may be combining some of these
roles and some may split them even finer.
The titles as laid out
here are for feature film visual effects. Most apply to television and
commercials as well. Animation companies tend to use some of these titles a bit
differently. These also overlap the game industry as well although they will
have somewhat different needs and titles.
There are a number of
support people who are not unique to visual effects such as the IT department, mail
department and other areas which exist at visual effects companies but I won’t
be listing them here.
A few general
guidelines:
Some of these titles may
have Junior or Senior designations added. Junior (i.e. Junior compositor) tends
to imply someone still gaining experience in their area and senior tends to
describe someone with experience who may be over seeing many others.
Associate is another
term used to indicate involvement in the role but not necessarily the lead.
Associate producer, associate supervisor, etc.
Assistant can apply to
some of the titles as well.
The term 'Lead' is
usually designated as someone who is overseeing a team of people involved in a
specific aspect. Examples: Lead
Animator for the Horse Chase Sequence, Lead modeler for the Rocs, etc. In the credits the specifics are
usually dropped and just the Lead designation remains.
Supervisor is appended
to some positions to designate supervision of that specific area and management
of a crew or team of people. CG Supervisor, Composite Supervisor, etc. There
are also Sequence Supervisors which relates to the Lead designation at some
companies.
Generalist - Term
sometimes used for visual effects person who covers a wide range of visual
effects. Knowledgeable and experienced with different positions. Able to fill
in for a number of positions as need be. This may also mean that the level of
experience and talent isn’t as deep in a specific area. All depends on the
usage.
Digital Artist or
Digital Effects Artist – These are fairly generic titles and could mean
anything. Sometimes used when companies want to clump a number of people
together in credits or avoid conflicts.
There can be very
defined departments with department managers. In a small company the department
manager may also be a lead, hands on worker or supervisor. At some larger
companies the department manager may strictly be a manager of their department
and overseeing the general aspects of the artists in the department.
Some of the same
positions may be filled in different departments. Example: Production Assistant
for production, Production Assistant for motion capture, etc.
There can be many more
positions than these (in many cases I've only listed the key position in the
department but most departments are made up of a group of people doing a range
of tasks) and there can be people who overlap or cover a range of these
positions. It's all dependent on the project and company.
Companies may employ a number of people in many of these roles. You could have 30+ animators on a project and a large company might be working on 3-6 projects at a time. And some of the positions are unique so there may only be one or a handful of people in that position at the company.
Tools
I'll list some of the
basic training and software tools but this varies a lot as well. There's no
standard to entry and many companies employ a mix of tools. There are number of
software packages for most of these tasks so don’t take the tools I list as the
only tools. I certainly don’t know what the units sold for each package. These
aren't endorsements and software packages come and go over time. Some companies
use software that has been discontinued. Some companies also employ there own
proprietary in-house software that only exists at those companies.
Training
Some of the best
training for most visual effects positions includes basic art and photography.
For most of the jobs you don't have to be an expert artist in drawing and
painting but should understand artistic principles and at least be able to make
rough sketches to convey an idea. Understanding light and lighting are
important and know the basics of filmmaking useful (camera motion, editing,
etc).
Most of these jobs
involve thinking visually. You need to develop your eye to judge images. You
should be able to visualize the finished image and should be able to mentally
run a scene back and forth in slow motion in your head. If you’re not a visual
person then a visual effects career may not be the best match for you.
Most larger companies
work on Linux or a Unix based systems but there are still a number of Windows
and Mac based areas so some familiarity with all of these is helpful.
Some programming and
computer science knowledge is very useful (Python, C, C++, Perl, etc) primarily
for the more technical roles but this can be certainly of value to those even
in the non-technical roles. Same with math.
Today you can gain a lot
of hands on experience and knowledge on your own. Most software packages offer
free trial versions (and/or low cost educational version). Video cameras and
still cameras that shoot video are relatively inexpensive. The internet is full
of tutorials from the vendors and others. There are quite a few books on visual
effects including step by step tutorials. And there are a few visual effects
schools online with classes for a fee.
Try to get exposure and
some education in a number of positions. Example: Even if you’re planning to be
a Technical Director, hands on roto and paint work is very useful to get
perspective. Animation, compositing, lighting, rendering, etc are all areas as
well that should be explored by all visual effects artists early in their
training. It's possible you may find an area that is a better match for you.
Be very careful with for
profit schools since their emphasis can be much more on their profits than your
education.
Most job postings
require a college education. How critical that requirement is dependent on the
specific company and HR department at the company. Certainly the key aspects of
knowledge can be obtained without a college degree but a college degree is
likely to provide a broader knowledge base.
Be aware that some
companies have their own proprietary software. As stated elsewhere on this blog
you want to focus first in understanding the principles of the position you're
focused on and then learn the software since the software will change overtime
and from company to company. Knowing what menu item to select is much less
useful than knowing what it’s doing. Learning the basic functions of a software
package is relatively easy and fast but knowing what and why take much longer.
TIP: Do not under
estimate how important actual experience is to learning the ins and outs of
these positions. Although you’ve learned the basics of a program somewhere, the
real process and pressure can be daunting. Even experienced people learn on
each project and the field continues to change regarding both technology and creativity. It’s
likely there will be new and different challenges on each project and you’ll be
working with a wider variety of people. That’s why you see the x years of experience
requirement listed on many visual effects job postings.
TIP: For any one
interesting in a career in visual effects please read the job postings by the
visual effects companies, especially the ones you would like to target.
Every company now has a web site with job postings. There are also websites
that specialize in job postings. Most job postings will go into more detail
than I have here and provide more specifics. They'll indicate the specific
software required at that company and the amount of experience required. That
will help you determine what to focus on for your education. Realize that
software and requirements change frequently so be sure to keep abreast of new
postings from time to time. It's likely you will have to learn multiple apps
that do the same thing if you wish to have a broader range of companies to
apply to.
Wages
I won't be covering
wages with these positions because there are no standards for these either. If
wages are your main concern you should consider a different career. Wages tend
to be good but your major driving force should be the work because you're going
to spend so much time doing it.
Wage rates tend to be based on how much training, knowledge, skill,
experience and talent is required for the particular job. How many others could
do what you’ll be doing? How much responsibility and how many people will you
be in charge further defines the wage issue.
Company Structure
Even this varies with companies. For most artists there is a lead who is providing guidance. In some cases it may be the department head or a form of supervisor who will be guiding you. The visual effects supervisor reviews the shots in progress in dailies . CG Supervisor, Compositor Supervisor, etc. may be reviewing in dailies as well with the visual effects supervisor or may be doing incremental reviews. There may be separate dailies for animators with the animation supervisor.
Company Management
The positions listed are
the hands on workers and artists. At any company there will be some management.
In some companies there may be several layers of management. Those in
management may or may not have hands on experience in visual effects and may or
may not have business training. The quality of management varies as much or
more than the quality of the artists.
CG is the abbreviation
for Computer Graphics. CGI not used much within visual effects since image is
redundant after graphics.
Positions
Visual Effects
Production Department
The production
department is required to bid and budget the work, oversee the production and
make sure it's completed on time and on budget. This department will likely
exist on the production side and also at each visual effects company.
Visual Effects
Supervisor
Oversees the creative
and technical aspects of visual effects for a film either working for the
production or for a visual effects company. If they are working for a
production then they will be reviewing most of the inprogress and all final submissions from the
various companies along with the director.
The visual effects
supervisor at a company will be reviewing the dailies at the company for the
specific film project and will be dealing with the details, including
interacting directly with most of the artists on the project at that company.
Training: Great eye to determine what looks good
and what looks real. Years of experience with most aspects of visual effects
and wide knowledge of the different tasks and tradeoffs of the different
methodologies. Ideally will have worked at a number of positions and have a lot
of on set experience. Good management and people skills. Solid art and
photography knowledge.
Tools: Laptop, notebook,
measuring tape, inclinometer, tracking markers, etc.
Works with: Director, cinematographer, production
designer and other key creatives on the production in addition to most of the
visual effects crew.
Visual Effects Producer
The visual effects producer is in charge of bidding, budgeting, scheduling,
allocating resources and making sure the work gets done. This role is typically
filled on the actual production and per project at visual effects companies. They
manage the entire crew from a production standpoint. The production visual
effects producer will be the one to send out and get bids from the companies.
The visual effects
producer at the company will be dealing with creating the company bid and
dealing with the specifics of the company schedule and resources.
Most large studios also
have a visual effects producer/executive who oversees multiple films with
visual effects. They hire the independent visual effects producer and visual
effects supervisor for the productions and are key to selecting the companies
that will get awarded the work.
Training: Usually moves from Production assistant
to Production coordinator to associate producer to producer but that varies.
Experience is key here. Knowledge of the various steps and processes involved
in visual effects. Requires a firm understanding of business and management.
Does not require MBA but any business or management knowledge is useful.
Tools: Word, Excel, Filemaker, Tactic,
Shotgun, etc.
Works with: Visual effects supervisor, Production
coordinators, Production Assistants.
Production coordinator
Handling secondary duties for the visual effects producer. Helping to gather
information and making sure tasks are being completed by the various crew
members. Takes notes at dailies and at meetings.
Training: Usually started as a PA, gaining
experience and knowledge of how the business operates.
Tools: Word, Excel, Filemaker, Tactic,
Shotgun, etc.
Works with: Producer, visual effects supervisor,
Production coordinators. May be
coordinator for specific department.
Production Asst (PA)
Running errands, driving to pickup supplies, putting up
storyboards, making copies of documents, getting status updates from crew
members, misc work that needs to be done.
In the UK they have a
position of Runner that overlaps this to some extent.
Can move into more
creative and technical roles but only if they have the skills and knowledge to
do so. Can be more likely to move up to coordinator.
Training: Most training on the job and from
experience. Common sense. Possibly car and driver license. Hard worker.
Tools: Word, Excel, Filemaker, etc.
Works with: Production coordinators, producer,
visual effects supervisor. May be PA for specific department
Art Department
Art Director
Some
visual effects companies have their own art departments. If they do then it’s
likely an art director will be assigned per film. This person oversees the
other artists and the development of the artwork.
Training: Art school/classes. Active imagination.
Very visually oriented. People skills.
Tools: Photoshop, Painter, SketchUp, etc.
Works with: Director, visual effects supervisor,
production designer, animation supervisor
Concept artists
Design, sketch, paint concepts based on the script and conversations with the
director, visual effects supervisor, production designer and other key
creative’s. This allows the director to refine their vision and provide images
to use for communication and final design.
Usually hired directly
by production (through art department) but may be supplied by visual effects
company.
Frequently there are
specialists - weapons, creatures, vehicles, landscapes, etc.
Training: Art school/classes. Active imagination.
Very visually oriented. Knowledgeable about specific area and able to draw from
a number of inspirations.
Tools: Photoshop, Painter, SketchUp, etc.
Works with: Director, visual effects supervisor,
production designer, animation supervisor (for creatures), makeup artist (for
creatures)
Storyboard artist
Works with director to illustrate sequences for the film. Usually more complex
scenes with stunts, special effects, visual effects but can be used to flesh
out concepts or to help sell the studio. May be used as a starting point for
the previs artists.
Training: Art school/classes. Figure drawing
a must. Cinematography (lens choice, composition, camera moves, etc),
editing.
Tools: Pencil, pen, paper usually. Photoshop,
scanner, etc.
Works with: Director. Also likely to work with
cinematographer, stunt coordinator, visual effects supervisor and 2nd unit
director.
Previs department
Works with the director
to create preliminary or concept 3D version of sequences, especially complex
sequences with stunts, practical effects and visual effects. These help to provide
better communication of the what the final sequence should be like. Previs is
also used at times to help sell a movie concept to the studio (pitchvis) and to
do quick mockups in post of new ideas (postvis)
Critical to make the
previs relate to the real world it will be filmed in. (i.e. accurate modeling
of the set and camera, avoiding flying the CG camera 10 feet into the ground
since the real camera can’t, etc)
Previs may be done by a
Previs company hired by production, a team of freelance previs artists or a
department at a visual effects company.
Previs Artist
Training: 3D software, animation, cinematography
(lens choice, composition, camera moves, etc), editing. Compositing also good.
Tools: Maya, 3D Studio Max, MotionBuilder, Softimage XSI,
Lightwave, etc.
Works with: Director and ideally the
cinematographer, visual effects supervisor, stunt coordinator and other key
creative’s.
Plate supervisor
Oversees the filming of
visual effects shots and makes sure they are shot correctly along with
obtaining the necessary info. A visual effects supervisor usually handles this
but schedules and volume of work may require a plate supervisor. Plate
supervisor is usually a visual effects supervisor hired for a limited role of
overseeing some of the live action photography.
Training: Visual effects supervisor, on set
experience, data collecting
Tools: Laptop, notebook, measuring tape,
inclinometer, tracking markers, etc.
Works with: Visual effects supervisor, director,
cinematographer,
Data collector
Usually 1-4 people
assigned to a visual effects crew involved in the live action. A data collector
records as much information as possible during the filming related to visual
effects. Camera settings, lens settings, lighting information, measuring the
sets and camera placement.
Additional tasks may
include holding lighting references, shooting HDR images, shooting reference
photos, running a transit, running a video camera for a witness camera
(frequently 2 or more cameras used to film from other angles to provide
animation reference).
Training: Understanding of 3D very useful.
Photography, record keeping. Frequently a member of the match move department.
Tools: Measuring tape, inclinometer, notepad,
still camera, video camera, surveyor transit
Works with: Visual
effects supervisor, match move department
Visual Effects Director
of photography
Cinematographer who focuses specifically on visual effects.
Knowledge of shooting miniatures, motion control, elements and greenscreens
among other types of image capture.
Training: Photography,
cinematography, lighting, color, compositing useful
Tools: Range of
film/video cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, etc.
Works with: Director,
visual effects supervisor
Scanning operator
In
charge of scanning and digitizing film. These days much of this work is now
done at labs or other companies besides the visual effects company. The amount
of film being shot has diminished since digital effects first evolved. Has to
adjust, calibrate and operate scanning system using the count sheets and color
references.
Training: Computer graphics, photography,
understanding of film and scanning theory
Tools: Specialized scanning software
Works with: Cinematographer, visual effects
supervisor, visual effects editor
Roto Department
Rotoscoping is the process of hand tracing an object or shape in a shot. This
may be done frame by frame but these days the computer is usually able to do
many of the in-between frames. Usually used to create mattes so the background
may be replaced. This position existed even in pre-digital days but is used
much more frequently these days because of the tools.
Roto and similar object
isolation methods are also used extensively for 2D to 3D conversion. There are
companies that specialize in this type of work.
For some people this is
the starter position that allows a person with minimal visual effects training to
start at a visual effects company and work their way up. If you’re trained in
another role of visual effects (compositing, animation, etc) you don’t have to
start in roto. (Although it’s still a useful process to have done)
Because of the labor and
time aspects of this job and the fairly low learning curve required, these
positions are being outsourced more to locations with lower costs of living and
related lower wages.
Rotoscoper
Person who
does the roto or rotoscoping work.
Training: Much of this training is done at the
various visual effects companies but it's easy enough to get some basic
self-training using trial software and free movie clips found online. You can
get some sense for it using Photoshop or Gimp (free) using the pen tool but
working with moving images is a magnitude more difficult and demanding. Note:
This can be tedious work for many but some find it interesting.
Tools: Specialized tools
- Mocha, Silhouette. Compositing
tools with roto- Nuke, After Effects, Fusion, etc. Wacom tablet.
Works with: Compositors
and technical directors
Paint Department
There
is a need to do a certain amount of hand paintwork even in this day and age.
This paintwork is done using digital tools and at times requires frame-by-frame
painting. If there’s a rendering
glitch or a problem spot on the edge of a composite, then those may be hand
touched up. If an actor or prop is suspended by wires then those need to be
painted out. If there’s a rig of some sort in the scene (for stunts or special
effects) these will have to be painted out. Anything in the scene that
shouldn’t be there (television dishes in a period film will have to be painted
out. If a clean plate (no actors) is required then the actors will have to be
painted out. An example of this is a stand-in actor for a CG creature that
doesn’t cover the entire actor. When doing 2D to 3D conversion many areas of an
image will need to be ‘cut out and offset’ to create the 3D look. The areas
where the images were moved will show gaps of nothing that will need to be
painted in.
Note that there are some
basic tools to help with wire removal but much of this work requires a real eye
of tedious frame-by-frame painting. These holes in the image need to be filled
seamlessly without calling attention to themselves when moving. Sometimes these
can be filled with images of the surrounding area (cloning) and sometimes they
can be filled using some of the previous or forward frames where the hole had
the correct image. And other times there may be no real source of image and the
hole will have to be painted with care from scratch.
Consider a group of
people walking toward camera and a vertical rod in the foreground that needs to
be removed. A still is hard enough in Photoshop but now consider all of those
faces and bodies moving and changing 24 time a second.
The paint and roto
departments can be all one department.
Dustbuster
Someone who
paints out dust on scanned film or glitches in digital capture footage. They
typically clone from an adjacent frame or area next to the spot.
Training: Good eye and basic understanding of
painting out spots from other sources.
Tools: Compositing systems with frame-by-frame
paint tools such as Nuke, After Effects, etc. Wacom tablet.
Works with: Paint department
Painter
There are
various titles for this position depending of the specialty being done. Wire removal,
rig removal, etc.
Training: Good eye and attention to detail. Art
school/classes certainly useful even for this level.
Tools: Compositing systems with frame-by-frame
paint tools such as Nuke, After Effects, etc. Wacom tablet.
Works with: Compositors
Modeling Department
Creation of every set and object within the computer. Most of the time these are built from scratch based on blueprints or other reference materials. Sometimes built from scans or a pre-existing model. Can also refer to physical model shop, the type used primarily pre-digital but still useful. Most visual effects companies no longer have physical model shops so they will sub-contract this work when required.
Model Supervisor
Oversee the creation of CG (or physical) models.
Manages the modelers
involved in the production and keeps the quality level and detail consistent.
Training: Experienced
modeler
Tools: for CG - Maya, XSI, Cyslice, ZBrush, Mudbox, etc.
Works with: Modelers,
visual effects supervisor
CG Modeler
Builds
computer graphics models from scratch or modifies from 3D scans. Usually
sub-divided into non-organic (hard surface) modelers (spaceships, sets, etc)
and organic (soft body, creature) modelers since each of these has slightly
different requirements and approaches.
Training: Computer graphics training,
understanding of architecture, reading blueprints, mechanical drawings all
useful. Nurbs and other modeling methods.
Tools: Maya, XSI, Cyslice, ZBrush, Mudbox, etc.
Works with: Riggers, Texture painters, visual
effects supervisor, modeling supervisor
Physical Modeler
Builds physical (real) miniatures and models from scratch or from a combination
of parts. Usually a small team of
people with both general and specific talents. Sculptors, painters, mold makers
and other specialists exist.
Training: Art school/class, hands on model
building, machining, wood working, sculpting, using different materials
Tools: Wood shop,
machine shop, plaster, plastic, silicon, etc.
Works with: Visual effects camera crew, visual
effects supervisor, director, art department
Rigger
Rigger is the
person who constructs and 'rigs' the CG animation skeleton to a CG creature,
digital double or any other type of sub-animation required. This can be a
complex task since it requires placing the right type of pivots in the correct
place and setting the range of motion and setting the animation points for the
animators.
Training: Computer graphics training,
understanding of animation,
Tools: Maya, Mel
Works with: Modelers and animators
Texture Artist / Painter
Responsible for painting textures for any computer graphics model, object,
creature or set. Some may involved pure paint in Photoshop or a 3D paint
program and some may involve collecting and selectively combining multiple
photos to create the final texture. Uses scanning photos and other materials to
paint a CG actor or prop. Frequently paints other layers (specularity, dirt,
etc) to be used for specific purposes.
Training: Art school/classes, photography, CG classes
Tools: Body Paint,
Deep Paint, Photoshop, Mari, Maya, etc.
Works with: CG Modeler, CG supervisor, visual
effects supervisor, technical director
Skinning
There are
different methods to ‘skin’ CG creatures.
Something like a dragon may have very hard and non-moving areas of the
skin and other areas such as the face that will be very flexible or include
certain types of folds.
Training: Computer graphics training,
understanding of modeling, texture painting and rigging all useful
Tools: Maya, Mel, proprietary tools, etc
Works with: Modelers, Technical directors and animators
Animation Department
Responsible
for moving characters (adding life to them) and objects. Animation can be computer graphic
characters, computer graphic spaceships and mechanisms or stop motion (physical
characters and objects moved by hand)
Animation supervisor
Experience Animator who oversees all the animation on the film project. Combination of technical trouble shooting, creative input and management. Helps to cast the animators for specific characters or creatures. Usually one of the right hand person to the visual effects supervisor. If it's a project with a lot of animation then typical works along side the visual effects supervisor.
Training: Experienced animator. Animation school or classes.
Tools: Maya, 3D Studio Max, Softimage XSI, etc.
Works with: Director, visual effects supervisor
Animator
Person who
does the animation. These could be broken down into 2D (cel animation for
cartoons or older Disney style animation) and 3D (Computer graphics 3D
animation such as Pixar films or in visual effects such as dragons) categories
as well. I'll be focused on 3D animation.
This may be further broken down
into:
Character Animator
Animator for characters
that speak and react.
Training: Animation school or classes.
Studying footage of people. 2D animation a great start to understand animation
and characters.
Tools: Maya, 3D Studio Max, Softimage XSI, etc.
Animal or Creature Animator
Animator of real and imaginary creatures (i.e. horses, alien
reptiles)
Training: Animation school or classes.
Studying footage of animals. 2D animation a great start to understand
animation.
Tools: Maya, 3D Studio Max, Softimage XSI, etc.
Technical Animator
Animator for precision (i.e. Mars spaceship animation for NASA)
Training: Animation
school or classes. Understanding of physics, math and programming useful.
Tools: Maya, 3D Studio
Max, Softimage XSI, etc.
Stop Motion Animator
Animator who hand moves a physical stop motion puppet
Training: Animation
school or classes. Studying footage of people, animals.
Model building experience
a plus including machining.
Tools: Still and video
cameras. Various software packages specifically for recording stop motion and
checking frames. Surface gauges and other means of checking placement of
puppet.
Computer Graphics (CG)
Department
Dealing with all the issues of rendering the CG models or scenes.
CG Supervisor
Experience Technical Director who oversees all the technical directing on the
film project. Combination of technical trouble shooting, creative input and
management. Determining and advising on key methodologies, software and
pipeline. Usually one of the right hand person to the visual effects
supervisor.
Training: Technical director. Computer graphics
training, ideally knowledge of photography,
Tools: Maya, Renderman, VRay, etc. Nuke, scripting, shader writing, Mel
scripting, etc all useful as well.
Works
with: Animators, compositors, vfx
supervisor, match movers
Technical Director (TD)
Technical director is an all around CG position that usually focuses on
lighting and rendering to turn a CG model or animation into a final
render. They also cover some of
the more technical details of computer graphics in addition to the creative
task of lighting. Closest to a Director of photography role. This title is
sometimes appended to the end of a specific task. Lighting Technical Director,
Pipeline TD, Cloth TD, etc.
The Directors Guild
controls film credits so any credit with director in the title needs their
approval. So this position is frequently listed as digital artist or something different.
Training: Computer graphics training, ideally
knowledge of photography,
Tools: Maya, Renderman, VRay, etc. Nuke, scripting, shader writing etc all
useful as well.
Works with: Animators, compositors, vfx supervisor,
match movers, leads
Lighter / Lighting TD
Lighter focuses
on the lighting of a computer graphics scene. Used interchangeably with
technical director at some companies.
Training: Computer graphics training,
ideally knowledge of photography and practical lighting.
Tools: Maya, Renderman, VRay, etc. Nuke, scripting, etc all useful as well
Works with: Animators, compositors, vfx supervisor,
match movers, leads
Look developer (Look
Dev)
Works on creating a
specific look or visual aesthetic.
This look may be for a given sequence, background, creature, ray gun, force field, etc.
May be a task provided to a technical director or compositor to flesh out the
look and techniques required to get a specific look based on concept art or
other references.
Training: Computer graphics, art,
photography and animation all useful training
Tools: Maya, Nuke, Houdini, Photoshop, etc.
Works with: CG
supervisor, visual effects supervisor
Pipeline TD or Developer
This can cover a few different people with different specialties. A visual
effects the pipeline amounts to the workflow process. With as much data,
elements and shots being moved from artist to artist the idea is to make sure
make it as efficient and error free as possible. This can involve concept
design of how the work will flow and what software will be required to
developing specific software to make this possible. Software can be scripts,
databases, plugins and custom apps.
Training: Computer programming
Tools: Unix, Linux, Windows, Mac, scripting
languages, C, C++, SQL, etc.
Works with: CG Supervisor
Shader Writer
This
person writes specialized programs to handle the look of materials on the CG
objects. Shaders can be used also to create specialty looks such as wet or
cartoon style.
Training: Technical director, computer
science, computer graphics
Tools: Renderman and other rendering software,
OpenGL
Works with: Technical Director, Texture painter
FX Technical Director
Focused on running dynamic simulations
to usually recreate real world physics. Creating sparks, smoke, fire, water
Training: Computer programming, physics, computer
graphics, Maya Mel and other APIs and scripts for programs
Tools: Maya, Houdini, specialized particle plugins and systems, etc.
Works with: Technical
directors, compositor
Render Wangler
Person
who monitors the computers and render farm rendering CG images and digital
composites. They also are involved in calculating the number of procs
(processor unit time) available.
Training: Knowledge of various rendering farm
management software. Databases. 3D software and compositing software knowledge.
Tools: Various render farm management programs
and scripts
Works with: Visual effects supervisor, producer, CG
supervisor
Compositing Department
Compositing is the
process of combining multiple images of live action, computer graphics and
other images.
Compositing Supervisor
Experienced Compositor who oversees all the compositing on the film project.
Combination of technical trouble shooting, creative input and management.
Determining and advising on key methodologies, software and pipeline. Usually
one of the right hand person to the visual effects supervisor.
Training: Computer graphics, Visual effects
training, Photoshop compositing, understanding of photography, light
Tools: Nuke, Fusion, After Effects, Fusion,
etc.
Works with: Technical Director, Visual effects
supervisor, Lead, CG Supervisor
Compositor
Combines
multiple images and elements of live action, computer graphics, etc to make the
final image shot seen in the movie. Finesses and adjusts to make the final
composite seamless.
Note: Compositing is also used in 2D to 3D conversion. Although it uses many of the same tools and skills, it’s a different task, pipeline and different goals. Compositors can work on standard visual effects shots or conversion but will more likely need some initial guidance when switching from one to the other to learn the pipeline and additional tasks.
Companies should be clear of the type of compositing they are looking for and job seekers need to confirm what type of compositing they will be doing.
Training: Computer graphics, Visual effects
training, Photoshop compositing, understanding of photography, light
Tools: Nuke, Fusion, After Effects, Fusion,
etc.
Works with: Technical Director, Visual effects
supervisor, Lead, CG Supervisor
Flame operator / Inferno
operator
These artists operate high end visual effects packages which include
high speed hardware, drives and special software to enable interactive
compositing and image manipulation. These fast setups are used frequently on
Commercials where fast interactive turnaround with a client is desired. They
also fill a role in television and feature films where their cost and
interaction makes sense.
Training: Art school/classes, visual effects,
computer graphics
Tools: Flame, Inferno
Works with: Director, visual effects supervisor
Matchmove Department
Take original footage and creates a CG camera that matches the live action camera motion and places CG model sets to match corresponding live action sets. In some cases they or animator may do matchamation or rotomation where the motion they are tracking is a moving human.
Matchmover
Match CG camera to live action camera. Use of both automated tools and manual alignment.
Training: Computer graphics,
Tools: Maya, PFtrack, 3D Equalizer, Bijou, etc.
Works with: Technical director, animator
Layout Artist
In animation
these are the people who may place the camera, adjust framing and adjust items
in the scene. For visual effects this overlaps with match moving.
Training: Art classes, cinematography
Tools: Maya, etc
Works with: Technical
director, animator
Motion Capture Group
Team of
people who work with actors, stunt people and others record their movements.
Usually requires specialized cameras, costumes with some type of markers and
specialized infrared light sources. Usually setup at a permanent location at a
company or at a company that specializes in motion capture for the companies
that don't have motion capture. There are a range of people involved in this.
Training: Computer graphics training,
animation understanding, ideally understanding of both human motion and data
capture theory.
Tools: There are a number of off the shelf
motion capture systems so the specific system will vary with the company.
Works with: Directors, actors, stunt people, vfx
supervisors, animation supervisors
Matte Painting
Department
Creating paintings to complete
the scene. These may be entire backgrounds or may be extending the top of a
set.
Matte Painters
Person
who does the painting. In pre-digital days this person would have to paint from
scratch. Digital tools like Photoshop allow duplicating areas and re-using
patches of other photographs. Today matte paintings utilize 3D software to
create at least 2 1/2D images so matte paintings are more than just pure static
images.
Training: Art School/Classes, knowledge of
architecture, perspective, color, light, understanding of compositing and 3D
software also useful
Tools: Photoshop, Nuke
Works with: Compositors, visual effects supervisor
Color Grader / Color
Timer
Adjust color in shots to keep a consistent look for the sequence.
Training: Art, photography, color
theory. Note color blindness would
be a problem.
Tools: Avid, FCP, DaVinci, specialized color
tools
Works with: Director, cinematographer
3D Stereo supervisor
Oversees the 3D stereo aspects of visual effects whether created in stereo or
involved in the 2D to 3D conversion. Helps to set consistent depth amounts
along with the convergence and IA settings when possible.
Training: Knowledgeable
about stereo
Tools: Nuke, Occula, Mystica, etc.
Works with: Director, visual effects supervisor, CG
supervisor
Motion Control
Group
Motion controlled camera
is a camera that is motorized to produce very controlled and repeatable motions
using motorized pan, tile and dolly among other axis. Can be used with motion
control model or object movers. Motion control is used for specialized
purposes. Filming where an exact match of live action is required such as
twins. Can be used for stop motion or time lapse photography. Used extensively
pre-computer graphics for filming physical models. Still used for some model
photography. Most visual effects companies hire 3rd party motion control
companies when required these days.
Motion Control camera
operator
Runs motion control system. Creates the moves using joysticks and
numerical input.
Training: Understanding of camera motion.
Frequently a cameraperson who has shifted into technical specialties.
Tools: Specialized hardware and software
systems.
Works with: Cinematographer and visual effects
supervisor
Visual Effects Editor
On the production side this is the person working with the main editor to prep
the materials (media, count sheets, etc) for the visual effects companies and
interact with them. At a visual effects company this person works with
production editing to make sure the correct media and information is provided
and sent. They also keep an edited version of sequences up to date and edit in
the in progress visual effects shots for review.
Training: Filmmaking school, editing,
visual effects knowledge
Tools: Avid, FCP, etc.
Works with: Director, Editor, visual effects
supervisor
Research & Development Department
Develop software tools to achieve new looks, improve speed and provide new tools to artists
R & D Developer
Designs and writes specialized
code to help with the production of visual effects. These may be full
applications, plugins or scripts. (i.e. specialized hair tool, etc)
Training: Computer science, computer programming,
math, 3D graphics programming, image processing, C, C++, Python, etc
Tools: Compilers, SDK and APIs from various
software vendors (such as MEL for Maya and C++ API for Nuke)
Works with: Departments in need of specialized
software development.
Special Effects Crew
Special effects is the
team hired by production to do on set effects such as explosions, breaking
glass and wire work. They work closely with visual effects and some of the
larger visual effects companies may employ special effects people but most are
hired by production these days. Good for creating practical effects elements
for use in visual effects shots - torches, explosions, etc.
Training: Hands on apprenticeship, pyro
licensing and other safety certifications as needed. Understanding of practical
mechanisms and explosives.
Tools: Machine shop, wood shop, explosives,
candy glass, etc.
Works with: Director, Visual effects supervisor,
Production Designer, Cinematographer
Update 8-3-2014
I've now seen a few job postings with Supervisor in the title (CG Supervisor, Production Supervisor, etc) and then discover that some of these are considered Coordinator level positions, even though the posting implies supervising people. I find this very confusing and it may be strictly to get these people classified as management to avoid paying overtime.
To be clear - a supervisor position is just that, supervising others in terms of assigning tasks, overseeing the work, guiding them, etc. They need to know the creative and technical aspects of the area they're covering and should know as much more or more than those they are supervising.
A coordinator typically is one who gathers and dispenses information at the request of a producer, supervisor or others. Their role is to help coordinate or sync different people and departments to make things run smoothly. They work with others but do not typically manage others (possible production assistants) And they should not be considered supervisors.
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