In VFX Careers Research, I also choose to study Effects technical director (FX TD) (VFX) in the Technical department. In addition to texture maps, I am very interested in making special effects such as explosions and ocean waves, and being a director is one of my dream careers.
I have watched many movies with a lot of special effects since I was in junior high school. I always thought about how these effects were produced, and I often watched the behind-the-scenes footage after watching the movie. When I started to study digital media art in university and gained a deeper understanding of this field, I realized that it takes such a tedious process and the efforts of the entire team to make an effect so that we can see realistic visual effects in movies.
As the directors of a department, they have a lot of power to decide the effect of the finished product. I am very yearning for this because I think it will be easier to realize creativity in my professional development.
It’s not like a junior artist is instructed by a senior artist to use the skills he has learned to create other people’s ideas. The corresponding director has to bear more pressure than a grassroots special effects artist because they need to afford a different unit and the success or failure of the lens.
According to the description in the film, James McPhail is a senior Technical Director. He talked about how he came into contact with the special effects field and shared his career process. In addition, he also participated in some well-known movies, such as Incredible Hulk Or a special effects movie that did well at the box office, like District 9.
He also mentioned that he now teaches synthesis at VFS once a week. As an alumnus, he helps young special effects artists learn this technology. Working and training in the industry can bring students newer technologies and more effective communication with the industry. This is an essential part of my identity. According to my university experience, many professors may have participated in the projects of well-known companies such as Pixar 10 or even 20 years ago. Still, the courses they taught at the school also stayed relatively low. Outdated technology. Finally, he gave some suggestions to young artists who are learning VFX. Watching many movies is critical condition because when we observe successful works, we can usually get inspiration from them. Many times my results are also significant. There may be inspiration from film and television works. For example, I once made a desert scene. After watching the scene in Blade Runner 2049, I wanted to try to make it myself.
Overall, the role of an FX TD is critical to the success of a VFX project, as they are responsible for creating the stunning visual effects that bring the director’s vision to life on the screen. The job requires a combination of technical and artistic skills, as well as strong problem-solving abilities and excellent communication skills.