Author: Chieh-Hsi Ma

In VFX Careers Research, my long-term goal is to become a VFX producer, which I aim to achieve when I am 35 or 40. In this research, most jobs are technical, such as Concept artist (VFX), Texture artist or Compositor (VFX), which are highly professional and indispensable jobs in the CG industry. I am very interested in material rendering, even special effects and compositing. I plan to use what I have learned to get these jobs. Still, I hope that after I have reached a certain level of professional skills, I can work from the management level. Manager and Producer, Producer and director are arguably one of the two most important jobs in the film and television industry.

According to the article, a VFX (visual effects) producer is responsible for managing the budget, schedule, and overall production process of visual effects for a movie or TV show. The VFX producer’s role can vary depending on the size and complexity of the project. More specifically, VFX Producer is responsible for managing the budget for the visual effects department. This involves negotiating with vendors, estimating costs, and ensuring that the project stays within budget, besides creating and managing the schedule for the visual effects department. This includes working with the director and other departments to ensure the visual effects are completed on time and to the highest standard. More importantly, the VFX producer must communicate with the director, cinematographer, and other departments to ensure that the visual effects are integrated seamlessly into the project.

Overall, the VFX producer plays a crucial role in the production of visual effects for film and television, ensuring that the work is completed on time, within budget, and to the highest standard.

The video interviewed VFX producer Steve Kullback and supervisor Joe Bauer, who participated in producing the well-known TV series Game of Thrones. They mentioned that to capture the perfect picture, they also carried out traffic control and travelled long distances to the scene to scout the site. Among them, the biggest challenge they encountered was presenting the most authentic and beautiful graphics. As mentioned in the interview, Joe pointed out that they shot over 10,000 pictures and selected the best ones. After a lot of time spent by special effects artists, compositors, and many professional artists, a concentrated and realistic image with beautiful tones is presented. One of his most satisfying shots is the frozen lake.

I think I can do VFX producer very well because in the past, not only in club activities but also in group assignments. I often led and supervised the team members’ progress to ensure the quality met everyone’s expectations. Furthermore, production can truly determine the success or failure of a work. In addition to technology, knowing how to put the right people in the correct position is also necessary. This study gave me a deeper understanding of the division of labour in the VFX industry. After graduation, I can find a job that can provide a full play to my expertise.

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.

In this VFX careers research, we have to choose some jobs we are interested in from several standard career classifications in the CG industry. It is divided into several main directions: the Technical department, Computer-generated (CG) department, Compositing department, and so on.

The first research that interested me was as a Texture Artist at the Entry level. I chose to study this job because I have studied 3D-related fields for over three years. I found that I can do material and rendering work very well since college. Whenever I make a texture of a character or scene, I always feel a sense of accomplishment. I often use Substance 3D Painter to draw textures and import them into C4D and Maya for rendering and lighting, so becoming a material artist will be a very suitable job.

In addition to this research, I often collect some artists’ works on Internet platforms, such as the textures of some props, which usually have a lot of details, but the enviroments focus on the tone and atmosphere.

Here are some examples I found:

Videos and articles explain that a texture artist in VFX production is responsible for creating and applying surface detail to 3D models, which helps to make them look more realistic and believable. This involves using various software tools to create high-quality textures and materials that can be applied to 3D objects.

The texture artist works closely with other members of the VFX production team, including modellers, lighting artists, and animators, to ensure that the textures they create are suitable for the project’s overall style and aesthetic. They may also collaborate with concept artists and art directors to ensure the final product matches the project’s vision.

According to the article, I also learned that to be a texture artist, needs to have a combination of technical and artistic skills. Specifically, texture artists must be proficient in various texturing techniques, including hand-painting textures, creating procedural textures, and using photo-scanned textures. Furthermore, have a solid understanding of colour theory and how colours interact with each other to create different moods and effects. Some of the critical responsibilities of a texture artist in VFX production include creating high-quality textures for 3D models using a variety of software tools, such as Photoshop, Substance Painter, or Mari. Collaborating with other members of the VFX production team to ensure that textures and materials are appropriate for the overall look and feel of the project is also quite important. Besides, testing and refining textures to ensure that they work well with lighting and other effects.

Overall, texture artists play an important role in VFX production, as their work helps to bring 3D models to life and create a more immersive and engaging experience for audiences.