VFX film careers – an introduction

Transforming Futures with Technology

Yen YauTalent Development Manager

Into Film

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture

Creative Industries Strategy 2014

Examples of technology impacting on film-making

• 3D printing

• Cloud and collaborative workflows

• Drone cameras

Source of image: CosProp http://www.cosprop.com/

Some Statistics

Key Findings

•The UK’s creative economy had 2.6 million jobs in 2013,

consisting of 1.7 million jobs in the creative industries.

•The UK’s high–tech economy had 3.2 million jobs in

2013, 2.4 million of which were jobs in high–tech

industries (825,000 in STEM occupations)

•Employment in the creative economy grew on average

over three times faster than the workforce as a whole

(4.3 per cent per annum (p.a.) vs 1.2 per cent p.a.)

between 2011 and 2013.

•Employment in the high–tech economy also grew faster

than the workforce over this period (2.1 per cent p.a. vs

1.2 per cent p.a.).

Where are the Opportunities?

.

• Management, leadership and business skills

• A key gap for the future is new and digital technology and particularly managing the change from traditional to digital media.

• In production digital camera skills and awareness are lacking

• For exhibition and distribution employers a key focus is exploiting opportunities such as online and digital sales, marketing and distribution and dealing with threats eg. file sharing.

• In post production, the VFX industry is facing a skills shortage of new entrants with strong STEM backgrounds

Good time to be working in the VFX industry

Did you know…..

Stages of making a film

Development

Pre-Production

Production

Post -Production

Distribution and Exhibition

Connecting to the Curriculum

Science

Design and Technology

Music

Art and Design

Languages

Computing

Maths

The Skills Shortage

UK National Shortage Occupation

List

Relates to jobs under Tier 2 of the

new five-tier system.

If the job is on the shortage

occupation list then an employer can

offer the job to an overseas person

without having first fulfilled the

Resident Labour Market Test by

advertising the vacancy in the UK.

The list is current at 14 November,

2011 but is subject to change at any

time..

Producers and directors in the

following roles within visual effects

and 2D / 3D computer animation

for film, television or video games:

2D supervisor, 3D supervisor,

computer graphics supervisor,

producer, production manager,

technical director, visual effects

supervisor.

Graphic Designers roles within

visual effects and 2D / 3D

computer animation for film,

television or video games:

compositing artist, matte painter,

modeller, rigger, stereo artist,

texture artist

Getting on – the VFX skills spectrum

.

Stages of making a film

VFX Careers Doc-2.jpg

Routes In

Historically, entry into VFX

was informal, usually

through the runner route.

However, the industry is

changing and most entrants

now study a course offered

by a private vocational

training provider or a

university.

Suspension of disbelief

Creating the hair and a wet dress

VFX Film Resources

•The Core Skills of VFX

http://www.skillset.org/animation/qualifications/article_8377_1.

asp

•Breakdown showreels

http://www.artofvfx.com/?p=6591

http://www.moving-picture.com/showreels/vfx-breakdowns/

•Individual Career Profiles and Case studies

http://www.dneg.com/career_profiles/

Developing a Portfolio

• The FoundryNUKE – The award-winning tool for visual effects and the industry’s standard

software (http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/nuke/non-commercial/)• AutodeskMaya – 3D computer animation, modeling, visual effects and rendering software

tool(http://www.autodesk.com/education/home)• FusionTools for compositing, keying, painting, animation, stereoscopic 3D and more, all in

a single application. Currently only available for windows(https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion)• SculptrisIf you're new to the world of digital sculpting, Sculptris is the ideal ground on which

to get started(http://pixologic.com/sculptris/)

Useful Websites

• BAFTA Guru

• Double Negative

• Escape Studios

• Shooting People

• Screen International

• The CG Society

• College of Production

Getting in Touch

yen.yau@intofilm.org

Skills FusionSecond Light Labs

@yenyau@getintofilm