What exactly comprises a Visual Effects Artist?

[Aneks]

The phrase visual effects artist is a bit of a misnoma, Most people in this industry are either a 3d artist or a compositor and a few of them are matte painters. When I go for a job it is either as a 3d artist or compositor or both. I think the term visaul effects artist realtes to someone who makes cgi to integrate with live action photography or very realistic cgi for the purpose of adding otherwise unacheivable effects to a shot !

I rarely ever do any character work and if possible like to avoid making shots entirley from cg elements. I consider myself to be a professional visual effects operator. I hate calling myself an artist.

In terms of 3d.

I use Maya, bojou and photoshop and few other tools. I have spent a long time focusing on things like particles, shader and rendering techniques. But I also find it essential to know how to model real world objects and texture them realisitically. In addition I think you need to understand how camera's work , both in the real world and your 3d app. And also how to use multipass rendering techniques to work with compositing.

In terms of composting

I use shake and after effects ( if its for a tv commercial generally flame to finish !). Within these packages the compositor is required to know how to integrate live action and cgi and also how to integrate multiple photographic elements and other footage as well as the odd matte painting. Integration can mean anything from simple layering of cgi and live action, to complex manipulation of live action and cgi elements through the use of mattes and other tools. Compositers are often called on to totally re-engineer the look of shot and ocassionally construct an entire shot from scratch.

In both these fields the empahsis is on creating work which for want of a better work looks 'real'. Often real is a very subjective term. But in my professional career about 98% of directors have come in and asked to make a shot look like it was "acheived entirely in camera" on 2% ever want to explore visual style and context. So sor my money I would say that a visual effects artist is someone who makes or manipulates imagery in a computer to produce 'realistic' effects that cannot actual be photographed with the rest of the show!

[Gamefan]

Thanks for the reply! I always wondered what it was exactly a compositor did and now I know.


GAMEFAN

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