Professional & Industry Practice (P.I.P)

WEEK 1

Introduction to the Module, Assignments, Careers Briefing 1

In the first week, we had an introduction of the module, schedule, and assignments.

Recommended reading:

https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/

Job Descriptions

Matchmove Artist at Framestore

Job description

As the Matchmove/Tracking Artist, your primary focus will be to recreate the sets, objects and camera motion of a shot in a 3D software environment to match the live-action background plate images

They recreate live-action backgrounds (plates) on a computer in a way that mirrors the camera on the set in every way, including lens distortion. They do this by tracking the camera movements to make sure the real and virtual scenes appear from the same perspective.

Sometimes matchmove artists go to the film set to take measurements and put up tracking markers. Then they use these markers to track the camera movement and work out the relevant coordinates in the 3D scene. They do this using 3D tracking programs like Maya or 3DEqualizer.

Matchmove artists also do body and object tracking, using markers to recreate the movements of people, vehicles or other objects in CG. The motion files created (camera, object or body track) are then passed on to other departments via the VFX pipeline, so that, eventually, they can be seamlessly combined by the compositor.

Matchmove artists are highly accurate and meticulous in their work. It needs to be pixel perfect, so they need an eye for detail. If the CG and live-action movements are not lining up perfectly, they have to find a way to fix this.

Key responsabilities:

Spending dedicated time each day reviewing work from our overseas partners, providing feedback via annotated images and video recordings and giving constructive, concise and consistent feedback on work received
Creating motion files, including a camera and/.or the object, that match the original background plate photography
Liaising with production to help ensure an efficient schedule and distribution of work
Collaborating with other departments as required to ensure that the CG elements are seamlessly incorporated into the shot
Geometric reconstruction of important static objects in the scene
Reconstructing the placement of motion files (camera or object track) in the 3D set in order to quality control the accuracy of each track
Rendering wireframes of the scene geometry to be rendered and composited over the original plate to help judge the accuracy of each track
Bidding the duration required for the various matchmove tasks on a show
Learning and developing specific Framestore tools and workflows

Skills and abilities of a matchmove artist:

Ability to problem solve
Strong understanding of the visual effects pipeline
Strong knowledge and experience of using 3d Equalizer and Maya
Working knowledge of Nuke and Linux
Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to communicate effectively to colleagues at all levels
Excellent organizational skills
Able to efficiently meet deadlines
A good understanding of cameras and photography and the effects of different lenses on perspective and distortion

Desirable skills:

Mel or Python scripting skills
Native stereo experience
Knowledge of alternative tracking software
On-set experience

Compositor at Framestore

What does a compositor do?

Compositors seamlessly integrate all the layers or elements of a shot, including live-action and computer graphic elements.
Compositors work closely with Visual Effects Supervisors and CG Supervisors to composite the numerous elements that complete visual-effects shots.

Compositors consider visual aspects of a scene. Realistic lighting is a key one of these. Anything caused by light hitting a lens is a compositor’s responsibility. They relight in order to improve the look of the image.

Compositors do ‘chroma keying’ (also just called keying). This is where they select a specific part of an image that has a distinct colour or lighting and extract it to be used elsewhere. This method is commonly used with ‘green screen’ or ‘blue screen’ footage, where a subject has been shot in front of a singularly green or blue background, in order to be able to place the subject in a different setting or environment later, in post-production.

Essential skills:

An excellent working knowledge of and production experience with Nuke
A familiarity with stereo compositing and working with multiple render passes
Excellent organisation, communication and interpersonal skills
A pro-active and collaborative work ethic
A strong eye for detail, composition, colour and lighting
The ability to multitask, prioritise and problem solve
An understanding of colour space principles

Responsibilities:

Working in collaboration with the Compositing Supervisor and Visual Effects Supervisor to evaluate the creative and technical approach to assigned shots
Taking briefs and direction from Lead Compositors and VFX Supervisors to execute assigned shots
Integrating 2D, 3D and live action elements to high-end visual effects film standard
Meeting schedules and show deadlines
Ongoing communication with Production and Leads regarding schedules and deadlines
Taking responsibility for own workload, time management and notes/feedback actions required by Supervisors
Balancing the creative and technical aspects of each shot
Working with a good knowledge of colour space principles

Desirable skills:

Knowledge of practical lighting for photography
A working knowledge of the overall VFX pipeline
Experience in dealing and communicating with clients
Programming and coding experience and knowledge

How I might qualify for these jobs?

After checking screenskills website, I made a short list of how I might qualify for a compositor position

getting a degree in Visual Effects
building a showreel ------> already started but it needs to be updated
get VFX industry skills ------> with the help of people at my work/lecturers/ other connections

Building my LinkedIn profile:

Mock Interview

Cover Letter

February, 25, 2023

Florian Stephens

UWL VFX Company

London,

W5 5RF
0208 231 2468

RE: VFX Junior Compositor

Dear Mr. Stephens,

My name is Izabella-Celine Ciuculan and I am writing to express my interest in the Junior VFX Compositor position at your company. Currently in my final year at the University of West London, studying Visual Effects, with graduation expected in June 2023, I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to join your team and contriube to future projects as a Visual Effects Compositor.

During my studies, I have acquired experience utilizing diverse software applications such as Maya, Nuke, ZBrush, and 3DEqualizer. Through this exposure, I have learned how to do plate preparation and rotoscoping, de-grain, re-grain, as well as how to key and track.

I am currently working as a runner at Streamland Media, where I have been able to gain exposure to the workings of post-production and visual effects. My role is to ensure that the building looks good while also making sure the editors feel looked after and have everything they need to work effectively. Working alongside the VFX artists at Ghost VFX, who also operate from the same facility, I have been able to refine my skills in compositing and learn from their knowledge and experience. This also gave me the opportunity to obtain hands-on training and real-life experience, before or after my shifts, that has reinforced my passion for visual effects.

Before joining Streamland Media, I worked as a barista at the University of West London. Although this may seem unrelated to the VFX industry, the experience has taught me invaluable skills such as time management, teamwork, and problem-solving.

I would like the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the subject matter in further detail.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Izabella-Celine Ciuculan

CV

Showreel: https://vimeo.com/802267163

LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/izabella-celine-ciuculan

Industry Professionals

Questions:

1.What do you enjoy most about your work as a visual effects artist (compositor) ?
2.What are some common misconceptions about the visual effects industry that you have encountered?
3.What are some tips for someone just starting out in the visual effects industry, and how can they make the most of their early experiences?
4.Can you share an example of a project you worked on that presented a unique challenge?
5.How do you balance artistic creativity with technical proficiency in your work as a visual effects artist (compositor), and what advice do you have for someone looking to develop their own unique style?

6.What are some most important soft skills for a visual effects artist to possess?

Senior VFX Compositor: Pablo Vera Moreno

Some of the projects he worked on:

Pablo Vera also worked on The Baby.

Providing VFX work on over 350 shots Framestore used machine learning and detailed environment work to create a photorealistic baby and stunning scenes for the offbeat HBO show.

The script often called for the baby to be asleep which turned out to be one of the biggest challenges the team faced. “You can’t shoot a baby asleep on a film set with a guarantee of the correct lighting and camera time,” said Owen Braekke-Carroll. “It might come together for some scenes, but you can't rely on a whole shoot day doing that.”

To approach this problem, the babies on set were photographed at high frame rates in story context and played back at this slower speed. “We then took those plates and digitally closed their eyes, before using a machine learning layer to give them a realistic look on top,” added Owen Braekke-Carroll. “This was trained on a closed eye data set, and that created a very effective and photographic output to add.”

The ethos behind their approach however remained – to support the story invisibly rather than being the point of the story. The team tried not to completely replace the baby unless they had to, so they leant on real performance wherever possible, replacing only where it was necessary, or the script called for something eccentric or unconventional. They used a lot of reference, performance photography and video with the intent of creating additional material to use after the fact, whilst leveraging machine learning.

Flame Artist & VFX Compositor: Aadel Matoorianpour

Aadel is a Flame Artist and VFX Compositor at Framestore. He started his career as a Runner, On Set- VFX Data Wrangler, Paint & Roto Artist, and then Compositor. Projects he worked on:

Senior VFX Compositor: George Palcut