Creative and design

VFX artist or technical director - VFX Lighting, Shading and Look Development

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Create content, by producing objects, images or scenes that render together with live footage for the final image.

Summary

This occupation is found in the British and International visual effects (VFX) industries, providing digital content for film, television, advertising, games, corporate and immersive reality industries. Visual effects (VFX) companies and studios vary in size and they can be small, medium or large companies. They are to be found across England and the UK. The output and remit of a visual effects (VFX) studio is varied, and they will produce work for a range of clients across advertising, film, television and immersive reality. Some studios specialise in one area, particularly feature films which is the largest area of the industry.
Visual effects (VFX) is the term used to describe any imagery created, altered, or enhanced for moving media. They involve the integration of live-action footage and computer generated imagery to create images, which look realistic but would be dangerous, costly, or simply impossible to capture during live-action shooting. The broad purpose of the occupation is to create content, by producing Computer Generated (CG) objects, images or scenes that are rendered together with live action footage in order to create the final image that appears on the screen. The visual effects (VFX) Artist or Technical Director (TD) create CG renditions of naturalistic, physical and magical phenomena. Typically, a VFX Artist or TD is a combination of an artist and a programmer, responsible for the more technical aspects of VFX production, such as developing character rigs and animation setups, performing complex simulation tasks and setting up the pipeline (how the data is passed from one stage in the film production to the next).
VFX Artists or TD’s require high level Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) skills, good computer literacy, coding skills, and to be able to apply these creatively.
The VFX created may vary and can include computer graphic models, rigs, environments, special effects (FX), crowds, lighting, hair cloth or fur. These effects can be created using various processes including: Sculpting, simulation, rendering, painting and/or compositing.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with the Animator, VFX Lead, CG or VFX Supervisors, VFX production team and/or clients and team members. The line management and reporting structure of the team will vary according to the size of the employer.
They must be able to take direction and feedback from the CG or VFX Supervisor, in order to create the effects required, according to the story and the client’s wishes.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for

• managing their own workload with the VFX production team and/or their lead
• generating the required work on time and to meet the creative brief from their supervisor/client
• attending dailies/review sessions in order to gain feedback on their work and responding appropriately to that feedback
• working within the particular pipeline/toolset of the company that they are working for
• resolving technical problems the VFX team encounter and developing custom tools to improve the artists' workflow.
  
  This role may include out of hours or irregular working patterns when collaborating on international projects.
  This Standard is a core and options apprenticeship, with four options and the option taken is dependent on the VFX specialism of the employer.
  
  Option 1 – VFX Simulation
  The VFX Simulation Artists or TD’s are responsible for designing and creating FX animation, procedural simulation, dynamic simulation, particle and fluid systems. This option includes work undertaken in Crowd Effects, FX and Creature Effects/Groom TD roles.
  Crowd effect Artists or TD’s are responsible for producing complex crowd shots and crowd simulations such as those needed to replicate sports and arena events.
  Creature effects Artists or TD’s are responsible for providing a wide variety of dynamic simulations for character based work; including clothing, hair, muscle and skin, as well as any post simulation sculpting and finagling e.g fur or hair for characters such as bears/dinosaurs.
  FX Artists or TD’s are responsible for creating a wide variety of dynamic simulations for physical based work; including rain, fire, explosions, dust, debris and also supernatural phenomena such as magical FX.
  
  Option 2 – VFX Rigging
  This option includes work undertaken as a Rigging Artist or TD. Rigging TD’s are responsible for designing, creating and maintaining highly accurate and efficient rigs for high end visual effects projects. Riggers work closely with Modellers and Animators to develop and refine rigs that meet the specific requirements of a VFX pipeline. The Rigging Artist or TD is responsible for creating objects in 3D which could be anything from a character to a whole environment.
  
  Option 3 – VFX Lighting, Shading and Look Development
  VFX Lighting Artists or TD’s are responsible for creating CG scene assembly, lighting and rendering for diverse projects. In the real world, lighting determines how we perceive objects and the environment around us, and the same is true of 3D objects and environments. Lighting artists adjust the colour, placement and intensity of CGI lights to create atmosphere and, add realism, tone and depth. Lighting TD's use photographic and aesthetic skill to produce CG images that could be photo-realistic or stylised in nature.
  
  Option 4 – VFX Environments
  VFX Environments Artists or TD’s are responsible for assembling models, digital matte paintings, textures, projections and lights into a CG scene to meet technical and artistic requirements. They work closely with the Lead Environment Artist to create high quality, high resolution 3D environment art, including natural environments and architecture.

Typical job titles include

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Behaviours