VFX & Animation Jobs

Also known as: Executive VFX producer, bidding producer, show producer

The person the entire VFX team must ultimately answer to, the VFX producer is charged with managing the entire process, from securing the work to ensuring that the production house is happy with the outcome. They bid for a contract, put together a team capable of delivering the work, and form the budget. They work closely with the film’s director and producer to ensure their vision is delivered, and with their own production manager to ensure the work is being done.

Also known as: VFX line producer, line producer, scheduler VFX production manager

Essentially the 2IC of the VFX department, it’s the role of the production manager to enact the decisions made by the VFX producer. The production manager will create a detailed schedule for the project and ensure it is adhered to. They will also ensure the department works within the nominated budget. They oversee the work of the production coordinator, and liaise with different team leaders to ensure everything is going to plan. They also have a close working relationship with the film producer.

Also known as: Production assistant, bookings assistant, VFX coordinator

More or less the 3IC, working beneath both the VFX producer and the production manager, the production coordinator is the great communicator of the VFX department. They are responsible for the day-to-day running of the teams, ensuring everyone has what they need to get the job done. They chaperone assets through the VFX pipeline, distributing them to the appropriate teams at the appropriate times. They relay feedback from the production company or from other VFX teams, and keep detailed notes that track the progress of the project.

Also known as: Editor

The VFX editor acts as the bridge between the film production and VFX departments, and can be employed by either. In fact there are often two such editors; one production-side and the other VFX-side. They are on set when the live action footage is shot, working with the director to ensure that it is captured in a way that makes VFX possible. They provide direction to the artists and technicians on the VFX team, to ensure that the director’s vision is brought to life. They then distribute approved sequences to the post-production department to be inserted into the film by the editing team.

Also known as: Illustrator, 2D artist, art director, previs artist, previs animator, previs lead, previs modeller

Sometimes two distinct roles, other times combined, the concept/previs artist creates artworks that serve to inspire the final look of the VFX. These begin as conceptual 2D sketches of characters, environments and other articles, before being developed into a rough 3D rendering of a scene that can be used to plan shots and work out scale and timing. Concept/previs artists may be retained to advise VFX artists through the remainder of the creative process.

Also known as: Lead visual effects (VFX) artist, senior VFX artist

While the production management team might be responsible for the entire project, the ultimate responsibility for delivering the actual VFX is placed on the shoulders of the VFX supervisor. Beginning in pre-production, the VFX supervisor is the main point of contact between the director and the VFX team. They are on set, helping to decide exactly what VFX are required for each shot, and ensuring the director shoots in a way that facilitates the necessary VFX. They then oversee the production of every VFX element. An end-to-end role, a VFX supervisor can work for two years or more on a single film.

Also known as: Data capture technical director, data capturer, on-set coordinator

The job of the data capture technician is to collect all the necessary information that the VFX team needs to know about the live action base footage. They take photos of the set, including close-ups of any surfaces that might need to be digitally recreated. They note camera positions and settings, including the lens used, the focus, focal length, filters and colour temperature. They use specialised tools to measure the height of the camera and its distance from subjects. They then upload, backup and send this data onto the VFX teams.

Also known as: VFX artist, senior CG supervisor

Responsible for the delivery of the computer-generated elements of the VFX, the CG supervisor will oversee the creation of all digital imagery. Their work begins by forming a prioritised list of work, and identifying the tools needed to deliver it. Once the work is underway they supervise the artists, offering feedback and guidance where needed. They ensure that everything that their team produces is true to the vision of the director. Once an element is complete, the CG supervisor hands it to a compositor who inserts it into the scene.

Also known as: Lighting artist, visual development artist, look dev/lookdev, lookdev technical director, visual effects artist, VFX artist

Look development artists are responsible for developing the looks of different visual elements, whether a character, prop or any other object. If a concept/previs artist has drafted the look of a monster, it’s the look development artist’s job to define what the skin of that monster looks like in the sun and in the rain, when it’s calm and when it’s angry. They create different looks based on the scenes that the element will be appearing in which are signed off by the VFX supervisor. A look development artist has an eye for detail and strives for perfect consistency.

Also known as: Character artist, modeller, CG modeller, 3D artist

Modelling artists are given the job of creating CG versions of characters, props and other objects. They work during the early stages of the VFX process, creating the base elements required for each scene. Many modelling artists specialise in a specific type of model, whether characters, plants, weapons or vehicles. Once sculpted, these models are handed over to other artists to be animated, given texture, and lit.

Also known as: 3D animator, CG animator

Animators bring CG models to life. Their work can be relatively simple, getting a vehicle to roll down a road or a tree to sway in the breeze, or incredibly complex, getting a character to show subtle emotions or walk with a particular gait. They sometimes do the latter with the help of motion-capture technology, recording and transferring the movements of a real human over to a CG character. As this work needs to be inserted into live action footage, it is always done with a set camera position in mind.

Also known as: Texturing artist, texture painter, visual effects artist, VFX artist, 3D modelling artist

The role of the texture artist is to bring a level of realism to CG characters, props and objects. They are generally handed a grey and lifeless 3D model, and are tasked with bringing texture to its surfaces, roughing them up, softening them, or making them glossy. They might add scales, fabric, pores; whatever is needed to achieve photorealism. They might be asked to match up a CG object to a surface captured in the live action footage, or create something entirely from scratch. A deep understanding of how surfaces interact with light is therefore a must.

Also known as: Environment modeller, 3D artist, visual effects artist, VFX artist

The role of an environment artist is to create the spaces and places in which actors both real and computer-generated move. Any environment that is too difficult or downright impossible to film, from Hogwarts to the edge of the universe, must be created digitally. These artists will generally work from the brief provided by the concept/previs artist, sculpting an environment based on a wireframe that takes into account the camera and actors. As they are essentially creating the base on top of which everything else is built, their work is done at the beginning of the VFX pipeline.

Also known as: Layout technical director

It’s the job of the layout artist to understand the position of the virtual camera, and to position and choreograph the CG characters and other objects based on where both they and the camera will move over the course of a particular shot. There are a lot of variables at play that a layout artist must consider: camera position, camera settings, framing, composition, lighting and movement, to name a few. Many versions of the same scene might be created so that the director has a variety of CG shots to choose from.

Also known as: Lighting technical director, lighter

The CG equivalent of a director of photography, the lighting artist brings depth and realism to a computer-generated shot through virtual lighting. Reference photos from the set might be used to recreate the same lighting setup, or a lighting artist might be tasked with envisioning how an entirely CG scene might be lit. This role can sit at the crossroads of artistry and technical efficacy, so can be a particularly challenging (but rewarding) one.

Also known as: Matchmover, tracking artist, 3D tracker, camera tracker, body tracker

A matchmove artist brings live action footage and CG scenes together, combining the two in a single, realistic visual. They ensure the virtual camera perfectly matches the on-set camera. They digitally recreate the live action sets and backgrounds. They track the movements of actors and props on set, and match them to the relative coordinates in the 3D scene. They eventually create a set of motion files, which are passed down the VFX pipeline to a compositor, who uses them to marry the live action and CG scenes. A meticulous brain is a must, as a matchmove artist’s work needs to be pixel perfect.

Also known as: Rotoscoper, junior visual effects (VFX) artist

The process of rotoscoping involves tracing around objects in a live action movie frame to either isolate and use them or cut them out. This allows CG elements to be married with the appropriate live action elements. A roto artist does this work largely manually and frame by frame (although if the camera isn’t moving the same rotoscope may be used over multiple frames.) This makes it meticulous and repetitive work, suitable for those with a keen eye for detail.

Also known as: Compositing artist, visual effects artist, VFX artist, finishing artist

The compositor brings all of the elements together to create a final VFX frame, shot and sequence. They marry live action footage, rotoscoped mattes, digital assets and CG imagery. They adjust lighting and conduct chroma keying, where a green screen is replaced by a different background. They take all of the disparate parts of the VFX process, and form them into a sequence ready for treatment by the post-production team.

Also known as: Comp supervisor, head of compositing

As their title suggests, a compositing supervisor will be in charge of a team of compositors putting together the elements of the VFX pipeline into a single frame or sequence. They are highly experienced compositors who are responsible for continuity between shots and sequences, and will be responsible for what is sent on to the VFX and production managers, and ultimately the post-production team. They check the work for quality, provide feedback and guidance to the compositors, and often do some of the compositing themselves.

Also known as: 2D animator, 3D animator, 2D puppet animator, stop-frame animator, stop-motion animator, computer graphics (CG) animator

Animators create still images that, when played one after another, give the illusion of movement and tell a story. No matter their specialisation, be it 2D, 3D, puppet, stop-motion or hand drawn, an animator will be a combination of an artist, a storyteller and an actor (or at least be able to put themselves in their character’s shoes.) Animators are guided by the visual brief on a storyboard and the verbal brief of the director; the ability to translate these briefs into a story forms the heart of great animation.

Also known as: Animation TD, Technical producer

Working with animation software, animation technical directors are tasked with speeding up the workflow of artists by developing tools and custom features that make an animator’s job easier. They must have a deep understanding of both the animation pipeline and the team that they work within, and use this knowledge to solve technical problems and speed up digital processes. They monitor the workflow of the company, using analytics to streamline the studio’s systems and general operations.