Production manager
In the production pipeline of a project, the production manager is the one who acts on the decisions made by the VFX producer. It is in their job to create a detailed and precise schedule for the project as well as look after the budget. A production manager is also involved in overseeing the production coordinators’ work, they will be involved in team management, training of coordinators and can participate in casting or hiring artists and drafting contracts. They serve as an important point of contact between the VFX artists and technical directors from all the parts of the VFX pipeline to make sure that the work is being completed on time. The production manager should also be communicating with the producer of the company which is shooting the live-action footage and producing the film or TV programme.
With the job specification listed above it only is logical to point out that the manager should be a good communicator and have the ability to explain themselves well, they should be organised, be aware of what is happening, listen and be one step ahead, have leadership skills, have a strong knowledge of VFX and be able to understand the aspects of the VFX pipeline and finally have the problem-solving abilities in order to successfully anticipate any issues occurring during the project and to adapt to the changing timescales and technical issues.
Producer
The VFX producer is someone who manages the entire process of creating the visual effects for a film or a TV show. It is a part of their job to ensure the client is happy with the results of the studios’ work. VFX producers are the ones who write the bid, i.e. the document which is used to persuade the film or TV series producer to take their VFX studio on for the required visual effects work in the project. They will put the team of VFX artists and other technical staff, create and set the schedules for the work and manage the budget, distribute the footage to the according artists, assessing the shot, giving feedback internally. During the stage of filming, it is important that the VFX producer works closely with the live-action production crew, as well as in post-production stage with the editor. It is set between the client and the producer of how much interaction will be happening: either weekly or daily.
The producer has to have the leadership skills, have the confidence to give directions and communicate well enough with every team member, be organised as they have to plan effectively and manage the project and its budget, have the knowledge of the VFX pipeline and how everything works inside one, have problem-solving skills and be able to wok and maintain good relationship with the clients. They often communicate with the producer or director of the company making the film, but also work closely with the VFX supervisor.
Animator
In the stage of post-production, after the rigging of a character or an object, the animator will bring it to the life, i.e. literally taking the motionless 3D character and appear for it to seem to be alive. They create animation ‘frames’, using the ‘rig’. The animation is formed when all the frames are put together in a sequence. Depending on the company the type of animation may spread out across different jobs. Inside the VFX industry, the task of the animator is to produce work to be integrated into the live-action footage of a film or a TV programme. Therefore, they must animate the 3D objects as dictated by background film plates, implying there is a footage and a set camera position that they must work to.
The animator has to be good at drawing and revealing attitude, emotions and mood with the use of character’s movement, have special awareness and a feel for movement over time, they must have knowledge of animation and understand the principles and mechanics of it, know how to use relevant software such as Arnold, Blender, Maya, Mental Ray, Photoshop, RenderMan, Substance Painter, V-Ray, ZBrush and 3ds Max, ne organised and collaborative. VFX animators work using the overall brief from the film’s director, picking up after the matchmove artist, who would create the rig for the character to be animated.
Effects TD
An effect technical director oversees designing and creating any effects such as explosion, wind, smoke, water, fire, clouds, dust, debris and many others. They write the computer language scripts that generate the effects, as well as build and test software tools for the VFX artist to use, which they then incorporate into a VFX studio’s production pipeline. With each project presenting its own complex problems, TDs are good problem-solvers. They have to stay up-to-date with the latest research and techniques and push software technological boundaries to find ways for the creative vision of the director to be brought to life onto the screen.
An effects TD need to have a good eye for detail and know how make a sequence look good, they have to understand science and be able to create accurate and believable movement of particles, they need to be aware of the VFX production pipeline and understand other roles inside the VFX studio, they have to have coding skills and communicate well with the team of VFX artists. They must know programmes such as Houdini, RealFlow. They will be working closely with the lighting and rendering teams in order to ensure the effects will look correct in any reflections, shadows, etc.