We will research the VFX and animation pipeline in the industry
The term “pipeline” refers to how manufacturing phases are organised to promote efficiency and keep everyone on task and, more importantly, on schedule. It’s a system that requires each step to be completed in a specific order so that everyone knows when and how their work must be completed.
A Hierarchy is a ranking system for members of an organisation or community based on their relative status or power.
VFX and Animation industry
The UK is renowned for its Animation Industry; it is one of the best in the world. Producing top animations such as A Tiger who came for tea with its hand-drawn figures, Peppa pig, Early man, and Wallace and Gromit, to name but a few. Animation is when pictures are drawn successively and filmed, or models and puppets are photographed and filmed to give an illusion of movement in a sequence. Computer-generated images (CGI) in 2D or 3D using graphic software is the latest way of achieving an animation. VFX, are the special visual effects which have been computer generated and are then added and combined to an animation (live-action pictures) to give it a wow factor. This is because it is not always possible to film real footage of something that perhaps doesn’t even exist. For example, the dinosaurs in the successful film Jurassic Park are not real but have been created by computer software and added to the film at a later date.
VFX and Animation Pipeline:
The VFX/ Animation pipeline is a process of workflow, from initiation to completion of a piece of work. It is a sequence of events necessary to make a successful animation.
Development stage: this is the start. An idea is generated and turned into a draft of a script. Also, bearing in mind the budget involved, the vision and the final look. The target audience is also thought about, taken into consideration, and raised funds to finance the project. Finally, the right people for the job are located. This could mean sourcing them globally from around the world, such as visiting trade shows, film festivals, and other networking events.
Pre-production: once all the legalities have been agreed a green light is given, the draft becomes real, and concept art and animation as a storyboard are produced. Everything needs to be thought out at this stage to avoid any wastage of expenses, as things could get very expensive further down the pipeline if changes need to be made later on. Everyone needs to agree on how the animation will progress at this stage. We are now ready to move into production.
Production: here we can start the filming, using all the footage from the previous stage and piecing it all together, making improvements as necessary. It is important to film in a way that visual effects can be added easily at a later time. To help achieve this, directors apply lifelike props and green screens and use unique camera angles to help add the effects at a later date.
Post Production: This is the most important part of the VFX/Animation pipeline. Here is where most visual effects are added to the animation film. The VFX team, consisting especially of artists, animators, painters and compositors, work together with technical directors and supervisors to transform the footage to completion. They do this by adding the effects using computer software and, sometimes, hand-drawn art. At this stage, the music is also put in and the whole animation is rendered, colours are improved where necessary and then the animation is inspected for quality control. Finally, the finished item goes off to the broadcaster.
Sales and marketing: when the product is complete, this team of people will market the animation to the targeted audience (especially). They do this by advertising on billboards, posters, adverts, trailers and newsletters. Merchandise is also made to sell to try to recoup the costs of production.
Examples of VFX and Animation pipelines:
The roles in the industry tell that everything has to be sequenced, which means everything must happen in a specific order. For example, modelling needs to be finished first before texturing and rigging can happen. If not, it won’t flow well. Making a model has to be done first so that it can be textured and rigged in the next stage of production. Animation happens after rigging as, once the model has been rigged, it can be animated. Lighting and rendering happen after the animation phase because once the model has been animated, effects can be applied to the footage. Rendering cannot happen earlier in production, as there won’t be anything to render. I have found out that it is very important to have a pipeline, a sequence of events, this helps organization and team work to take place efficiently, as there are many people involved in a production so everyone’s work has to knit together in a sequence in the correct order.
Hierarchy
Example of the VFX studio hierarchy:
From the people at the top with the most power, wealth and influence to the people lower down in the system who possess less of these attributes. Where people are ranked as being more powerful, having more authority, and being the same or below one another in power or authority.
This is a Hierarchy of a VFX/Animation Studio
At the top of the triangle, with the largest amount of authority, we have the Client and at the bottom, we see the person with the least amount of authority, this is the Runner.
I will explain the level of importance of each member of the hierarchy and what their job role is in the VFX Industry.
Client; The client is at the top of the pyramid, they are the most important and they are the Director or Producer of the film, tv series or animation. They have the idea at the beginning and also the final say at the end. They have to be happy with the whole concept from start to finish. Everyone below the client will make this happen.
VFX Supervisor; Their role is very important and comes with high responsibility. This person will deal directly with the client, liaising, negotiating and passing on information to them. They will show the final product to them for approval. They will take care of the whole VFX project from inception through to completion. They will have full authority to bid for work from clients and set a budget and time frame for each production. They manage everyone involved in the pipeline, this is a massive responsibility. Working with the client deciding together what VFX is required for various shots of the animation. They then work with the VFX artists to produce phototype images (concept art or CGI) to present to the client. Also, it is their job to oversee the filming at pro production making sure all the elements etc are of the best quality and are what the client has requested.
CG Supervisor; Computer graphics supervisors are important because they are in charge of the CG elements produced for the VFX project. They manage the VFX artists They decide in what order VFX work needs to be carried out and thus organise the VFX pipeline so that everything flows well in production. They will make sure all the VFX artists are following the brief correctly and producing the CG required by the client, providing feedback where necessary. Once everything is finished the art or assets are handed over to the Composters to piece together.
Department supervisors; Each department has its own supervisor, their role is important to passing on information required to the lead artist, and running the department efficiently. They must respect the decisions made by their colleagues who are above them in the hierarchy pyramid of importance.
Leads; These people are artists themselves but are also in charge of all the artists below them, so this makes them the lead artists, they manage the other artists. They are important and do have some power over decisions made, however, if someone above them (a supervisor) says something needs to be done differently then the artist must respect this change and follow the advice from them instead. The leads have to make sure the artists are doing what the supervisor wants. These artists’ roles include lighting artists, modelling artists, texture artists and compositors to name but a few.
Senior artists; These are the most experienced VFX artists. The Senior VFX Artist will work with an experienced team of artists helping to produce some high-quality CG. They are responsible for producing some high quality bespoke and industry-leading work. These people are important in the pyramid as they have the expertise, knowledge, experience and ability to produce some fantastic VFX.
Mid-level artists; These artists are qualified to a very good level of expertise as VFX artists they tend to have three to seven years of experience in the VFX industry. Their level of importance is not as great as seniors however they have power over artists below them the ones that are still perfecting their skills (junior artists).
Junior artists; These artists are just starting out in the industry they have very little influence or power to make any big decisions, they respect the decisions made by the colleagues above them in the hierarchy pyramid. They are still learning and gaining experience, they need to have a thorough understanding of 3D camera principles such as lenses, distortion and parallax. They need to be able to work as part of a team also, to meet targets and timeframes and produce work to a high standard. These artists may work at a slower pace than a mid-level artist who is above them.
Interns; Students that take a year out of their University course to go and sample working in the VFX Industry. This gains them experience and the opportunity to perhaps be offered a job at the same company after university. This will also look good on the CV. The Interns will need to respect their colleagues and work as a team, they have no say in the decision making, and they are not so important.
Runners; They do a variety of jobs supporting everyone in the studio, making sure things run smoothly, even from making cups of tea and coffee to locking up at the end of the day. They deliver messages and materials amongst the departments and organise meetings among the teams of colleagues. They can watch professionals at work, and ask questions to increase their knowledge, it is how many professional workers started out in the VFX industry and have worked their way up in level of importance and experience. I think that just because runners are at the bottom of the hierarchy this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not important at all, in my opinion, they do have some importance as without them the professional VFX workers would have to do more jobs and this would take them away from their main job, so, things might not run so smoothly in the studio without runners.
References
www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-…
nofilmschool.com/vfx-supervisor
https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/on-set/vfx-supervisor/
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/vfx-artist
https://www.screenskills.com/media/4381/vfx-cmyk-2021-master-inclusive-web.pdf