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The entertainment industry has evolved beyond recognition in the last couple of decades. There are various reasons behind this change and development and one of them is the introduction of the latest technology and tools. VFX was being used for creating various components within a movie for decades now, but in the last few, the technology has made truly magical leaps. Today, there isn’t probably even a single scene in any movie or show here VFX is not being used. This practice has also resulted in brilliant career opportunities after 12th.
Choosing something different and exciting
If you do not want to go through the regular route of education and become a doctor or an engineer. If you are a creative person, looking forward to giving wings to your imagination, then VFX can be the perfect opportunity to do so. The technology and details you will learn in the process will give you the capacity of creating magic on screen. Everything that you have ever imagined, but were unable to tell or show anyone other than yourself can now be created.
Some surprising observations and facts for you
You also need to remember that, not only the science fiction or fantasy movies but something deeply rooted in the present times can also use VFX technology and more than you could have thought. For instance, the movie “The Social Network” is based on the life of Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg and how Facebook first came to be. This movie shows a world that is just a few years in the past and should not require much VFX. Whereas the movie “Godzilla” is about an imaginary creature wreaking havoc in a modern city. Logically it seems the second movie should be completely dependent on VFX. The truth is, the first movie has more VFX shots than the second one.
Learning about some interesting details
It will also be a little surprising to know that the main feature of a good VFX shot is, either it will impress you or it will go unnoticed. The imagery created via this technology and through the hard work of the artists can achieve anything you can or cannot imagine in the real world. A major section of this work is achieved through computers and the various programs designed for this purpose, though without the artistic aspect, the task can become mindless. You will discover that the task can be best achieved by professionals who are artistic by nature while having enough technical skills.
Becoming a VFX capable and successful artist
If you are interested and want to become associated with the VFX industry in a technical aspect, as a professional, then the following points can give you an idea about how to approach the topic. This information is not merely about how to become a VFX artist, but how to approach the whole process carefully and effectively. They are:
Don’t just see, observe
There is a huge difference between seeing and observing. You see things to understand it, but you observe to get to the tiniest of details. You see a leaf moving in the wind, it will give you a nice sight. You observe a leaf moving, you are focusing on the movements the leaf is making and details that you haven’t noticed before. The more attention you pay, the more it will translate into your work making it more realistic. Visual effects are not simply about creating something with the help of technology but creating it in such a convincing way that for a regular viewer, it is very hard to differentiate between the two. To become a good VFX artist, you will need a keen mind and an eye for details. The more you observe and examine, the better professional you will become.
Learning the skills officially
It is crucial for you to learn the skills formally to become a capable VFX artist. Yes, observing thousands of movies and gaming videos, access to the technology, and other resources will give you an idea about the process, but with professional assistance, you cannot achieve your potential as an artist. This is why; you need to learn the skill officially which means, getting enrolled in one of the best institutions providing a VFX course and choose one of the most suitable courses. The courses will help you hone your skills, evolve, and get ready for the upcoming technologies and their usages. The course may cover everything from the history of visual effects to the use of the simplest of technologies, but every aspect of it will be crucial and required. Therefore, you should look for potential options today and get enrolled as soon as possible.
Experimentation will be your biggest help
When you enter a course and begin your class, you will discover that there are six basic effects that every VFX artist needs to learn. They are water, fire, cloud/smoke, motion trails, lighting/electricity, and explosions. Once you have mastered these skills, your next step should be experimenting and that is not because you may end up inventing some new technology or practice and become famous, but without experiment, you will lose the zeal you had in the beginning. Moreover, no creative process can survive long without experimentation. Instead of growing stagnant, you should keep on experimenting and keep the spark alive. If you are looking for an open-source to learn from, then Blender will be a nice place to start. Knowing and having expertise in Maya will help as well, as most VFX studios use this software.
Creating a showreel or portfolio
Once you are confident enough about your work and skills, which can only happen after you have completed your course or courses, it will be time to compile the best of it. Putting all that work in one place and creating a portfolio will be one step further in your search for the perfect job. You can share these demos with the VFX studios while applying for a job. If you want to know how and what the other artists are working on, then visiting a few portfolio websites will be of great assistance.
Specializing will be required
The world of VFX does have less rigidity than any other such professional world, but still, you cannot keep on fleeting from one place to another. Along with having flexibility with your roles which suits VFX tasks like composing, texturing, rigging, environment building, and such, you should have specialization as well. Having both flexibility and specialization will open the doors to a large world comprising of gaming, advertising, media, movies, and many more. Your future will be more exciting and promising that you ever thought.
Thinking about the future as a VFX artist
After knowing about the details of the VFX industry and your foray into the subject, you need to know about the possible work opportunities. Yes, when you are leaning the skills, it is all about making yourself a better VFX artist, but the future possibilities cannot be ignored. Your future should include opportunities for professional growth and become an artist who can support his life financially. Moreover, the VFX industry in India and the world is growing bigger and better every day. Getting to work here will be an exciting opportunity, both professionally and personally.
India and VFX in the latest years
The Indian studios are handling massive international projects, along with exciting domestic projects. More and more movie studios of Hollywood are outsourcing all their VFX needs to India. This means the future is exciting for a VFX artist in India. You may also become a part of some of the biggest and most popular projects from some of the best-known studios in the world. In fact, over the last couple of years, VFX skills have become a prominent export material in India. As a result, the industry in the country has grown by leaps and bounds. The success and surge of work have made VFX an exciting industry for all aspiring artists. From passion and hobby, VFX is on its way to becoming a career opportunity that also pays enough.
As a student, it is possible that you are yet to gain enough idea about the key positions you may have in the industry. Having the information will help you to choose the right career option and potential key position in India. The positions you need to know about are:
Layout artist
This role will help you become part of the pre-production and previsualization process. As a layout artist, you will be laying out foundations for how the visuals will eventually look. You will be usually tasked with interpreting the script, storyboard and come up with templates for transferring the script into a proper visual medium. Everything starting from the creation of a scene to deciding on the camera angles falls under the purview of this job role.
Compositing artist
A prominent feature of quality VFX work is that it blends seamlessly with the rest of the background and becomes very hard to differentiate from the real thing. Moreover, it does not distract from the viewing experience, because VFX is supposed to support and enhance the effect, not jeopardize it or pull the focus on itself in any way. Not being careful enough with the task may end up resulting in one glitch and that can ruin the whole experience for a viewer and that is not desirable. As a compositing artist, your job will be ensuring that the seamless blending of VFX and live-action remains intact. The visual elements should be eliminated as well.
Lighting artist
Lighting is essential to every film production, whether it is live-action or animation. The job of a lighting artist is to understand the behavior of light and how it will be interacting with the real-world subjects. That interaction should be understood by the artist and then get translated into the world of visual effects. Moreover, lighting has a huge role in visual continuity and the storytelling process. As a lighting artist, you have to be able to deliver the right amount of illumination to make a scene pop.
Rendering artist
This is a job role that is amongst the highest in demand in India at the moment and the trend is all set to continue as well. Major VFX studios ad production houses are looking for skilled rendering artists. The job of such an artist will be turning various 3D models into the real world like visuals that can be seen on the screen. This is a highly technical job but at the same time extremely delicate and the artist is responsible for transforming a project from an idea to a visual panorama.
Roto artist
The task of a rotoscoping or roto artist to trace all the areas of a frame where CGI meets real life. This is one of the most difficult and imperative tasks you will encounter in this industry. Their job also provides the compositors the framework to begin their work. This job also offers a solid foundation in VFX while offering a starting for VFX professionals. This is also a job in high demand.
Matter painter
One very interesting and impressive feature in a VFX film is a beautiful and magical tapestry. It is the job of a matte painter to create that visual. As such an artist, you will be taking reference and visual cues from photographs, sketches, and other mediums and elements. These references will be then turned into realistic VFX scenes where the actions will happen.
Match mover artist
These artists are usually experts in both 2D and 3D because they have to work at the confluence of both worlds. If you, as an artist, work in CGI and your task is to track movements, then a prominent responsibility of yours will be matching the mover’s responsibility. As a match mover artist, you will be responsible to ensure that the computer-generated graphics get integrated with the live-action footage properly. Moreover, you will also be responsible for ensuring that the proportion movements and such have a natural and seamless look and feel.
The VFX industry in India is thriving and along with bringing more jobs, it is also resulting in stable career opportunities for anyone interested. Having the information will help you to become a successful VFX artist and also choose the most suitable job role in the industry.
