VFX Supervisor

This role is responsible for the whole VFX project and managing the production pipeline. A VFX Supervisor’s responsibilities include three stages. The first stage is to work closely with director and director of photography to decide what programs and techniques will be used to achieve the necessary visual effects. In the second stage, the VFX Supervisor needs to make sure all VFX scenes are shot properly. The last stage is to lead the post-production team to create the required visual effects and to oversee the quality of the works done by other VFX artists.

Data Capture Technician

They go onset of a film/TV shooting to collect all information about the live-action footage and take photographs of the set for VFX team to add visual effects. This job enables the VFX team to recreate some scenes digitally. Data capture TD uses a variety of tools to collect the information, such as cameras and a ‘total station’ which electronically measures horizontal and vertical angles and distances.

Compositor

The compositing artist is in charge of integrating the CG elements into live-action footages, and combining various digital elements to produce a believable picture. Basically, this role will be required to do chroma keying which will be used in green screen or blue screen shots in order to place the subject in a different setting or environment later. Their work is the last part of the VFX pipeline.

This VFX breakdown reel from Avengers shows how compositing works are finished.

Compositing Supervisor

The Compositing Supervisor is responsible for the management of the compositing team and the quality of the compositing work. They work closely with VFX Supervisor, CG Supervisor and the VFX Producer to communicate between the departments and represents the voice of the compositing team to pipeline environment. Compositing Supervisors need to be very experienced in compositing. They supervise the compositing team to meet the deadlines make sure the film or TV production company receives the VFX work on time.

Below is a job post from Industrial Light and Magic, they were looking for a Compositing Supervisor and posted relevant requirements and responsibilities.

Industrial Light & Magic hiring Compositing Supervisor – Expression of InterestSan Francisco, CA in San Francisco, California, United States | LinkedIn

Layout Artist

Layout Artist is also known as Layout TD, which is responsible for the framing, composition, camera angle, camera movement, and lighting of each shots. They control the pace of the action, timing and the dialogue. They are required to load 3D assets and audio into the animation program and pose the characters, and then frame it with virtual camera. The Layout Artist is pretty much like the Director of Photography in virtual world. Their work allows other VFX artist to have a basic shot construction in the production pipeline.

This video talks about what traditional 2D layout is like, and how a Layout Artist works in a virtual world now.

Matchmove Artist

Their work is to merge characters or objects from live-action footage and virtual scenes into one perspective. They need to do body and object tracking, recreating the movements of people or objects in CG. They use specialized program, for example,  Syntheyes or PFtrack, to make 3D objects integrate with live-action footage.

Matchmove Artist needs to work with both 2D and 3D tracking. In two-dimensions, the task is to change the live motion footage’s image without factoring the movement of the camera and lens distortion. Most programs are used to do 2D matchmoving are After Effects, Syntheyes and PFtrack. In three-dimensional, the 3D elements need to be inserted into 2D video clips. They usually do 3D matchmove in Blender, Vodoo, and 3DEqualizer.

More information can be found in this following article. It gives a clear explanation of how this role works and there are also some examples of matchmover’s works.

What is Matchmoving and What Does a Matchmove Artist Do? (mountcg.com)

Lighting Artist

They are responsible for adjusting the color, placement and intensity of CG lights to build atmosphere with realism and depth. They craft the mood of the film or animation, and match the lighting of 3D objects to the look of the on-set production.

This article gives more specifics of Lighting Artist.

Lighting in visual effects: crafting CG cinematography | Foundry

This is an interview of Michael Tanzillo who works in Blue Sky studio, talking about Lighting Artist’s jobs and responsibilities.

CG Supervisor (Computer Graphics Supervisor)

Their job is to deliver and make sure the quality of the 3D elements of a project. They are responsible for managing and directing the technical, artistic, and production personnel for each project. They supervise all CG creation and managing the task allocation.

Supervisors can be hired directly by a film production company. They can also work for a visual effects company, where they could work with lots of different production companies. 

Look Development Artist

Look Dev Artists focus on the development of the visual style of the computer-generated creatures or objects, they establish the overall artistic & scene styles and decide if the look will be realistic, stylized, or both.  Look Dev Artist creates the materials, textures, and geometric instances that define the look of environments, characters, and sets.

In this job post from Walt Disney Company, they listed all the requirements and tasks that a Look Development Artist need to do for this role. And what they want if you want to apply for this job.

Full link is here: Look Development Artist Job in Burbank, CA at The Walt Disney Company (ziprecruiter.com)

Modelling Artist

A 3D modeler creates three-dimensional creations through various computer software. from 2D or 3D art which produced by a Concept Artist, or from reference materials. They also sculpt the model to shape what’s intended. The job work is the entry of the 3D department. After the modelling artist completed their models, it can be moved onto texturing and animating. In smaller VFX studios, modelling and texturing artists might be combined into one job position to do both roles.

They usually create something like this with reference images.

Animator

A 3D animator specialize in creating different types of animated digital models such as humans, objects, or landscapes of an animation. They often start with receiving scripts, visualizing what the animation may look like, and designing the storyboards.

Here is an image of the Animator’s responsibilities from a job post.

And a link to more information about the role’s jobs and what skills are required.

https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-does-3d-animator-do

Texture Artist

The Texture Artists specialize in creating the textures for 3D animated objects for video games, films, television shows, and commercials. They paint surface textures on 3D models such as, animated characters, environments, and props.

This video explains that what exactly a texture artist do in a VFX studio and what makes a good Texture Artist.

Environment Artist

They create background visual arts which actors or objects will interact for films or video games, such as, outer space, historical recreations, and fantasy lands, etc. The role is to create backgrounds, layouts, and environments using computer software to design and sculpt it. The Environment Artist needs to be skilled with a modeling package such as Maya and 3D Max. It is essential to know about Photoshop and Substance Painter for creating textures and materials. Knowing how to use 3D sculpting program such as Zbrush is also an important skill.

Here are some works of Robert Hodri from Art Station, who works as an Environment Artist.

ArtStation – Robert Hodri (His Art Station page)

This article talks about more relevant role description and skills of Environment Artist.

Environment Artist Job Description, Salary, Skills & Software (cgspectrum.com)

Runner

It is an entry level position which will act as a general assistant, completing whatever basic tasks are required to ensure the smooth running between each departments. Sometimes, it is an opportunity to be an runner to learn about how those positions work in a VFX studio, and it’s a good route to get into the industry for someone without relevant experience.

A runner needs to do a variety of jobs, the following image shows what kind of jobs require a runner to do.

Prep Artist

They basically do clean up jobs for the live-action footage before the shot can move to the next department. They’re responsible for removing any unwanted items such as markers, wires, or even a scratch. The work of a Prep Artist generally will be reviewed by a VFX Supervisor on a cinema screen.

The images below are a job post from Rodeo FX studio on Glassdoor. They explained what responsibilities they need a Prep Artist to work for them, and also what qualifications you need to have to apply for this job. They explained the Prep Artist is also a Roto Paint Artist.

Roto Artist

They trace the areas of live-action frames using various software to cut images and sequences out to create roto mattes and prepare plates for the compositors. They also work in video game productions which use live-action footage.

The following link explains their responsibilities, skills required, what software will be used, and the average salary

Roto Artist Job Description, Salary, Skills & Software (cgspectrum.com)

I also found a video on YouTube which shows what a Roto Artist’s showreel is like. They generally rendered out the alpha channel to show how clean the plate is.