How do you collaborate with visual effects artists on a project?

For Roto Paint, we need four key details for every shot. 1- What are the client's/VFX supes overall VFX expectations PER SHOT? 2- What is the specific plate? 3- What is the specific roto needed? What is the paint needed? 4- What is the level of quality expected of the roto or paint? Specifically, is the roto and paint meant to be "visualization / blocking quality"? Or do we need "Final Pixel" quality? After this, there are other studio/discipline specific questions that need to be answered such as: 5-What are the deliverables? Renders? Scripts? Both? 6-If the deliverable includes scripts, what software should we use? 7-What are the studio's file naming conventions? 8-What is the frame range expected? Full Plate or a smaller range?

In my experience, having a kick-off with the team where the broad and salient points of a project are shared and discussed is a great starting off point. A database such as Shotgrid (or anything equivalent, be it a competing commercial product or even something off the shelf such as FileMaker) to store important and relevant data, as well as notes is also in my opinion important. Lastly (and I’m sure there are several more), is a shared, known repository of where set data is stored, and that can easily be accessed at any and all times - information such as on set notes, lens/camera information, physical measurements of positioning of camera on set, etc..

When scope of work and project goals are determined, it’s important to also specify the methodology to achieve these goals for creative and budgetary reasons. E.g. 2D/2.5D vs 3D approach.

It is additionally important to seek out specific information from the principle creatives: what is the desired level of realism? What films or other works of visual art exemplify the aesthetic / tone of the desired effects? Also, depending on the post-production schedule, having early discussions with sound editors and designers can reduce confusions or revisions later in the cycle.

As a VFX artist, I believe task descriptions are crucial. If there is no kick-off meeting, this may be the only place where we can learn about the task content. Proper editing of descriptions can greatly enhance communication efficiency and reduce misunderstandings. Lastly, I would like to add a small point: please try to describe the content objectively using the composition of the scene, as we may not know the names of the characters in the show or the story details.

Communication is key but many times can also be challenging. For many artists English is not their main language. You need to be clear communicating. Make sure your language is simple but effective. Brief your team in a way that it’s easy to understand and make sure that they understand their assignments. Many people, depending on their cultural background, might consider rude saying they didn’t understand. Try to identify visual cues, non-verbal communication usually gives those signs.

My philosophy for any VFX communication method consists of 6 rules: 1- Tasks and specifics must be documented. 2- This documentation should be in one database or project management software such as Shotgrid. 3- This database should be accessible by all. Task information should not be saved in emails or google sheets as the primary database. 4- Plate information 5- Each task should contain the following details: 5a- shot number 5b- discipline (roto, paint, etc) 5c- task description 5d- frame range for deliverable 5e- bid 5f- end date 6- annotation or global tech spec With these specific details logged into Shotgrid (or any project management software you are using), there will be fewer delays to production or "simple mistake" kickbacks.

Efficient pipelines are a must have for any VFX studio, especially today when the artists can be working from anywhere in the world and you may be required to work with other studios across the globe too. When designing any workflow, the pipeline architects must ask these critical questions about project sharing and collaboration among virtual artists and multiple studios, and design the process accordingly.

Proper scene numbering is more important than many think. Every department needs to use the same numbers. This is harder when a story artist starts before a script is numbered, so we sometimes have to go back and edit the numbers once a script numbering is locked.

One of the biggest challenges in VFX production is the constant changes and update requests from clients. And our main goal is to serve the client in their best interest. For that we need to adapt our team to those requests. We need to be quick and efficient spotting eventual issues and try to solve them as fast as we can. Sometimes it might be challenging because we can’t find the right person in our team and we might need to request from a pool of artists in the company or recruit a new team member.

Flexibility and adaptability are vital traits that not only enhance the quality of your work but also contribute to a positive work environment. By embracing change, staying open to new ideas, and being willing to adapt, you can navigate the complexities of VFX projects more effectively and achieve exceptional results.

Making friends is really important. A lot of the time it's how you find your next job, or one day how you find people to hire. Being known as a good person to work with is big part of career longevity.

The best clients -- internal or external -- recognize that VFX artists as collaborators, not just pairs of hands that execute instructions. It's this view of filmmaking as a team sport that motivates what is often a rather large VFX team to do their best work. Being open to the ideas of your team doesn't mean you lack vision. It means that you understand their expertise and diversity of opinions add something to the project overall.

The only constant in life is change and that change is accelerating due to the proliferation of knowledge and global connectivity. The internet provides you with instantaneous access to the world brightest minds, tutorials, and information. Find your tribe, ask questions, think from 1st principles, simplify, and optimize. Join the VES, 3DPro, studiosysadmins, participate in reddit and discord communities, goto siggraph, and experiment. AI is upending traditional workflows and increasing your toolset. Realtime game engines provide rapid iteration and a path to other industries who crave visualization expertise. The future is realtime.

Getting involved in committees or conferences focused on effects technology can aide artists in staying in the conversation. Apply to speak, host a table, or participate in a panel to increase your network and value in the industry. Similarly, contributing solutions to online forums is a good way to challenge and expand your skill set.

I think emphasizing the ability to pull from existing asset libraries and archival solutions isn’t emphasized enough! The more you have good internal systems and tooling that supports artists’ workflow, then better team morale and better results

Understand the language of visual effects. Each film department has a language associated with it. If you don't use the correct terminology, you're unlikely to be taken seriously.