');

VFX - Pre, Production & Post VFX

A great "how to" guide as an overview of VFX review, budgeting & scheduling and department roles
Jan 19
This article was kindly contributed by Julian Parry

Overviews of pre, production & post VFX department workflow

  • This is bespoke pending on the project, as different workflows address different VFX approaches.
  • With any project it should start with a script, which is broken down into what you might read as a VFX moment or sequence. This should be done early in the production process and can be actioned before a Director or Producer are involved.
  • Later after rounds of creative discussion the VFX work can be highlighted and budgeted. The tracking and identification of those particular VFX shots can take place. This means from as early as the script breakdown a VFX shot can be highlight and tracked through Production (filming) following the editorial process where things can change into VFX post production and final delivery.
  • This process can be as simple as tracking one visual effect too thousands of VFX shots for which the process should be the same for each.


Reviews and shot tracking software: Shotgun / Filemaker / Cinsync

  • This process is also bespoke to the VFX team but tracking anything requires a bullet proof system.
  • FileMaker Pro appeared in the early 2000’s and then as it is now, its still a powerful correlating tool.
  • Shotgun appeared 10 years later offering a more integrated system that allowed shot information easily shared between Production, VFX vendors and Artists.
  • Cinsync appeared in the early 2000’s as a tool to view and review VFX shots remotely, it allows the loading of the VFX shot for review and realtime interaction and annotation. However, there are now a few options to Cinsync but currently remains a staple within the industry.
  • Reviews and reviewing is the creative interaction of VFX Supervisor and creative production team. It allows everyone to view VFX materials and be guide to the desired outcome and often means countless reiterations and tweaking until a VFX shot feels it sits into the project.


VFX budgeting & scheduling

  • The VFX budget is simply the assessment of the required VFX work juggling between expectations, budget and time.
  • More commonly the VFX are assessed by a VFX Supervisor and/or VFX Producer and presented for inclusion to the overall production budget.
  • On some smaller scale productions, the VFX budget is inherited and the VFX team need to work within the parameters given.
  • Scheduling itself falls in-line with the Production & Post production schedule, where VFX workflows and deliverables of final shots are taken into account, allowing time for VFX shots to be design, filmed and created.


PreViz / PostViz

    PreViz is the process whereby you can pre visualize a shot or sequence with basic animations. Similar to live action storyboards that allow the Director and the production team to visualize a sequence or shot.
    If PreViz is utilized early it not only helps with the creative but can inform shooting time, rigs required (if any) and budget.
    The PreViz process allows simple changes and tweaks to design the prefect shot. Often used on big action and complex visual effects sequences e.g. a dynamic car chase.

    Post Viz is similar just that its post-visualization after the production has shot a sequence normally after the editorial process. A sequence or scene shot but now missing a VFX moment requiring key editorial timings. E.g Dynamic Interactive Magic.


VFX editing

On projects with more than a couple of hundred VFX shots the VFX editorial tasks will fall to the VFX Editor as they work closely with the VFX Supervisor to assessable these often large complex sequences.

The VFX Editor and their assistants are responsible for the “marking up” and naming of all VFX shots and tracking them from version zeros to finals.

VFX department roles

Visual Effects Supervisor – Lead creative – Joint HOD
Visual Effects Producer – Budget and scheduling – Joint HOD
Visual Effects Manager – Managers the day to day running of the department.
Visual Effects Coordinator – Coordinates with the team on many levels and is often correlating data, databases, meetings and notes all at the same time.
Visual Effects Assistant – Can assist the department in many different ways and major aid to the Coordinator.
Visual Effects Data Wrangler – This person has the role to collect all on-set data at the time of the VFX shot and nowadays beyond. Their data is correlated stored and added to the database which is ultimately shared with VFX vendors when it comes time to execute the VFX shot.
Visual effects On Set Supervisor – This role is tasked with On-set supervision. Someone that has a great knowledge of Set and the film Crafts. Their interaction is vital to acquire the correct footage to achieve the proposed VFX shot and as their title often remain on set at all times.
Visual Effects Editor – Key at assembling large VFX sequences and tracking the VFX materials.
Visual Effects Editors Assistant – Assistant to the VFX Editor.

Colour correction disciplines

The VFX team work to a colour grade that is often referred to as the Show LUT (Look Up Table) This grade is adhered to thought-out the process but VFX work in what we call full colour range latitude the Open EXR file. When we get to the final grade our shots should drop into the project and take any applied new grade just like the other surrounding Production shots.

In-house VFX facility vs independent VFX talent

In visual effects we have the option to work with the big brand VFX companies, bespoke design houses or independent talent. Here it depends on the size of the project and the scope of work which ultimately decides the best option.

Rendering – what it is / what are the challenges?

Rendering is a computer process that uses CPU’s (central processing units) in the generation of the VFX images. The more CPU’s you have the faster and more precise you can render.

All CGI sequences use render time, and this means the bigger the CGI the more render time required.Rendering frames of a project takes hours and sequences can take days. This process has improved greatly over the years but there are still challenges mainly to do with machine chasing (failure). There are many safeguards in place and systems design to limit this but still any shortfall has a knock-on to the process and ultimate delivery of a VFX shots.

About the Author:
Julian Parry is a Senior VFX Supervisor with credits including The Wheel of Time (Amazon), The Witcher (Netflix), Vikings (MGM TV)

Read More about Julian's credits here


Last Updated 28/07/2021