EKDANTA - An Engineered God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxAhlOd8Rss

https://redd.it/1pp9y58
@vfxbackup

Were there earlier versions of Peter Jackson's Hobbit virtual filming cgi?

I don't know what you might call it, but I remember from the bts on the hobbit how Peter Jackson had a camera that he filmed an empty studio that had motion tracking sensors placed around. The footage would translate to real time camera moves on a virtual set you could see on screen. I also remember it being used for the mocumentary shaky camera style in Surf's Up (2007). Whatever this tech is called, who pioneered its use? Was Surf's Up one of the first ones?

https://redd.it/1pp9buv
@vfxbackup

What's it like working in the industry?

Hi,
I just wanted to know what it's like to work in animation, video games, or VFX.
What's a typical day like, what's it like to look for a job, or what's it like to connect with people in the industry?
Are you able to make a living doing what you love?

I'm just curious.

https://redd.it/1pp7503
@vfxbackup

How should I be doing stars?

What Im really asking is how do I do high quality, sharp stars in a 4K resolution?

In Nuke, I have Im starting with an 8K latlong noise with the values crunched, which produces my stars and is then projected onto a sphere.

The problem is that some of my bigger stars are up to 7 pixels wide and ultimately look too soft. Even if I bump the noise to 16K (which becomes too much for my potato PC) the stars still feel soft. I also tried turning off filtering in my scanline, but the results are questionable.

I recognize the problem is that since the stars are being piped into a sphere, the camera is only viewing a smaller section of the 8K star element. Is my only option to just increase the resolution of the star element? Is there no other way?

https://redd.it/1ppec7d
@vfxbackup

Hiring - VFX Artist/editor for Stream Promo Content!

Hey everyone!

I’m a streamer looking for a VFX artist/editor who can help push the visuals of my content through high-quality promo videos and intros, specifically compositing me into videos with clean, creative effects.

I put a ton of effort into making my stream feel different from the typical live setup—smooth visuals, high energy, and a style that’s always evolving. Now I’m looking for someone who can match that creativity with motion design that pushes things even further.

What I’m looking for:

• High-quality VFX and compositing (putting me into games, environments, or scenes)

• Clean, stylized effects synced to music

• Strong sense of timing, pacing, and visual flow

• Experience with tracking, masking/rotoscoping, and compositing

• (Bonus) Experience with gaming, streaming, or cinematic internet-style edits

• (Bonus) Ability to create short reusable promo intros or loops

This is an entry/mid-level opportunity that will grow quickly as the stream continues to scale. Ideally you’re someone who wants a long-term collaboration.

PLEASE REVIEW MY CONTENT BEFORE REACHING OUT.

Socials: @outofcheck

If you feel you can match the quality, creativity, and energy of the production, I’d love to connect.

Send your portfolio and a quick intro to info@outofcheck.com.

Can’t wait to work together!

https://redd.it/1ppik8y
@vfxbackup

Does Skydance Madrid sponsor work permit for non EU citizens?

Hi everybody,

I hope you are doing well.

I am from Mexico and I have applied to one of skydance jobs for their studio in madrid before, but I didn’t get past the HR meeting. I had almost all the requirements for the position and I tailored my CV to said position. My question is, do you guys know or has anyone from a non-EU country gotten the chance to have them sponsor your work permit? Or do they just automatically discard you after seeing you Not having a work permit/not being from an EU country?

I am mostly trying to figure out what I am doing wrong, if I am not moving forward due to the citizenship and lack of work permit or if I am messing up my initial meeting with HR.

Thank you for your time.

Edit. Forgot to delete something from an early draft

https://redd.it/1ppmzp4
@vfxbackup

Film and TV actors prepared to strike over AI concerns

https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ai-film-tv-actors-equity-b2887075.html

https://redd.it/1ppryfv
@vfxbackup

Feedback on Comp
https://redd.it/1ppu4oy
@vfxbackup

For those who’ve done product viz commercially: what kind of clients usually pay for this?

https://redd.it/1ppq1lf
@vfxbackup

What would you actually want in an AI-first compositor?

Hey all, I’m a creative who lives in images/video and have been using Nuke for last 10 years.

I’ve been building a node-based compositor that’s “AI-first” (meaning AI is inside the graph as real nodes, not random one-click tools). The goal isn’t to make a clone of Nuke. The goal is to make the painful parts faster, but still production-safe and controllable. And not something like ComfyUI where you have to add 20 different plugins to get stuff done. Basically Upgraded version of Nuke.

I’d love real opinions from working VFX/motion/comp folks:

The stuff I’m thinking about:

AI roto / matting that turns into editable shapes (not just a janky mask)
Object removal / cleanplates that you can actually art-direct
Depth, DeBlur, Normal, Relight, etc
Smart denoise and upres that doesn’t destroy detail
Tracking + stabilization helpers
Built to play nice with pro workflows (ACES/OCIO, EXRs, cryptomattes, caching, predictable renders)

Questions:

1. What’s the ONE task you’d pay for if it actually worked reliably?
2. What’s the biggest dealbreaker? (color correctness, speed, black box results, no noscripting, no farm, licensing, etc.)
3. Would you use a new standalone compositor ?
4. What pricing would feel fair for indie users vs studios?
5. If you’ve tried existing AI tools, what specifically annoyed you?

I’m not selling anything here, coz I don't the product yet. I just want to make sure I’m building something people would actually use.

https://redd.it/1ppyval
@vfxbackup

YouTube Shuts Down Channels Using AI To Create Fake Movie Trailers Watched By Millions
https://deadline.com/2025/12/youtube-terminates-screen-culture-kh-studio-fake-ai-trailer-1236652506/

https://redd.it/1pq16yg
@vfxbackup

where are the trees?

Hello! I am wondering what trees people use for environments, and all I hear is blender addons, but I use Houdini. Like I made a project with my own custom SpeedTree trees but I can't really be bothered, if I don't have to, to make an entire forest worth of custom trees. Like I want high quality, and variety, birch, oak, fir, pine. Like is there not a pack out there from someone who actully made their own trees that are good? Only thing i've found is Evermotion Archmodels vol. 176 and vol. 219. But I dont have that budget. If anyone has like a pack they like or just an answer to my question about where people get their trees, that would be awesome. Thanks!

https://redd.it/1pq34lk
@vfxbackup

(Very young) student wondering about freelance VFX onboarding logistics

I've been a big fan of the subreddit for a while. There's been lots of talk about how to find VFX freelance jobs, but what happens afterward?

What paperwork do you send/sign, and who is your primary contact?
How do you see pending tasks, how do you access the associated files, and how do you "submit"? (apologies for using school terminology)
What software do you use daily for communication, remote desktop (if applicable), reviews?

What does the reverse of this look like?

Who is responsible for allocating the necessary tools/licenses(?)/software, and how is this organized?

Would love to hear as much as you can share. Thanks :)

https://redd.it/1pq3g82
@vfxbackup

Avatar Fire and Ash VFR

Just got out of Fire and Ash(Avatar) and holy cow was the frame rate switching really bad. It legit felt like a sped up video game cutscene during the high frame rate parts and then felt like bad software slow motion stutter effect once it dropped back down. The worst thing was that it would happen mid shot for seemingly zero reason creating this choppy disjointed mess. The CG is really good in this film, it’s just a shame that the frame rate makes it look like a tv show/ video game cutscene/unreal 5 tech demo shot. Anyone else know why Cameron decided to do even more of these frame rate switches outside of the water?

https://redd.it/1pqc9ia
@vfxbackup

SAG-AFTRA to Kick Off the 2026 Union Negotiations Cycle
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-2026-negotiation-dates-revealed-1236454630/#recipient_hashed=744b1bbfad3d2bb7a324ea492b656680ab3afd741c7a7c3185e0b9a129b5590e&recipient_salt=e78f04524465bc689402fc955f65fc39f5aa6896c4e380f1b93ce4d1393a2328&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=Breaking%20News&utm_content=654040_12-18-2025&utm_term=285929?utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=1766110735-Breaking%20News&utm_content=654040_12-18-2025&utm_id=654040

https://redd.it/1pqdnon
@vfxbackup

Realistic income as a freelancer

Hi!

I’m a UX designer, formerly an industrial designer and 3D modeler, and I’ve recently been looking into the VFX industry.

While chatting with ChatGPT, it kept repeating again and again that a daily rate above **€1,000/day** is *standard* for freelancers in Paris. That really surprised me. My understanding was that VFX is actually a tough industry: few jobs, lots of competition, and often tight budgets.

At the same time, I don’t fully trust ChatGPT here and I’m pretty sure it might be hallucinating or overselling the market.

So I wanted to ask people who actually work in the industry:

* Is there really good money in VFX freelancing, or is that the exception rather than the rule?
* Are €1,000+/day rates realistic, and if so, for which roles?
* Is it relatively easy to land well-paid freelance work if you have the right skills, or is it still very competitive and unstable?

I’m especially interested in perspectives from freelancers working in Europe (Paris in particular), but any insight is welcome.

Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/bl31behzj58g1.png?width=981&format=png&auto=webp&s=0075d812863f0af14785ba7a61753636ef5ed170



https://redd.it/1pqjp5w
@vfxbackup

personal vfx artist looking for music producer

i need a y2k/glitch etc style vfx artist who can make motion graphics, covers, etc for free in exchange for me producing whatever whenever 4 you and using my music, audios etc copyright free (I make hyperpop/dariacore/edm trap)

https://redd.it/1pqoupa
@vfxbackup