I had a lot of respect for VFX artists, after watching the new Avatar, my respect increased even more...

As a failed VFX artist, I want to say that you guys are geniuses. These past years (after the release of Avatar The Way of Water) at random moments I thought to myself: "probably there are a lot of guys right now working really hard for the VFX of the next avatar". Many times I wondered during the movie how the hell can it look so good, specially the lighting. Cant believe all of that was shoot in a studio. The damn water looked pure, the fire, the particles, how everything interacted in a realistic way between each other, the creatures. I could spend all day naming things. The thing that blew my mind the most is a scene in which Neytiri tries to clean the paint from her face near a small river, it was absolutely brilliant. Congratulations to anyone who worked on the movie...

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

Please James Cameron

No more blue alien people movies.

Move on, make other films. New stories.

Avatar 3 is pretty much an extended version of Avatar 2. At times really bored of seeing the same.



https://redd.it/1prfzd8
@vfxbackup

Loving VFX, Fearing the Industry

Hey everyone,

I’m a junior compositing artist and I’ve been seriously considering reorienting my career away from VFX, mainly toward data-related fields. I’m back in France after two unsuccessful years in Montreal, and I’m planning to take a basic survival job just to stay afloat.

While learning data analysis and exploring other options, something became very clear to me: I’ve never been happier than when I was working as a junior compositor in a small Paris-based studio. No other job has come close to that level of fulfillment.

That said, the instability of the industry worries me a lot. Short-term contracts, precarious studio situations, low pay, lack of consideration for artists — all of that is honestly scary, especially since I’m a pretty anxious person by nature.

At the same time, data (like pretty much every white-collar field right now) also seems to be crashing, with fewer job postings and tighter hiring.

If you were in my position — 25 years old — would you double down on trying to get hired as a junior VFX compositor, or would you commit to a different path that offers more stability but far less personal fulfillment?

The problem is simple: I can’t picture my life without doing VFX or at least something closely related to movies. I love it too much.

Thanks for taking the time to read.
Have a good day,

Hugo
Portfolio: https://vimeo.com/user21148572

https://redd.it/1prm2sy
@vfxbackup

BOOM! I recreated this destruction scene from Knowing in Houdini

https://redd.it/1prvg6o
@vfxbackup

I went to a party that had VFX artists and 2/3rds of them were still out of work or had just been let go

Honestly, it’s been 2 years and I think the writing is on the wall.

Is anyone else close to just dropping it and pivoting to something else?

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

Where do u guys keep your notes

Look dev & shading person here. How do you guys keep your notes about knowledge of your specialization? Do u keep a google docs? Do u handwrite them down?

https://redd.it/1prx72s
@vfxbackup

I'm getting real tired of software subnoscriptions.

I'm not completely against subnoscriptions, particularly when it's an online service where you're using a company's own computing resources, or if it's a software platform that's continuously evolving and adding value. However, a good portion of software, particularly plugins, really doesn't warrant being subnoscription only and absolutely should have an option for a perpetual license. It's wildly anti-consumer.

There's a real issue with consumer rights when it comes to digital goods and ownership. How does it make sense that I pay hundreds or thousands of dollars over the course of a few years for a locally run piece of software, using my own computing resources, that doesn't add any new features, and if I cancel I lose all access? This is part of a broader "you will own nothing" problem with digital goods. When you "buy" something digitally, you're often just licensing it, and those terms can change at any time. Companies can raise prices, remove features, or shut down entirely, and you're left with nothing.

There's also something to be said about how this model functions as planned obsolescence by contract. With perpetual licenses, a company has to actually build something good enough that you'd want to upgrade. With subnoscriptions, they just have to make sure you can't work without them. There's less incentive to innovate and more incentive to create dependency.

Sure, companies will just eat the cost, but for individual creators it's just not realistic to have a dozen subnoscriptions that will eventually exceed the cost of a perpetual license. It also doesn't always make sense to just subscribe and cancel as needed. What if I just need that plugin for one shot? I have to pay that $50 monthly fee every time I have a random shot that needs a particular plugin?

I've gotten to the point that unless a piece of software has something I can't live without and can't get anywhere else, I'll instantly pass on anything that requires a monthly or yearly subnoscription with no option for a perpetual license. I'm just sick of it.

There's been increasing talk about a "right to own" for digital goods, and I really hope something comes of it.

https://redd.it/1ps4i70
@vfxbackup

Junior 3D/Virtual Production – feeling lost, need guidance

Hi everyone, I could really use some advice and support regarding my future.
Sorry if this post feels a bit messy – it’s exactly how my head feels right now, and I need to get it out. Thanks for your patience.

A bit about me:
I’m 34 and currently in my third year studying Immersive Media Production in Ireland. I’m a career switcher — before this, I worked in journalism for over 10 years, but I’ve had to change both my country and my career path.

I’ve always dreamed of working with video games, but during my studies I’ve found myself more drawn to Virtual Production. Over the past few years, I’ve explored everything and, honestly, ended up learning bits of everything but nothing fully. I love it all – I’ve done modeling, environment creation, texturing in both Substance Painter and Designer. I quickly realized that Houdini and character sculpting aren’t for me… at least, not right now.

Currently, I’m tackling Emiel Sleegers’ course Creating Destroyed Assets for Games, which is tough.

Back to my question: I constantly hear that junior 3D jobs are rare, competition is fierce, AI is taking over, etc., and it’s starting to drain my motivation and energy to keep going (sorry, I know how that sounds).

My ideal job (at least as I see it now) would be creating virtual worlds for films, commercials, or games — essentially, working as an environment artist in Unreal Engine. But I don’t know the next step. According to my plan, I should be working within 6–10 months, and right now, it feels almost impossible.

I have strong soft skills and a decent foundation in these areas, but I honestly have no idea where to focus next.

Thanks so much for reading this far. Please feel free to be honest — I want to hear all your thoughts, opinions, and advice.

Thanks again.

https://redd.it/1ps5vol
@vfxbackup

Film schools in london

Has anyone ever studied or worked at a film school in london and what was your experience? I got an email as I wanted to start teaching vfx and someone from a film school reached out on weekend, they responded in the evening and asked to meet for a coffee on Monday. Should I trust it if they emailed during the weekend? Id like to get others options. Iv been on vfx for 10 plus years. I did sent emails out to ask if they would be hiring or needing teachers.

https://redd.it/1ps665q
@vfxbackup

Nuke(Foundry) / ComfyUi

Quick heads-up: This is a question about AI/Nuke integration.

(not an expert)

I’m a former compositor currently studying architecture.

ve been experimenting with ComfyUI recently, using rough 3D blocking to quickly generate render variations

Since ComfyUI is essentially a node graph for AI, I cant shake the feeling that this workflow could work exactly the same way inside Nuke.

Is there a way to do this natively yet?

Im wondering if we can use Stable Diffusion/Generative models directly in the Nuke graph, or if we are currently limited to the specific ML tasks offered by tools like CopyCat?

Has anyone successfully bridged these two workflows?

cheers

https://redd.it/1ps9igi
@vfxbackup

Which VFX skills should I learn for narrative indie drama movies?

I edit, color, and mix my own projects in Davinci Resolve, and I’d like to explore the Fusion page for ways it could benefit me.

What are the most common effects used on straightforward modern day dramas and comedies that I could learn to do?

https://redd.it/1ps9b1u
@vfxbackup

Why I don't like 3D Cinema/ HFR

So first of all Avatar 3 looks amazing as usually. Congrats to everybody who worked on the movie.

However unfortunately I can't help but think it would look so much better just seeing it in 2D and the standard 24fps.

The 3D was maybe cool to see in the first one but then it felt just gimmicky.

Also few more negative aspects about 3D and HFR:

- It darkens the image and makes the beautiful renders much more dull

- Combined with the HFR it makes it look like miniature and not the epic character and world that it is.

- the HFR also takes away from the cinematic feel and makes it look like a sports event footage or video game.

- Sometimes it gets blurry and frame ghosting and you miss out on so much information of the footage.

If you have the chance to see it in 2D do it.

Unfortunately I think Jimmy Cameron is really fan of 3D & HFR and if there's another Avatar movie it will be done like that again.

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

How can I make these "drawn" effects as shown in this NPR video?

I really like the "drawn" effects done in this NPR video (the effects with yellow lines) and I was wondering how to do these effects (if they're hand drawn or have some technique to do them). I use DaVinci Resolve as my editor but if you have another editor you recommend using I could get it some other way

https://redd.it/1pshs69
@vfxbackup

AE generalist Hourly rate?

Been in after effects for 20 something years. Never felt the need to move to any other software like nuke. Worked on a handful of mid tier movies. Been working on more streaming shows the last few years. Getting ready to start a new season of a pretty big show. With all the inflation post pandemic my rate is looking a little thin these days. What would you say is a good avg weight for someone with my experience doing these kinds of projects? (I charge $100hr for my commercial clients but less for long term film/tv work)

https://redd.it/1psg63h
@vfxbackup

Grading VFX

Hey, I’m kinda new to VFX, I use blender, just wondering, how do you guys colour grade, because usually I grade my footage, then do my blender stuff and render and finally composite that into the graded footage in after effects. Should I be doing this or should I make the blender stuff match the log footage and grade all together at the end, and does anyone have any tips for consistent grading/ compositing

https://redd.it/1ps76mq
@vfxbackup

How can delighting be integrated into a workflow where you still want the benefits of compositing and keeping your plate?

Okay the noscript is a bit vague so let me explain to the best of my abilities what I mean.

I was looking at the compify plugin for blender and what it does

so technically for a vfx shot with emissive elements if you projected your footage onto geometry of the scene you modeled and used compify to create a delit texture that can receive proper emissions from your vfx elements

how would you render such a scene out so that you still can use your plate and add the vfx elements on top in compositing while also having the lighting from your elements being cast correctly onto your plate?

I know that if you take the direct render pass and divide it by the albedo you get just the lighting that you can adjust in comp which you can multiply back into the direct pass to have lighting that can be adjusted in comp

but here what would be the process to render out only the vfx elements but also have the light that is being projected onto your scene geometry that you created and projected the delit texture onto?

I use mostly blender and houdini karma xpu but a blender explanation would be easier for me to start with and I could translate that into houdini myself

If you need to ask clarifying questions please let me know and I'll edit my post accordingly

Thank you

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

Escape studios as an undergrad?

BA (Hons)/MArt The Art of Video Games

BSc (Hons)/MSci Character Creation for Animation, Games & VFX

I am very interested in applying to Escape for character creation for animation games and vfx. They seem to also have a pretty strong reputation. However, the BSc is throwing me off as it's not a BA. They mention noscripting as one of the course modules and I would love to hear insight into this, I am not interested at all in the coding and technical side of it and heavily lean on the artistic side. Any insight on the courses would be great. Thank gou

https://redd.it/1pszq0y
@vfxbackup

How Did They Do this?

I would love some opinions on this coffee bean sequence starting at 2:30

https://youtu.be/3k20zFlbFfE?si=JvxqI6dtlSTgv0Q7


Everyone in the comments are crying about this channel using AI (everything is AI now, of course). But, as a photographer, all I see are well established stop motion photographic techniques with some kind of 3D animation work for splitting the beans; though I don't know, can't be sure.

In the desciption of the video they credit "Animation, visual effects, and graphics: Tsuriel Eichenstein, David Szakaly, Gioele Panella, Elliot Lobbel, and Limboo Agency. "


I looked them all up and Tsuriel Eichenstein and David Szakaly do some Cinema 4D, Unreal and Blender work so I'm going to assume they could be responsible for this, but the Limboo Agency offer AI production services along with everything else they do, but still this coffee bean sequence doesn't look AI to me at all.

Would love to know what you all think here. thanks.

https://redd.it/1pt3ksl
@vfxbackup

In the Avatar movies, how much of the facial motion capture data is actually used?

I saw a video a while back about Weta’s pipeline for the Planet of the Apes movies from one of the supervisors. It turns out that because of anatomical differences between a human face and an ape face, the facial motion capture data looks far too human on the facial rig. Because of this, the animators started from scratch, hand-animating using the facial motion capture footage as reference. Is it the same for the latest Avatar movies?

https://redd.it/1pt52q7
@vfxbackup

Rodeo did AI xmas video
https://youtu.be/_9DT8lzzRQc?si=pyPiK1zsZz9tqqqM

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

Info on Mercor jobs? Raising yellow flags.

I got laid off about a month ago and in my job search I see this company called Mercor show up a lot and from what I can understand they find people for other companies but they don't exactly sound like strictly a recruiting service.

Even though my job isn't as a VFX artist (i'm a 3d artist/animator) I've been applying to anywhere and everywhere anyways. One of those places I applied to a couple weeks ago was for a VFX Artist position through Mercor. It was a weird application process that involved a 20 minute Ai interview and the denoscription of VFX artist for them sounded more like a 3D generalist.

Well a couple days ago I get a LinkedIn message from someone that works at a place called Crossing Hurdles (a "referral partner" to Mercor) that refers candidates to Mercor. They're saying its a contract for several weeks. The role is a VFX Artist applying effects to short form videos. It says training will be provided but I have to provide my own tools. Either way being strictly a VFX artist is a little outside my base of knowledge/experience.

This whole thing seems weird. Does anyone know anything about Mercor or have experience working with them? It sounds like a less than ideal job, but I'm not exactly in the best place to be turning down work either.

https://redd.it/1ptcnm0
@vfxbackup