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

Interested in 3D DMP and Nuke camera projection courses

Hey I’m wanting to learn more about all types of camera projection in Nuke, specifically patch projections confuse me. I’m wanting to get better at 3D matte painting and compositing my 3D renders. More than happy to buy paid courses. Would really appreciate any suggestions!

https://redd.it/1ptgb5c
@vfxbackup

STAR WARS The Ghost of Korriban Fan Film Trailer
https://youtu.be/-8nA72btRp8?si=_-vFe5h8dNm42hbp

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

Career Change Advise where my experience as a VFX / 3D Artist wasn't for nothing

I studied VFX and Animation, did an internship as a 3D Artist and have troubles getting into the job market after finishing university.
I hear a lot from other artists to migrate into another industry since the job market is very bad at this point. I would even consider to study again, but what? I would like to study which is "future proof" but also where my first degree isn't for nothing. I was thinking pivoting into engineering but then my current bachelor was "wasted"..

Is there some other career / studies where my current degree and knowledge is of advantage?

https://redd.it/1ptor4u
@vfxbackup

Placing person into scene in blender

So lets say i have a tracked camera, and the footage of the person pre rotoscoped out, how can i place that footage into the blender scene in a way that it will interact with the scene, reflections etc, while staying synced with the camera track? Any videos on this are appreciated, or explainations.

https://redd.it/1pu2bgw
@vfxbackup

[Game] Ambitious AA Souls-like Project Looking for a Stylized / Handpainted VFX Artist

Hi everyone and nice to meet you 👋

We’re **Nocturnia Studios**, a small indie team currently working on an **ambitious Double-A Souls-like game** developed in **Unreal Engine**.

The project has been in development for a while, and our current goal is to **complete a playable demo / vertical slice within the next 4 to 6 months**. This demo will be used to move forward with publishers and secure full production funding. We already have **publisher interest**, and this milestone is key to taking the project to the next stage.

That’s where we’re looking for help.

# What we’re looking for

We’re currently looking for a **Stylized / Handpainted VFX Artist** to help bring combat, abilities, and environments to life with strong, readable, and expressive effects.

The visual direction for VFX is inspired by **stylized / handpainted approaches similar to Wayfinder**:
👉 **VFX style reference:** [*www.artstation.com/artwork/RyQKLW*](http://www.artstation.com/artwork/RyQKLW)

VFX play a huge role in the feel and readability of a Souls-like game, so this role will have a **direct and visible impact** on the overall experience.

# About the collaboration

* This is currently a **collaboration / unpaid role** while we work toward the demo.
* Once funding is secured, the position is intended to become a **full-time paid role**.
* You’ll be working closely with the art, design, and animation teams, with clear direction and goals.
* All work can be uploaded to your CV until Publishers funding

To give a better idea of the type of game and experience we’re aiming to create, here’s a short video showcasing the **tone, combat feel, and overall direction** of the project:
👉 [**https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mund-tJxcTctnVZHvouwHbJhO5ueS9PC/view?usp=sharing**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mund-tJxcTctnVZHvouwHbJhO5ueS9PC/view?usp=sharing)
This video is meant as a visual reference to better communicate the atmosphere, pacing, and gameplay goals we’re working toward.

# Project info

* Nane: Zenith
* Genre: **AA Souls-like**
* Engine: **Unreal Engine**
* Focus: Strong atmosphere, stylized visuals, impactful combat
* Status: Demo / Vertical Slice planned in **4–6 months**

👉 **Steam page:** [*https://store.steampowered.com/app/3383600/Zenith/*](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3383600/Zenith/)

https://redd.it/1pu1kud
@vfxbackup

Question for Coordinators

Hello VFX Friends,

I have a question for my fellow coords. I have one year of vendor side experience before that tragically came to an end due to the strikes. I took a little hiatus but I’m hoping to make a come back into the VFX world. I know the industry is still in shambles, such is life.

Anyway here’s the thing, I’m interested in potentially moving to client side, and my question is, would anyone so kindly be willing to chat with me about the difference between working vendor side vs client side? I’m just looking to gain some insight and clear up some things I’m confused about.

Thank you!

https://redd.it/1pu8olk
@vfxbackup

Mac Studio M5 ULTRA BENCHMARK LEAKS! Unreal Scores SHOCK Everyone 🔥 (2026 Rumor)
https://youtu.be/txG3zplGmBA?si=UwwVmK6tbwSw8Yad

https://redd.it/1pu8hne
@vfxbackup

why is the VFX industry in a bad spot atm?



https://redd.it/1puex5o
@vfxbackup

What is the day-to-day life of a project coordinator (not a production coordinator) at DNEG Animation ?

What is the day-to-day life of a project coordinator (not a production coordinator) at DNEG Animation?

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

Junior/Mid VFX artist salaries - Malaysia

Hi everyone,

I’m a VFX artist based in Malaysia, currently considering offers and trying to get a sense of the market. I have at least 2 years of experience in the industry, and I've been a freelancer since 2020 for TV shows. I consider myself a junior or somewhere mid-tier. Does anyone know the price range for the role? Does it make sense to be offered 41k-45k a year in MYR? Happy to discuss.

I’m curious:

1. What is a typical salary range for junior/mid VFX artists in Malaysia?
2. How flexible is salary negotiation at this stage?

Any insight would be super appreciated, especially from people who have worked in Malaysia’s VFX industry recently.

https://redd.it/1puf007
@vfxbackup

Where do I go to have a custom screensaver made?

Where do I go to have a custom screensaver made?

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

[Collab] I need help with one "Missing Reflection" climax shot (10-15 secs)

https://redd.it/1pujgg4
@vfxbackup