Visual effects (VFX) have the power to transport audiences to fantastical worlds and unveil realistic CGI spectacles beyond imagination. But before these captivating worlds materialize on screen, a well-thought structured VFX pipeline is created to bring these visions to life.
This write-up narrates the intricate 12-step process of the VFX pipeline, offering insights and valuable tips to kickstart a career in this dynamic field. Whether you are new to the industry or seeking a deeper understanding, this write-up serves as a compass through the complex workings of the VFX pipeline, illuminating its significance in the creation of awe-inspiring cinematic experiences.
Understanding the VFX Pipeline
The visual effects pipeline serves as the backbone of post-production in film and television, highlighting the stages where VFX and CGI integration become essential. it is a creatively structured framework that orchestrates each department’s role, ensuring a seamless progression within the allocated timeline of production.
For aspiring VFX artists, comprehending every phase of this pipeline is crucial, irrespective of their specific role within it. Fostering familiarity with each department’s contribution is paramount; overlooking any step may cause setbacks, leading to costly revisions.
Most Importantly: Understanding the three primary phases—pre-production, production, and post-production—provides a foundational grasp of how visual effects interweave with the entire filmmaking process.
Exploring the VFX Workflow
Are you curious about the step-by-step structure of the VFX pipeline? Here it is Pre-production, production, and post-production.
1. Before Production Begins
Success in the VFX workflow depends on its composite elements. By segmenting workflows into manageable parts, timely and budgeted task completion.
The integral role of visual effects in set construction, makeup, costumes, and lighting should be realized in the Pre-Production. Hence, the groundwork for effect creation begins during pre-production, well ahead of the first shot.
Exploring Research & Development (R&D)
During the Research and Development phase, extensive discussions about preferred software and techniques for the movie. Ideas and concepts are pitched, preliminary teams are formed, and initial visuals are crafted. If the film necessitates substantial VFX elements, a diverse community of professionals—from artists to programmers, storywriters, even scientists and mathematicians—are consulted to determine the ideal special effects programs.
This might involve widely used software like Houdini, known for its node-based procedural approach, or the creation of custom tools tailored to the production’s unique requirements. For instance, Buf employed 2D photographic references to construct photorealistic CGI sequences in David Fincher’s Fight Club, utilizing an in-house developed workflow and software.
Crafting Storyboards and Animatics
In the beginning, artists create pictures showing what happens in the movie. They look at how characters move and the story to plan how each scene will look.
Animation storyboarding is when artists draw what happens in the script. They check how characters move and where the story happens, making basic pictures for each scene. it is a starting point that can change as they work on the movie.
However, like many planning elements, storyboarding isn’t set in stone. It serves more as an initial marker, offering the VFX artists a clear idea of the editorial team’s vision while allowing room for adjustments and enhancements along the production journey.
Pre-Visualizing the Project
The pre-visualization stage changes storyboards or scripts into simple 3D models for making the movie scenes. It helps the director see how the scenes might look when filmed. They also use digital backgrounds as a guide while shooting. This stage plans where the cameras will go in tricky scenes, where to film, and how the scenes will look. It helps save time, money, and effort while on set.
Pre-visualization, also called previz, uses storyboards to create basic 3D models and outlines of scenes to stand in for the upcoming visual effects. It happens with the creative team to decide on camera angles, and shoot locations, and plan complicated scenes.
Other VFX steps in the pre-production stage might involve concept and art design, refining artistic ideas, and making detailed images of characters, places, and objects.
Layout, also known as production design, tells how the final sets should look. It guides creators in making physical or digital sets.
2. During Production
During production, filming unfolds either on set, at various locations, or within a studio environment, implementing prop sets, 3D texturing, 3D modeling, motion capture technology, green screens, and 3D lightning.
Creating 3D Models
3D modeling, a demanding part of CG effects, turns drawings into digital objects. it is used to create things that are too complex or expensive to build for real sets. Using various digital tools and techniques, artists make props, environments, buildings, weapons—anything needed for the director’s vision. This process happens across all three production stages.
A great example of 3D modeling in action is Andy Serkis’s motion-capture roles like Gollum in LOTR, Caesar in Planet of the Apes, and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars. These characters were made using a motion-capture suit. 3D modelers create the character the actor plays. Then, they use VFX software like Autodesk Maya and Pixologic Z-Brush to rig and animate the digital character. For ultra-realistic results, modelers use tons of reference photos and 3D scans. Characters, especially non-humans or digital doubles, are also made using 3D models.
Mastering Matte Painting
Most things in movies, like props and buildings, are made using 3D models. But the backgrounds are made differently, using something called Matte painting. Matte painting has been around for a long time in movies. It started with photos and paintings on glass, and now it is done digitally. Matte paintings create realistic landscapes that look like they’re part of the movie’s world.
In the past, flat pictures were used for movie backgrounds. But now, with technology whole 3D backgrounds can be created digitally. Special cameras are used to make these backgrounds move. Matte paintings are also useful as references for digital art.
Utilizing Reference Photography
During the whole production, VFX team folks stay on set taking pictures of actors, scenes, and stuff. They use these photos to make 3D models move and look real. These photography shots are used as references to create scenes later in the film.
3. After Production Wraps
In post-production, visual effects merge with live-action footage, alongside sound design, editing, and color grading, culminating in a finished film primed for distribution.
Setting Up Rigging and Animation
Rigging is like putting bones in a 3D model to make it move realistically. The riggers create joints that show how things should move in different places.
After that, animators work with the riggers to test and improve how the rig works. They use special tools to figure out how the model’s parts should move. Motion capture cameras help gather data for the animators to make the final animation look real.
Engaging FX and Simulation
FX artists make things in movies that follow the rules of physics. For example, they create scenes like big battles at sea or in space with cool explosions (even if real explosions can’t happen in space). They focus on stuff like fire, smoke, liquids, and tiny bits.
Animators make sure these things fit in the scene and seem real without looking weird. The FX team’s job is to put computer-made stuff into a movie. They make sure these things look real and fit naturally with everything else in the film. They work with animators to make explosions, destruction, fire, and other effects look like they belong in the scenes. They also make scenes look better by adding extra touches.
Perfecting Motion Tracking/Match Moving
Match-moving or motion tracking is a way to add computer graphics to real videos. It helps put these graphics in the right place, size, and movement, matching them to the things in the video. Whenever you want to mix computer-made images with real videos, you need match-moving.
Applying Texturing Techniques
This step adds colors and textures to 3D models, making them look real and almost finished. it is like adding scales to a crocodile’s skin or reflections on car doors—things that make them look like the real deal. All these tiny details on people and stuff help make things in movies look super realistic.
Refining Rotoscoping and Masking
Rotoscoping means artists draw and cut out objects or characters from original footage to use them in another setting. For advertisements etc.
Before computers, rotoscoping was a tedious, hands-on task in VFX. Today, VFX artists still do rotoscoping by hand, but now there are tools like Runway that use machines to speed it up a lot.
If you use chroma keying, you don’t need to do all the cutting and drawing. it is when you film someone in front of a plain background, usually green, and then you can easily remove that background. But sometimes, you still need rotoscoping to get a perfect cutout.
Shaping Lighting and Rendering
After refining, colors and textures are added to 3D models to make them look real. Good lighting is key for a realistic scene, while bad lighting can ruin the final look. The scene gets proper lighting, colors, and shadows, and then frames are rendered from different angles. Finally, the compositor brings all the VFX elements together.
Bringing It All Together in Compositing
In the final post-production step, called compositing, all movie elements are layered together. This includes fixing colors, using masks, and adding computer effects to scenes. The goal is to blend real and computer-made elements seamlessly for a natural look.
Here are some tips for top-notch visuals:
- 1. Stay in touch with different creative teams, not just VFX artists but also editors, colorists, the production crew, and the director. Communication is key.
- 2. Before starting a big project, make sure you know all about the VFX tools and processes you’ll be using. Being familiar with everything helps.
- 3. When working in virtual production, what looks good on a computer screen might not look as good on a big LED wall. Try out Unreal Engine’s In-Camera VFX Production Test for better settings.
- 4. Instead of using real things like fire or tire tracks, use VFX to save money. it is cheaper than making or redoing things in real life.
- 5. If you are working from home on VFX for Netflix, they suggest using certain computer setups and good internet connections to work smoothly.
- 6. Always name your files properly. It keeps things organized and helps everyone understand what they are.
Final Steps: Wrapping Up
The VFX pipeline serves as a structured roadmap for visual effects in various media projects, maintaining organization and clarifying roles from storyboarding to the final touches in modeling, composition, and lighting. Yet, VFX workflows are intricate and continuously evolving with technology.
Staying updated with innovations is crucial, balancing technical demands with creative tasks while fostering effective communication and understanding of each team member’s role and time requirements. it is the synergy between innovation, technical prowess, and teamwork that ensures exceptional results in the dynamic world of VFX.
