The VFX creative director is a position common in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

s, and

computer game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback ...

s using a large amount of

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

(VFX). For films which are fully or partly computer generated, a VFX creative director works closely with the director. On smaller VFX-intensive productions such as

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

s or some

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

s, a VFX creative director may also assume the responsibilities of the director. They are charged with making creative and aesthetic choices for visual effects. Although the role is generally more creative in nature, most VFX creative directors have a technical background and may exert a strong practical hand in production.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of a VFX creative director are very much like those of an

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

, or

chief creative officer A chief creative officer (CCO) is the highest ranking position of the creative team within a company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, and branding associated wit ...

, though with a particular focus on the computer-generated imagery of their projects. They are primarily responsible for directing and supervising the creative and technical execution of visual effects sequences, from concept to completion, including: *

Set extension Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image (e.g. actors on a set) with a background image (e.g. a scen ...

s and matte painting * Bluescreening *

Digital animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation refe ...

* Digital effects *

Compositing Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live action, Live-action shooting for compositing is ...

The VFX creative director may delegate responsibilities to

visual effects supervisor In the context of film and television production, a visual effects supervisor is responsible for achieving the creative aims of the director or producers through the use of visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process ...

s, visual effects editors, film compositors, rotoscope artists,

matte painters Matte may refer to: Art * paint with a non-glossy finish. See diffuse reflection. * a framing element surrounding a painting or watercolor within the outer frame Film * Matte (filmmaking), filmmaking and video production technology * Matte pai ...

, and 3D animators. VFX creative directors may therefore have input on various aspects of production, including: * Story development and

storyboarding A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in t ...

* Blocking, staging, locations * Advising the director on actor movement *

Cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

Costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

makeup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

, and

props A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

, particularly when there are

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wo ...

considerations

Educational requirements

As with much of the film industry, merit is awarded on the quality of work produced and not on academic qualifications. Bachelor's or master's degrees in film and television, digital media, design, or animation may be beneficial. There are a suite of skills and conditions that predispose an individual to successful operation as a VFX creative director: * Experience from at least 5–10 years in the industry * An understanding of the production process from concept to completion * A deep familiarity with post-production pipelines, techniques, and software * A strong balance of both creative and practical / technical skills * Excellent communication and people-management skills * Ability to guide and lead a team to extract their best work according to a predefined vision * A strong grasp of all aspects of film theory

References

Entertainment occupations Filmmaking occupations Mass media occupations Visual effects {{filmmaking-stub

Responsibilities

Educational requirements

See also

References