VFX PIPELINE

https://www.cgspectrum.edu.au/blog/the-visual-effects-pipeline/
WHAT IS THE VISUAL EFFECTS
PIPELINE?

The VFX pipeline refers to the various stages of production

required to add visual effects to a film.  The pipeline helps to
organize each department, so that every artist knows their role,
and a production can move along within the allocated timeline.
FILM PROJECT IS GENERALLY DIVIDED
INTO 3 STAGES

Pre-production: The idea for a film is developed, scripts are

written (and re-written!), budgets and timelines are determined,
financing is secured, actors and locations are sourced.
Production: The filming takes place on set (can be on location,
or in a studio with sets and/or green screens).
Post-production: Visual effects are applied to the footage,
sound, editing and color grading take place, and the film is
ready for distribution.
STORY
The story is the foundation of every great film. The story phase
happens in pre-production and it involves planning out
characters, the plot, and the world they exist in. Screenwriters
and producers take ideas from brainstorming sessions, turning
them into a complete script. If a book is being made into a film,
a screenwriter may be hired to adapt the story so that it
translates well on screen. Some examples of this include Lord
of the Rings and Harry Potter.
STORYBOARDING AND ANIMATICS
 During the Storyboarding & Animatics phase, an artist or team of
artists create visual representations of the actions within the script.
They analyze the character motion and settings within the story and use
basic drawings to define framing from shot to shot. The results are
subject to change down the line, but these visuals give the production
team a chance to start preparing.
PRE-VIS
Growing more popular, pre-vis takes storyboarding a step
further. 3D artists create low poly models and representations of
the locations where scenes play out. They work with the
production team to set up camera angles and block out complex
scenes ahead of time. This planning saves time and money on
set. Since the artists don’t have to worry about matching
concept art, but just blocking out shapes and composition, this
can be done rather quickly with good direction.
CONCEPT ART AND DESIGN
 Concept art & design is arguably one of the most important phases
of pre-production. Here, an artist or team of artists create the look and
feel of a film by drawing fully fleshed out images that further define
settings, characters, props, costumes, lighting, color and more. The
mood and meaning of a film is often defined by what is created during
the concept art phase.
 LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION DESIGN
Layout, also referred to as production design, has a different meaning
for different teams. The end goal is to have a visual representation of
what the final sets will look like. This helps physical set builders figure
out and communicate to directors and producers what is physically
possible and what may need a digital set build. For the VFX team, it
defines how digital set builds might have to be incorporated. The
layout team and production designers may use drawings, photos, and
3D renderings to finalize the sets.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (OR, R&D)
As filmmaking gets more complex, R&D becomes increasingly
more important. During this stage, VFX supervisors work with
directors to figure out how certain shots can be accomplished.
In the meantime, the VFX artists, technical directors, modelers,
animators, and compositors do their own research. For example,
if a film needs explosions that come from a very specific type
of source, like a missile, the VFX artists and technical directors
study videos and photos to see how the fire and smoke behaves.
They then create tools within a program to efficiently work on
the final shots when the time comes.
3D MODELING & TEXTURING
 The 3D modeling and texturing teams are essential to creating
things that aren’t practical or cost-effective to have on set. shot on
set.
RIGGING AND ANIMATING
FX & SIMULATION
 LIGHTING AND RENDERING
 Once the animation and effects teams are done working their magic, the 3D
elements need to have proper lighting to exist within their respective scenes.
A lighting artist, or multiple lighting artists, strategically place lights
throughout the 3D scene to ensure light color, intensity, and shadows match
up with the originally shot piece. Each sequence of frames is then rendered
out from the needed camera angles and handed off to the compositor.
 COMPOSITING
This is the final step of the visual effects pipeline. A compositor
takes all the elements of the film and layers them on top of each
other. They use elements like color correction, masking and other
tricks to create the illusion that all elements naturally belong
together. They may be putting an animated character into a live
action scene, overlaying destruction onto a building, or even layering
a simulated tsunami over a shot of a city street. The possibilities of
what a compositor may be working on are endless, and they are often
using the complex tools within The Foundry’s Nuke to complete
their work.
 BREAKING DOWN THE VFX PIPELINE
INTO STEPS

Pre-production Production Post-production

• Research and • 3D Modeling  • Rigging and Animating
Development • Matte Painting • FX and Simulation
• Storyboarding and • Principal and • Texturing
Animatics Reference Photography • Lighting
• Pre-Visualization and Rendering
• Compositing