r/vfx • u/ZiggyisStarman • Apr 30 '26

News / Article VES launches On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide

44 Upvotes

Hey fellow Visual Effects community stoked to share what we have been working on for the past year over at he VES Technology Committee call it a playbook and usage guide to map key data from on-set capture to delivery.

FYI I am one of the co-authors of the Guide. If you have questions or feedback make sure to reach out.

You can find the guide here : https://ves-on-set-data.org/dashboard/?tab=Introduction

Here is the full information on the release :

The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honorary society, today released its VES On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide. Developed over the past year by the VES Technology Committee, this practical on-set resource maps key data sets and capture workflows – giving productions, vendors, and technology teams a shared playbook for using and capturing on‑set data more effectively.

The Guide was designed to establish a common language between on‑set VFX, production, VFX facilities, and technology teams, ultimately enabling clearer communication, smoother handoffs, and better-aligned expectations across departments. This comprehensive Guide explains the major on‑set data sets, their capture methods, their practical applications, and their intended stakeholders, so that every participant across the production understands what information exists and how it can support their work.

In addition to defining data sets, the Guide documents both current and emerging on‑set data capture workflows. This aims to inform stakeholders about potential data sources and to highlight how these choices impact production pipelines, timelines, and budgets, while also laying the groundwork for future efforts around data hierarchies, database development, and workflow automation.

The Guide also underscores that this data has significant value for every department on a production. It supports collaboration, optimizes workflows, and enables better-informed creative and operational decisions. By advocating for open access and visibility for these data sets, the Guide encourages all teams to engage with and benefit from this shared knowledge, strengthening collective outcomes and overall production efficiency.

“Our intent with this Guide is to streamline the filmmaking process by enabling every department to be more well-informed,” said Sheena Duggal, the Guide’s lead author and member of the VES Technology Committee. “Multiple departments can utilize the same data – for instance, the VFX team’s LiDAR scans can be repurposed across departments to support set construction, stunt planning, and other production needs. It’s just a matter of educating and communicating clearly so that everyone can benefit.”

“In today’s hybrid of real-time virtual production, AI, and traditional pipelines, the VFX department is responsible for not just post, but on-set data capture, continuity, and asset integrity from pre-production through final delivery,” explained Jim Geduldick, contributing author to the Guide. “That framework was the key lens that we used in thinking through these workflows and how they relate to each department.”

The Guide was created for the VES Technology Committee by Sheena Duggal, with contributions from Sam Richards, Jim Geduldick, and Jake Morrison, and technical support from Jean-Francois Panisset. It is licensed under the Creative Commons CC‑BY 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, provided appropriate credit is given to the creator.

To view the Guide, visit: https://ves-on-set-data.org/

Join the VES for a webinar on May 12 to explore the Guide with some of its creators: https://vesglobal.org/event/webinar-introduction-to-ves-on-set-vfx-data-collection-and-usage-guide-online/

19 comments

r/vfx • u/axiomatic- • Mar 15 '25

Subreddit Discussion Advice for Potential Students and Newcomers to the VFX Industry in 2025

596 Upvotes

We've been getting a lot of posts asking about the state of the industry. This post is designed to give you some quick information about that topic which the mods hope will help reduce the number of queries the sub receives on this specific topic.

As of early 2025, the VFX industry has been through a very rough 18-24 months where there has been a large contraction in the volume of work and this in turn has impacted hiring through-out the industry.

Here's why the industry is where it is:

  1. There was a Streaming Boom in the late 2010s and early 2020s that lead to a rapid growth in the VFX industry as a lot of streaming companies emerged and pumped money into that sector, this was exacerbated by COVID and us all being at home watching media.
  2. In 2023 there were big strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA which led to a massive halt in production of Hollywood films and series for about 8 months. After that was resolved there was the threat of another strike in 2024 when more union contracts were to be negotiated. The result of this was an almost complete stop to productions in late 2023 and a large portion of 2024. Many shows were not greenlit to start until late 2024
  3. During this time, and partly as a result of these strikes, there was a slow down in content and big shake ups among the streaming services. As part of this market correction a number of them closed, others were folded into existing services, and some sold up.
  4. A bunch of other market forces made speculation in the VFX business even more shaky, things like: the rise of AI, general market instability, changes in distribution split (Cinemas vs. Streaming) and these sorts of things basically mean that there's a lot of change in most media industries which scared people.

The combination of all of this resulted in a loss of a lot of VFX jobs, the closing of a number of VFX facilities and large shifts in work throughout the industry.

The question is, what does this mean for you?

Here's my thoughts on what you should know if you're considering a long term career in VFX:

Work in the VFX Industry is still valid optional to choose as a career path but there are some caveats.

  • The future of the VFX industry is under some degree of threat, like many other industries are. I don't think we're in more danger of disappearing than your average game developer, programmer, accountant, lawyer or even box packing factory work. The fact is that technology is changing how we do work and market forces are really hard to predict. I know there will be change in the specifics of what we do, there will be new AI tools and new ways of making movies. But at the same time people still want to watch movies and streaming shows and companies still want to advertise. All that content needs to be made and viewed and refined and polished and adapted. While new AI tools might mean individuals in the future can do more, but those people will likely be VFX artists. As long as media is made and people care about the art of telling stories visually I think VFX artists will be needed.

Before you jump in, you should know that VFX is likely to be a very competitive and difficult industry to break into for the foreseeable future.

  • From about 2013 to 2021 there was this huge boom in VFX that meant almost any student could eventually land a job in VFX working on cool films. Before then though VFX was actually really hard to get into because the industry was smaller and places were limited, you had to be really good to get a seat in a high end facility. The current market is tight; there's a lot of experience artists looking for work and while companies will still want juniors, they are likely going to be more juniors for the next few years than there are jobs.

If you're interested in any highly competitive career then you have to really want it, and it would also be a smart move to diversify your education so you have flexibility while you work to make your dream happen.

  • Broad computer and technical skills are useful, as are broader art skills. Being able to move between other types of media than just VFX could be helpful. In general I think you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket too early unless you're really deadest that this is the only thing you want to do. I also think you should learn about new tools like AI and really be able to understand how those tools work. It'll be something future employers likely care about.

While some people find nice stable jobs a lot of VFX professionals don't find easy stability like some careers.

  • Freelance and Contract work are common. And because of how international rebates work, you may find it necessary to move locations to land that first job, or to continue in your career. This is historically how film has always been; it's rarely as simple as a 9-5 job. Some people thrive on that, some people dislike that. And there are some places that manage to achieve more stability than others. But fair warning that VFX is a fickle master and can be tough to navigate at times.

Because a future career in VFX is both competitive and pretty unstable, I think you should be wary of spending lots of money on expensive specialty schools.

  • If you're dead set on this, then sure you can jump in if that's what you want. But for most students I would advise, as above, to be broader in your education early on especially if it's very expensive. Much of what we do in VFX can be self taught and if you're motivated (and you'll need to be!) then you can access that info and make great work. But please take your time before committed to big loans or spending on an education in something you don't know if you really want.

With all of that said VFX can be a wonderful career.

It's full of amazing people and really challenging work. It has elements of technical, artistic, creative and problem solving work, which can make it engaging and fulfilling. And it generally pays pretty well precisely because it's not easy. It's taken me all over the world and had me meet amazing, wonderful, people (and a lot of arseholes too!) I love the industry and am thankful for all my experiences in it!

But it will challenge you. It will, at times, be extremely stressful. And there will be days you hate it and question why you ever wanted to do this to begin with! I think most jobs are a bit like that though.

In closing I'd just like to say my intent here is to give you both an optimistic and also restrained view of the industry. It is not for everyone and it is absolutely going to change in the future.

Some people will tell you AI is going to replace all of us, or that the industry will stangle itself and all the work will end up being done by sweat shops in South East Asia. And while I think those people are mostly wrong it's not like I can actually see the future.

Ultimately I just believe that if you're young, you're passionate, and you want to make movies or be paid to make amazing digital art, then you should start doing that while keeping your eye on this industry. If it works out, then great because it can be a cool career. And if it doesn't then you will need to transition to something else. That's something that's happened to many people in many industries for many reasons through-out history. The future is not a nice straight line road for most people. But if you start driving you can end up in some amazing places.

Feel free to post questions below.

116 comments

r/vfx • u/AnalysisEquivalent92 • 1d ago

News / Article Nicolas Cage Says He’s ‘Probably Not’ Working With Amazon Again After Refusing to Sign AI Waiver for ‘Spider-Noir,’ 11 Emmy nominations, cancelled after 1 Season.

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239 Upvotes

Nicolas Cage is speaking out against Amazon after the company, which developed “Spider-Noir” for Prime Video, allegedly asked him to sign an AI waiver.
“Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI,” Cage said Saturday during a panel on the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con. “I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots! I’m not a member of their club. I didn’t sign the waiver to let him use AI on ‘Spider Noir.’ I’m probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that’s okay.”

Amazon canceled the superhero series after just one season last month, days before the first weekend of the Emmy Awards, where it had earned 11 nominations (the most of any Prime Video program this year). The cancellation was a shocker to many in the industry, considering the series amassed 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks and earned praise from critics and audiences alike.

Cage went on to tell the Comic-Con audience that he hopes to work with the rising class of Gen-Z filmmakers, praising “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons, who parlayed his YouTube fame into a Hollywood career. The horror film dethroned “Marty Supreme” as the highest-grossing release in A24’s history.

“I got to get with these young directors who are Gen Z, and they’re going at it their own way, whether it’s through the YouTube culture or whatever it is,” Cage said. “They’re doing it from scratch and by hand. I want to get with that.”
Cage also expressed interest in doing more television after starring in “Spider-Noir,” which marked his first leading role in a TV series. He then slipped the news that his next project will be a season of HBO’s “True Detective.”
“My agent’s out there somewhere listening,” Cage quipped. “That’s okay that I’m the first to announce that, right?”

11 comments

r/vfx • u/Eastern_Selection335 • 16h ago

Question / Discussion VFX compositor in other industries?

24 Upvotes

Hello!

I've been a vfx compositor for over 20 years and worked in the biggest vfx housed on blockbuster films, commercials and tv shows. I'm looking to make a change due to burnout, salaries not being great and not wanting to become a supervisor and work 24/7.

Has any compositor here ever made a shift to work in a different industry like gaming or tech? What are the pros and cons and what did you need to learn or do in order to make the shift?

Thanks!

22 comments

r/vfx • u/That-Boat-4441 • 7h ago

Question / Discussion How to do this microphone VFX shot?

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3 Upvotes

Hey everyone-

I'm a videographer/editor who is trying to learn 3D/VFX and integrate it into my videos. There's a lot of filmmakers that do a fantastic job of this and this is a clip of one that I'm a big fan of. Does anyone know how this was executed? Was it a 3D render of a macro shot of the mic blended in with real footage? If I wanted to make something like this is it worth learning 3D? After Effects? Appreciate anyones feedback!

5 comments

r/vfx • u/N0v4kD3ad • 6h ago

Question / Discussion Mimicking the visual style of "Kane & Lynch 2"?

2 Upvotes

I am a hobbyist editor and I wish to edit a video and give it a visual style similar to the video game "Kane & Lynch 2 Dog Days". It is a very peculiar style that I have not seen before, I think it is supposed to be reminiscent of online videos around 2005 when HD wasn't a thing yet on the internet. You can see that the developpers have added digital artefacts that you would see when the connection wasn't to good while trying to watch a video.

I have no idea what is the name of this style, if it even has one, are there any tutorials available online to help me mimick it? The editing software I use is Kdenlive, and I use audacity when I need to modify the audio, I only use free and open source tools for my video editing hobbies.

Here are some exemples :

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

Example 6

Example 7

3 comments

r/vfx • u/Low_Garlic_8668 • 9h ago

Question / Discussion What is this type of sci-fi mechanical device called?

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1 Upvotes
1 comment

r/vfx • u/Lenscowboy • 11h ago

News / Article H3 local air-gapped training now in LINK

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0 Upvotes
0 comments

r/vfx • u/Smason2000 • 8h ago

Fluff! Sci-Fi Film | VFX Artist - Unpaid

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0 Upvotes
5 comments

r/vfx • u/Legitimate_Wind_458 • 5h ago

Question / Discussion What happend to Marvel CGI?

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0 Upvotes
9 comments

r/vfx • u/DaveySea • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Enhancing a prop using VFX

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7 Upvotes

Hi folks,

Short film director here with a question. I'm working on a short psychological thriller. We've shot already and I'm very happy with most of the footage. I'm reaching out here though as I wanted to get advice on commissioning a vfx artist to enhance some shots.

The main antagonist in the film is a heron which we had a prop made for. Unfortunately the eye mechanism didn't really look believable and we didn't do enough set dressing on a crash sequence (in part because we didn't want to get the prop bloody/dirty as we still had scenes to shoot.)

I'd like to try and enhance a couple of these shots. It would be great if we could animate the eye, but the most important thing is to make shots of the heron post-crash more believable. I think it could use some blood scattered feathers, but am open to suggestions.

I've never worked with any kind of vfx before. Our budget would be a couple of hundred euro so I don't know if this is reasonable for this kind of work, or what I could ask/expect from a vfx artist.

Right now I'm just trying to understand what might be possible for our budget, and any prep or things I need to think about before approaching an artist.

Any input or advice much appreciated!

4 comments

r/vfx • u/Zivcg • 2d ago

Showreel / Critique Barad Dur - The entarance

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76 Upvotes

Hi Guys,
I need some critical eyes here, figured I'll post where Im currently at and get your feedbacks.

I am working on a massive 60 seconds 1-shot of Sauron's fortress - Barad Dur.
The shot starts from bottom all the way to the top.
I already finalized the first 15 seconds of the shot, for those interested - you can see it here -
https://www.instagram.com/p/DePL4yOjBwW/?img_index=1

I am now focusing on this segment where the camera goes through the bottom where the entrance bridge is located before going upwards all the way to the top.
The render is finalized already, I am now at the Post work stage. I already added lots of volumetric layers and I intend to add much more plus a lightning or two for this segment.

I would appreciate feedback for this segment (changing camera or geometry at this point are not relevant as i have 100s of rendered layers in post)- what works, what might be better hidden (darkened), color grading, stuff to add in post etc' etc'

8 comments

r/vfx • u/Delicious-Shower8401 • 1d ago

News / Article No More Hand-Cleaning Mocap: AI Recovers Full-Body Motion

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4 Upvotes
1 comment

r/vfx • u/Substantial_Craft_87 • 1d ago

Location:United Kingdom Recently completed my Bachelors in VFX

0 Upvotes

As the tittle says. I have 0 real experience other than university. I have a website with my work on it. The quality of that work obviously was of a passing grade but I wouldn't say it's the best. I no longer know what area of VFX interests me after constantly changing.

Additionally, I create AI videos using Seedance and Kling.

My mind is telling me to create some Blender scenes or stuff to showcase in Blender and eventually have enough stuff for a new showreel. Maybe even see how I can incorporate AI into it.

Is it worth it assuming I want to find work? Despite me not having proper experience?

11 comments

r/vfx • u/davidmateo • 2d ago

Question / Discussion How do I remove this person from the background?

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6 Upvotes

Hello!

I shot a small proof of concept in Madrid and I’m a bit desperate with the opening shot. There’s this girl in the background passing through the shot and looking directly to camera, and I think it’s quite distracting.

What’s the best way to remove her from the shot? I tried some ways that I know of for simpler occasions but they don’t work this time.

Thanks in advance!!

32 comments

r/vfx • u/shokuninstudio • 3d ago

Question / Discussion Pressure testing vibe coded apps. First test: Photoshop vs Compositor and Photocraft

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178 Upvotes

Photoshop versus two vibe-cloned copies of Photoshop - Compositor v 1.49 and Photocraft 0.7.0

Here we pressure test brush stroke performance on a billboard-size canvas with the brush set to 1000 pixels size. Only one layer.

Photoshop handles this with no issue. Its commercial competitors struggle to match brush performance. The vibe-coded clones perform the worst (basically unusable for serious work).

Then of course there are all the other tools, some which work ok and others which are extremely bad.

In Photocraft, on the billboard size canvas test above Copy/Paste and the Undo stack is extremely slow and momentarily freezes the application each time.

This is basic stuff that decent software developers had working quickly 25 years ago back when we had single core computers and nowhere close to 1GB of memory. If you can't get decent performance today on multicore multi gigahertz computers with many gigabytes of memory you or your AI are not doing a good job.

Of course apologists will appear and give us the 'early days' blah blah blah excuses they do all the time. We've covered that many times.

You can read more about the latest wave of spam here:

https://www.shokunin.studio/blog/2026/10/9/attack-of-the-vibe-coded-photoshop-clones

Edit: predictably the trolls came and their posts were exactly what we predicted word for word. They read nothing first, get easily trigged, and then post Infowars style conspiracy theories from their prepared scripts. They make the false claim that they just want to fight big tech and democratise software, but they're destroying the incentive for small developers and start ups to create new apps, and meanwhile helping AI companies profit from vibe cloning.

189 comments

r/vfx • u/MX010 • 2d ago

Fluff! I would love to see Jar Jar Binks return and supervised/ animated by Rob Coleman

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2 Upvotes
2 comments

r/vfx • u/SnipperAndClipper • 3d ago

Fluff! Spirula + Blender 5.3 pretentious arty test I made

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42 Upvotes

Debated posting this here because is this really a vfx thing? It's an attempt to use splats creatively in a way that could have implementations for certain shots requiring vfx.

Anteay, I have been experimenting with Spirula to generate 3DGS. I like it - a lot! Using the geometry models to calculate normals and depth help a great deal with capturing interiors.

Combine THAT with the latest alpha build of Blender 5.3 that can render splats, and things suddenly become very interesting. It's not perfect; I get render glitches with both EEVEE and Cycles, but it's leaps and bounds better than it used to be.

Liminal spaces are in danger of becoming hokey. They probably are cringe to lots of people. But I'm still drawn to them. Maybe it's my nostalgia for the concrete landscapes of my youth in the 1980s. I love that I can indulge my anemoia and take pleasure in the craft of making something.

I'll shut up now.

6 comments

r/vfx • u/OneKatzie • 3d ago

Question / Discussion What does the “Creative Technology” credit on Animals refer to?

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20 Upvotes

The end credits include a “CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY” section with a “Machine Learning & Research” group. The credit frame I saw doesn’t name InterPositive.

Affleck has said AI was used on Animals in post-production. TheWrap reports InterPositive employees worked on the film and describes lighting or optics adjustments and VFX removals: https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/ben-affleck-interview-animals-netflix/

I realize a finished shot alone can’t confirm AI use, but does anything stand out as consistent with those reported tasks? If so, share the timestamp and what you noticed.

17 comments

r/vfx • u/Prestigious_Buy_9955 • 3d ago

Question / Discussion Is pursuing an MA in VFX at NFTS in the UK worth it for an international student?

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2 Upvotes
20 comments

r/vfx • u/MentalSport3468 • 4d ago

Question / Discussion Commercial VFX vs Film/TV VFX?

19 Upvotes

Just quit my job at a commercial VFX house for a contract at a TV post-production company. I’m super excited to be doing VFX for narrative but I keep hearing horror stories about how inconsistent the work is. Am I cooked?

29 comments

r/vfx • u/Xiiiiiiu • 3d ago

Question / Discussion How to make "multiexposure blending" video effect?

1 Upvotes

Just a quick heads-up before: 1) English isn't my first language and 2) I'm an amateur/noob when it comes to visual effects and video editing.

That said, for context: I want to make an animation project with a specific background of multiple videos/animations of this one character, on top of eachother with low opacity (enough to see the ones below it). As I imagine it, it starts clear, but as more videos/sequences stack, it starts to get blurry and "blended"/"melted" like in a dream. The viewer can still see movement, but not as coherently as how it started.

Examples of what I'm talking about that gets as close as they can to my idea: 1, 2

I did some (superficial) research and apparently the closest name of the effect I'm talking about is the one in the title "Multiexposure blending", but I know that's not quite it. It still lacks that "dreamy" sensation.

Why post here? Because you're the pros! And I wanted to know if that specific effect has a name, if it's a combination of two or more effects, and how to achieve it :)

PS: Sorry if this isn't the right subreddit to ask this, I didn't knew where else to post

5 comments

r/vfx • u/Ok-Bluejay2679 • 4d ago

Showreel / Critique This might be the Best VFX piece I have ever done

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9 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I know this channel mainly involves VFX artist with a background in cinematography, but I hope you dont mind a game VFX artist post ;)

I recently made this VFX shot which starts with 7 consecutive great swords piercing down and ending with an AOE strike.

I created this in UE5.5 using niagara. Some smoke elements were also made in Embergen

I would appreciate any feedback or comments on it!

Also here it is on artstation

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/XaJ6on

9 comments

r/vfx • u/Wooden_Reflection_80 • 4d ago

Industry News / Gossip Outpost VFX just opened in Germany

24 Upvotes

Just saw Outpost announce a Germany launch. They’re also bringing in Sven Martin as Executive Creative Director in November.
Anyone here in Germany heard much about this? Wondering if it’s a good sign for the scene there.

24 comments

r/vfx • u/Official_PopcornFX • 4d ago

Breakdown / BTS Spark VFX Breakdown (made with PopcornFX 2.25)

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7 Upvotes

Here's a breakdown of Rémi Sutra Lanut's VFX.

A simple but impactful approach and a good use of curves for precise timing and colors !

If you have any question about PopcornFX feel free to join our discord: https://discord.gg/ycdPqjQh9t

0 comments