2 answers
Khriz
Student
Canton, Georgia
6
Questions
Updated
735 views
question s of special effects artist
1. how do you exactly do special effects?
2. how much do you get payed a year?
3. what is the best collage for this career?
4. it this job independent or group?
5. what collage degree do you have to get for this career?
2 answers
Abdul Bunni
Senior Visual Designer/Art Director
11
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Abdul’s Answer
Hi Khriz! The answer to the above question is pretty much: "depends"
I'll try to break it down and not be repetitive!
*Each answer is based on my experience in the business*
1. first you have to build out your special effect and for that, you can either do it practically (a physical effect that is actually carried out and shot on a camera like a real explosion or smoke machine....etc) or you can *fake it* using a 3D software such as Autodesk Maya, Cinema 4D, or Blender (the first 2 are industry standards and the latter is a very powerful open-sourced 3D app). once you have your effects you'll need to add them to your footage (compositing) and for that, you'll need software like Adobe After Effects or Nuke for motion/animation/video or you can use Adobe Photoshop or any editing software for that matter if you're doing 2D/stills.
2. Glassdoor.com has some good salary insights that may help with this question since it totally depends on where you are working at and how long you've been doing it/your experience.
3. I know Gnomon School of VFX and Vancouver Film School are top choices for this industry.
4. it can be either and it's always good to be able to work independently and also collaboratively.
5. I didn't go to school for VFX but early in my career I did work as a VFX artist for TV and commercials. I graduated with a BA in Graphic Design and I taught myself 3D and VFX.
I'll try to break it down and not be repetitive!
*Each answer is based on my experience in the business*
1. first you have to build out your special effect and for that, you can either do it practically (a physical effect that is actually carried out and shot on a camera like a real explosion or smoke machine....etc) or you can *fake it* using a 3D software such as Autodesk Maya, Cinema 4D, or Blender (the first 2 are industry standards and the latter is a very powerful open-sourced 3D app). once you have your effects you'll need to add them to your footage (compositing) and for that, you'll need software like Adobe After Effects or Nuke for motion/animation/video or you can use Adobe Photoshop or any editing software for that matter if you're doing 2D/stills.
2. Glassdoor.com has some good salary insights that may help with this question since it totally depends on where you are working at and how long you've been doing it/your experience.
3. I know Gnomon School of VFX and Vancouver Film School are top choices for this industry.
4. it can be either and it's always good to be able to work independently and also collaboratively.
5. I didn't go to school for VFX but early in my career I did work as a VFX artist for TV and commercials. I graduated with a BA in Graphic Design and I taught myself 3D and VFX.
Kathy Chan
Videographer/Photographer
23
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Kathy’s Answer
Hey Khriz,
I'll try my best to answer your questions here, but as my fellow professional has mentioned - it will definitely depend. I'll give you a rundown of the job from my own experience, just know that it is different depending on the professional!
1. This depends on the type of project I am working on - typically, for special effects that you might see in Marvel movies, I use the software: Adobe After Effects to combine special effects elements with videos. Sometimes, filmmakers use green-screen in this case - most of the special effects are drawn, modeled and animated in several different programs!
2. In my situation, I am a freelance Special Effects Artists, and so my pay is not based off of a salary. But on average, in the U.S. at least, the average salary for a Special Effects Artist can range between: $80,000 to $100,000+ a year!
3. I did not go to college to study Special Effects, as with most of my friends, we learned from watching Youtube Videos, experimenting with different projects and allowing ourselves to grow bigger and bigger as artists in this industry. Though it is possible to get a college-degree in VFX, there are many people that do not take this route and that's okay!
4. Being a VFX artist can absolutely be done alone or in a group, so I will say: both! For bigger production companies like Disney, Pixar, and more - their special effects tend to be more complex and will need more than one person to do the job. For smaller productions, some artists may need to wear many hats and model, animate and also rotoscope all of the VFX done for a particular project.
5. As mentioned before, you do not necessarily need a degree to get into this industry - which is fantastic! But if you are interested in going to college and studying special effects, I highly recommend studying or researching degrees in the following fields: Film or Filmmaking, Media Arts, VFX, or doing a concentration in: Media Arts, 3-D modeling/animation, or Film Editing.
I hope these helped!
I'll try my best to answer your questions here, but as my fellow professional has mentioned - it will definitely depend. I'll give you a rundown of the job from my own experience, just know that it is different depending on the professional!
1. This depends on the type of project I am working on - typically, for special effects that you might see in Marvel movies, I use the software: Adobe After Effects to combine special effects elements with videos. Sometimes, filmmakers use green-screen in this case - most of the special effects are drawn, modeled and animated in several different programs!
2. In my situation, I am a freelance Special Effects Artists, and so my pay is not based off of a salary. But on average, in the U.S. at least, the average salary for a Special Effects Artist can range between: $80,000 to $100,000+ a year!
3. I did not go to college to study Special Effects, as with most of my friends, we learned from watching Youtube Videos, experimenting with different projects and allowing ourselves to grow bigger and bigger as artists in this industry. Though it is possible to get a college-degree in VFX, there are many people that do not take this route and that's okay!
4. Being a VFX artist can absolutely be done alone or in a group, so I will say: both! For bigger production companies like Disney, Pixar, and more - their special effects tend to be more complex and will need more than one person to do the job. For smaller productions, some artists may need to wear many hats and model, animate and also rotoscope all of the VFX done for a particular project.
5. As mentioned before, you do not necessarily need a degree to get into this industry - which is fantastic! But if you are interested in going to college and studying special effects, I highly recommend studying or researching degrees in the following fields: Film or Filmmaking, Media Arts, VFX, or doing a concentration in: Media Arts, 3-D modeling/animation, or Film Editing.
I hope these helped!
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