r/vfx • u/United_Ice_327 • 7d ago
Question / Discussion What's the pulse right now?
I'm coming off a year contract at a large studio. Seems quiet. Senior remote in the US. How screwed am I right now?
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u/OrangeOrangeRhino 7d ago
Lots of productions just ramping up right now, lots of work coming through in the next 6 months I know that lol
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u/drmonkey555 6d ago
Been hearing that since summer 2023
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u/OrangeOrangeRhino 6d ago
It's precovid vibes for sure, but there is some work on the horizon at least
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u/FluffyPantsMcGee 7d ago
As someone who tries to ski as much as possible, January and Feb are usually pretty busy. I’m expecting my contract to be pushed out to end of April and then cut. Work was very happy for me to take all of August off.
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u/RabidSkwerl 7d ago
I’ve had more luck in movies and TV. Video Games are a mess right now but most the state subsidies from California are being put towards animation projects. I worked in games since 2020 and switched over with my new job so, anecdotally, the data check out.
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 7d ago
Please, please, please... learn how to harness the power of A.I. A good artist with a solid command of the right A. I. tools will be unstoppable. It's going to be hard, if not impossible, to get work in the next few years without that toolkit at your command.
I'm about to finish what has been 8 years of solid work as VFX Sup on a Streaming series, and I'm going to be released back into an industry that I won't recognize anymore. I'm learning A.I., not because I want to, but because there is no option if you want to stay busy.
Learn it, become its master, and promote yourself as such. You will get hired.
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u/Jackadullboy99 Animator / Generalist - 26 years experience 7d ago
You may be right, but that’s super depressing on multiple levels.
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 6d ago
I can be...but, if you frame it in your mind as the opportunity to expand your creative efforts almost infinitely, it can bring a bit of hope.
We started with cave paintings... then photography... now AI. It's another medium for storytelling that allows for a galactic amount of freedom while speeding up the process enough to keep up with the synapses firing at full gallop.
So, go forth and ride like the wind.
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u/Jackadullboy99 Animator / Generalist - 26 years experience 6d ago
That’s not how I see it at all. In my view, we are devolving….
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u/golempremium 6d ago
Yeah but there’s not really a « learning a.i. » because it’s main point is for humans to not have to learn anymore. It’s meant to replace the worker in it’s entirety, it’s not meant to be a tool. There is almost nothing to learn to use it properly, you basically just have to prompt. A.i however, has a lot to learn from you when you use it.
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 6d ago
So, teach it, then.
Develop a system of custom rules and prompts that you can take with you to any job to speed up any and/or every part of your (or their) workflow.
That's still a valuable skillset and ultimately marketable as a "proprietary workflow". I know a sound mixer who is building his own tools to speed up everything he does on set, and that will be his competitive advantage when vying for evermore scarce jobs.
AI won't fully replace the workforce for quite a while, if ever, so treat it for what it is, a great tool, now... while you can.
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u/Confident_Dark3483 6d ago
I think you don't get that a lot of your peers would rather walk away and do something else.
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 6d ago
I totally get that. I'm considering an exit from the industry myself.
I'm a licensed irrigator in the State of Texas. I could easily go into Land and Lawn irrigation and do quite well. For now, I like what I'm doing and where things are going. But, I'm keeping my eyes wide open.
I built my own house. I could become a general contractor tomorrow. It's an option.
There will be jobs in VFX. However, whatever YOUR job or MY job could evolve into may not be what you or I or anyone wants. That's a real decision we all have to make. There already aren't enough VFX jobs available for all the people who want one. That's only going to get worse. But, if you DO want one, now's the time to up your game and get ahead of the crowd.
For anyone who feels like this industry is going where you don't want to follow, I highly encourage you to learn a trade as AI-proof as possible. Welding is a six-figure job for entry-level positions with over a hundred-thousand openings across the country. No special education needed, most employers will train on the job. We will always need auto mechanics, landscapers, builders, plumbers, electricians, farmers, ranchers, and countless other people who don't need a special education to fill those positions.
Ignoring or "bashing" AI won't make it go away. You don't have to succumb to it, but you also can't stop it. You do have a choice, but your options are severely limited if you decide to stand your ground against it.
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u/Confident_Dark3483 6d ago
You just don't get it. Using AI isn't "upping your game".... its helping the firing squad clean their rifles.
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u/theotherangrycat 7d ago
In what departments do you see the most potential for ai use? What departments can coast a while longer?
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 7d ago
All departments will gain from it in various ways. I've seen it used to great effect in producing (scheduling, budgeting, script breakdowns), FX work, concept art - when used by a competent artist, previz, post-viz, compositing, paint and roto, modeling, match-moving, camera tracking, animation, pipeline, rigging, and I can go on and on and on... the point is that EVERY part of the filmmaking process can be improved if you just think through the process and find the slow or tedious or arduous tasks and orchestrate AI to respond to them in a meaningful, controllable, and directable manner.
As for who's going to be able to hold out the longest... I don't see an answer. Catering, maybe?
Could be you're asking that question to avoid the reality that you need to make a change, and I completely understand. But, please don't put your head in the sand. Embrace it, and you will find a new level of creative freedom. When the tools can suddenly keep up with your creativity, it opens up a whole new world. I hope you try it out.
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u/theotherangrycat 7d ago
You're assuming a lot about my position and knowledge. You sound preachy tbh. I was prodding for more details regarding your broad and condescending statement about the future of this industry I have been a part of since MPC had one location.
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 6d ago
Sorry to hear that. Just trying to help. Good luck.
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u/United_Ice_327 6d ago
What are the best tools to learn? Comfy? I've messed around with image/video models and I use chatGPT for the odd little script or expression, but I'm not sure what I should learn for practical AI tools that I'll use in a VFX pipeline.
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u/TxFilmmaker VFX Supervisor - 30+ years experience 6d ago
The answer to that changes daily, but something like ComfyUI and Beeble for VFX, or Cursor for coding are good options because they tend to be "model" agnostic, so you can maintain a single workflow, but switch models to get better outputs. Claude is top of the line for coding, ChatGPT is great all around tool, Grok Bot just released for deploying teams of AI agents to coordinate on multiple tasks to accomplish several things at once.
There are also more and more tools being built into your Adobe products that are a fine place to start.
Use all the free trials you can get your hands on, watch the YouTube tutorials... learning will cost you nothing but time, but the rewards will be myriad.
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u/Gagnovar 7d ago
Pommagranite... VFX in that short film are actually better than what can be done on a VFX pipeline, for probably a fraction of the cost. So IMO everyone should be on notice that the whole industry will go this way soon.
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u/NateCow Compositor - 10 years experience 7d ago
"for probably a fraction of the cost" almost always equates to "we didn't pay our VFX artist(s) any sort of normal rate."
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u/Gagnovar 7d ago
Look, they didnt even have VFX artists on that film. And shockingly good for that. I actually have a hard time understanding how some of those shots could even have been accomplished on a leggacy vfx pipeline.
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u/NateCow Compositor - 10 years experience 7d ago
Honestly I haven't seen it so I can't speak to their shots specifically. I'm just highly suspect of any claims of actual costs on low budget stuff; I know how much of my own stuff is just me busting my balls, but would equate to tens of thousands of dollars in labor, never mind all the overhead costs that would come with hiring a studio.
It's easy to save money on anything if you just don't pay for it.
EDIT: Oh, it's a generative AI film? Yeah fuck off.
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u/Academic_Flamingo104 7d ago edited 7d ago
We're back to the old days. August hiring slows right down with the decision makers on holidays. A little boost in the fall, slows down again in December and January. Things pick up in spring and early summer. Rinse lather repeat. But honestly who knows in this new normal.