thank you so much, I am a young aspiring vfx artist, I hear a lot about how terrible of an industry it is to work in right now but it's really nice to hear about someone working decent hours with decent pay.
No problem! Don't be put off. Some of the massive film companies get some bad press but there's loads of lovely places to work too. And so many lovely people. I'm well paid, not overworked and very happy in my job. What more can you want!
Hey Darren! Would love to see you make a project of video (gaming) recorded in OBS. 8-bit or 10-bit PQ. No color grading, just how to set up the CST. Most of your videos are about using RAW or log files and the one or two videos you've made that could be useful, is in an older version of Resolve. The interface for color setup is no longer the same. There are so many videos on the tube that do it very different and it's impossible to know if they do it the right way, as they are mostly gamers or wannabe Resolve advisors (and color graders).
Ahhh sorry to hear that! It hit a lot of people over here too. Fortunately I work in commercials so it had a bit less of an impact. But lots of my friends at various places got made redundant. Luckily they've all got jobs at other studios
Awesome video! Thank you for sharing all this. Just one note: 1:35 that setup/posture is... I think, really bad! The screen is too high up. I highly recommend researching a bit to find an optimal setup so that in a few years you don't end up damaging your body.
Haha yes I thought this too when I went back to edit the video 🤣 don't worry I don't normally sit like that. I even have a standing desk when I work at home. This was just for a quick shot so I didn't sit into the chair properly. But I appreciate you looking out for my back! ♥️
I sit at home all full of myself because I can track an explosion into an empty field. Then I see this, and all I can think is,"I'm not worthy". Very nice work. A true artist.
That's very intriguing and fascinating. Also, it looks like a nice place where you'd wanna spend hours and hours of your life definitely would have been nicer if the room was a bit darker tho and the addition of a shower is a chef's kiss. Thanks for sharing.
It is lovely. I'm not keen on dark rooms. I know it's technically better for looking at colours on the screen but I hate not being able to see daylight
Love this. Although you did, as you said, hand pick this day it still is a realistic representation of VFX work. I have been doing VFX for over 30 years and while some things have changed, not as much of the day to day has changed as one would think. I would absolutely love to see is one of "those" days. You know the ones I am referring to: the days where it is a slog, and everything seems to be either going wrong, taking too long, or both (although I imagine this might be impossible to get permission to do). Still, this is excellent and much appreciated, especially to show younger or new artists and aspiring VFX artists. Much appreciated for the time it took to create this.
Thanks very much! That's great to hear. I've considered doing that as well however on those bad days there's nothing I would want less than to also be worrying about getting it in video 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks so much for sharing this, Alfie..... definitely appreciate it. :) Looks like you get to work on some really cool stuff there.... some big name brands come your way... very cool. :) I work in web development myself and probably not as "cool" as your job, but it's always good working on interesting jobs and interesting projects. I've been using Blender as a hobby for many many years now but still nto up to industry standard. That industry would definitely be interesting to work in and looks like there's good opportunities to get in there. Thanks again for sharing :)
Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked the video. Interesting to hear your perspective. Keep at it with Blender. I never thought I'd be doing it for a job either but a few years down the line... It happened! I still don't really consider my blender skills up to a pro standard but I can fake it enough that it works and then get it there in Nuke. All part of the fun!
I learned most of what I knew before working at a studio just from watching RU-vid videos. I used to use blender and after effects. Blender is free and has loads of great channels making tutorials like Blender Guru and Grant Abbitt. I'd suggest getting into that and watching some tutorials and learning for yourself. Then if you want to take it more seriously you can study VFX at an educational institution like University or college etc
Thanks for sharing! I love the kind of compositing projects that combine digital with practical FX. And that setup for cycling to work is awesome. Is it hard to find work in this industry if you haven't had an internship or apprenticeship? Do companies go by a person's reel or is it usually word of mouth from previous jobs?
No problem! Yes it always produces the best result when there's a blend of the 2. I wouldn't say it's that hard. There's lots of jobs going for various stages. It might take a bit of time to get in and you might have to apply for lots but you'll get there. For me since my first job it was all word of mouth. I didn't even make a reel when I joined here. Someone I used to work with just recommended me and we had a chat and that was it. But usually yes it would be based on your reel if you don't know the company
So, personally you are not afriad of losing your job to AI, but you are totally fine with using MJ to replace a concept artist and eliminating their job. It will come for you soon enough.
Interesting point but I don't see it replacing my job anytime soon. People thought computers would take everyone's jobs in the 2000s. People change. If you don't want to move with technology that's when you get replaced
Most definitely! They are compositing a lot of photos together. That's no secret. Although calling it VFX is a bit of a stretch, unless you're referring to their actual VFX animations they do all the time, for demonstration videos.
It's almost always the clients come to the company. Or a creative agency on behalf of the client. Sometimes artists might have some contacts and bring some work in themselves but it's less common
I’m surprised you were allowed to film anything! When I was in Wardor and Great Portland Street it was very NDA - but very cool and was very much how my life was pre pandemic at DNEG and MPC (I was a cyclist too!)
They mean NDA, not NBA. It stands for non disclosure agreement. So not leaking any sensitive information from projects that aren't publicly available yet
7:28 You have not answered the question, only that concept artists don’t get hired in that studio. From cheapest to most expensive: AI, outsourcing, your job. From a business perspective guess what’s the ideal picture. You better have a plan B.
🤣🤣 The answer is no. Just because AI is getting good at making pretty pictures doesn't mean it's anywhere near replacing roles like mine. AI can't sit in a room with clients and do a review or confirm an edit, go on set and supervise the VFX, make creative decisions and try things that haven't been done before. It only knows what it's been trained on. At the point where it CAN do all those things, we'll have much bigger problems than it taking our jobs
What's with the 'Hoosier' decal on the laptop? The Hoosier world headquarters is a 5 minute drive from my home, across the pond from you and lacking a bicycle tire line, to the best of my knowledge. It was super cool to see all of the behind the scene office and workflow, too. That's obviously a world that many of us (probably naively) fantasize about.
Thanks! Haha well spotted. The Hoosier sticker is from when I bought a replacement tire for my Onewheel. They make gokart tires that also fit Onewheels perfectly :)
I would really love to learn more about VFX, I have a very basic understanding when it comes to VFX and more post production techniques, but are there any places that you recommend starting for a beginner. I have a strong grasp of shooting, so maybe learning how to plan for a VFX shot and then implementing that plan in post production.
RU-vid is really good for tutorials. That's probably all you need really. But I don't know of any channels that go into depth on the planning side etc I'm afraid. It's mostly just the technical stuff in the software
Wonder why you flipped all the shots of your desk? I was thrown of by the channellist on the right of your screen and the arrow/numpad keys being on the left.
What knowledge or degree do you need to work for exampler for Coffee & TV? Like what is an overview for the things you need to learn to work for a vfx studio such as being able to animate, color grading, compositioning etc
There's not really a specific qualification you need. Doing a job like VFX is more about your ability than your qualifications. If you're good enough you could get a job without a degree etc. I don't have a degree. As I said in the video I did an apprenticeship at a VFX studio instead. You would just need to be able to show you're competent in what you want to do. So have examples of work you've done before. Whether it's your own or for clients
Glad you liked it! We use terradici software to control our work machines remotely. So there's no file transfers. It's also more secure that way. NDA regulations wouldn't allow us to be sending the footage back and forth to home computers etc. it all stays securely on the server in the office
Great video as always Alfie! If I may ask, what advice would you give to an aspiring compositor and VFX artist in high school. Is college a requirement? If not, is there specific training and certification that can be helpful or is jumping into apprenticeship a good idea?
Glad you enjoyed the video! No it's not a requirement. The year after I did my apprenticeship, one of the new hires came straight from high school. Personally, I went to college and studied media production and games design which was quite useful. I spent 2 years making my own films because the classes were pretty easy. And in games design I learned blender which had a lot of transferable skills to VFX. But you don't necessarily need to do that. Just do as much work as you can. Have some things to show so that they know you're passionate and driven. And just apply for as much as you can. Eventually one of them will land. Good luck!
It depends where you want to go. After effects isn't used for any serious shots at big studios. Maybe if you went somewhere small as a generalist or motion designer. But nuke is the main software for compositing at big studios
I think AE (and Premiere Pro) is big in TV studios. I've also heard that many film schools favorite those two over anything. Probably because they both get free licences from Adobe and because many students already know those software.
Depends what you mean by TV studios. For motion graphics for daytime TV maybe... But for long form TV shows for the likes of Netflix, HBO etc it's all being comped in Nuke
I am 15 years old and would love to be a VFX Artist one day. Do you think it‘s worth it or just a good idea in general (because of ai and other stuff)? I‘ve already gathered much experience in blender, premiere, after effects and photoshop, have been doing this for a few years now and I love it. 😅
Go for it! That's about the age I started getting into VFX too. It's such a great career. The AI thing worries a lot of people but I don't feel my job is at risk at all. About 20 years ago everyone thought switching from film to working on computers would put everyone put the job. It doesn't take the jobs away. The jobs just change and people evolve with it. Don't let it worry you. Keep making films, do your best work and you'll get a job in it when the time is right and you'll love it :)
@@AlfieVaughan Thank you for taking time to answer that, I really appreciate it! 😇 I’m definitely gonna go for it an put my all into it then. Thank you again and be well!
We have BenQ ultrawides at all the desks. They're 1440p and accurately display 100% of sRGB and 98% of P3 so they're really colour accurate. Here's a link if you're interested. I have the same monitor at home too so my setup is consistent wherever I'm working amzn.to/421zM4L
I think Fusion is pretty good but it's not used at any big studios that I know of. Nuke is the compositing software most widely used by studios working on high level VFX projects
@@AlfieVaughan oh ! I see , the only thing is that Fusion is way cheaper than Nuke , also Nuke is just expensive , anyways , I will work hard and afford it one day. Thx a million
Living a dream life. Atleast for me it is. Already people spread lot of bad shit when it comes to vfx. The reality doesnt have to be like that always 😊
Haha thanks! Yes I feel like I'm living in a dream too. It's a very fun job. VFX gets a lot of bad press but there are a lot of really lovely companies to work at. It's just the bad few that get all the bad press!
It's definitely one of the better bits of the job. When it's a nice shoot anyway. I've been on a few international ones where you fly over business class, stay in a fancy hotel, have days off to go and do tourist stuff... Some great memories! Are what sponsored by the company? The shoots?
Ah I see. Yes it's all paid for. Hotels and flights are booked for you and paid for by producers before you leave so you don't have to sort it yourself. You get per diems which on my last shoot I think was 50 euros a day for food. But theres catering on set and I got taken out for dinner each night by the production company so didn't end up needing to spend them anyway! Any other expenses I can just charge back to the job when I get back to the office like taxis etc
@@AlfieVaughan damn bro , and me who thought for Some reason my 32bg of ram I7 would be the best 😅😅 anyway I am still new and still improving my self, someday I will get to work with a machine like this , thank you for your reply , I really appreciate it
Thank you! No Im employed full time at Coffee & TV. I do the odd bit of extra work here and there (usually stuff that comes up through this RU-vid channel!) but I do this as my main full time job
