10 Career Opportunities in VFX

• Admin
• April 15, 2020
• Visual Effects

If you are aware of the entertainment industry, you must be knowing that the application of VFX is no more limited to the vertical of Hollywood. It successfully made its way into segments like Bollywood and even Tollywood as well. So planning a career in VFX is no more perceived as risking your profession, leading to an effort in futility. Instead, the time has arrived when you must think out of the box and break the barrier of stereotypes. 

If you have that creative spark in you, you can quickly think about the promising VFX career opportunities in India. The VFX industry is in dire need of efficient and exclusive artists who can create masterstroke visuals and cater to the requirement of the entertainment industry and media houses. Therefore, if your creativity and imagination, is what drives you to go productive, perhaps VFX is the ultimate sector for you to choose. 

With the help of a career in VFX, you can easily let your creative thoughts come to shape. Today, the underlying problem of the industry is that, it is easy to find lots of VFX artist, but hard indeed to find an apt and efficient one. Therefore, if you can stand out of the crowd, you can be the show-stealer and make good use of the career opportunities in the VFX industry.

What are the Scopes of VFX in India?

Nowadays, even noted international assignments and projects also outsource their VFX work to India. Therefore, once you choose this career path, your arena of action and execution spread across several verticals, and eventually, you can look forward to a dynamic career with flying colours.

Some noted scopes of VFX career opportunities in India can is as follows: 

• Entertainment Sector: One of the most versatile sector to work with is the entertainment genre. Today the entertainment industry depends vigorously on special effects. Primarily, with the emergence of cutting edge animation technology, high-end VFX are used nowadays to prepare brilliant masterpieces. A career in VFX can be explored at its best in this sector. 
• Architecture & Engineering: Today, VFX is also used widely in documenting plans for building, architecture and infrastructure. Architects and engineers now prepare plans in soft copies and keep them stored in soft copy non-perishable form. Use of VFX finds a role over there too. It saves a lot of time and effort by waiving out the manual drawings. A career in VFX in India may render you to explore the opportunities in this segment as well. 
• Advertising & Print Media: Another exciting and happening sector to plan as a career in VFX is the advertising and print media. Today, the way of presenting commodities has changed a lot. And as a result, the eventual inclusion of VFX and animation made its way in advertising and print media too. So, after completing a course in VFX, you can try a career in this versatile segment as well. 
• Digital & Social Media: Digital and social media are one of the most engaging platforms for product placement and advertising purposes. And to create engaging creative & visual, the use of VFX is immense. Therefore, a career in VFX can open your door to the world of digital and social media marketing as well. Today, the world is driven by a robust digital drift. And at this juncture, this can be a career option which you never want to give a miss. 
• Gaming Industry: The gaming industry is one such sector which is a little out of the box. But in terms of advancement, the industry is no more lagging and proceeding with as fanatic pace. With the brilliant application of VFX, the industry is coming up with cutting edge games with mind-blowing visuals. So, this can again be an excellent option for the aspiring candidates to plan for a career in VFX. Today, the gaming industry remains in dire need of expert VFX artists. And thus, there lie a plethora of opportunities for the aspiring and expert VFX professionals in the industry. 
• Cartoon Production: Although a little underrated, but the arena of cartoon production is not at all negligible. Cartoon films and videos still constitute a part of the entertainment world. Notably, in the genre of kids’ entertainment, the vertical of cartoon production holds immense importance. As a professional VFX artist, you can let your creative side come live here. 
• E-Learning Portals: Time has changed. And so has changed the procedure of learning as well. Today, E-learning portals became a favoured tool of education. It involves a lot of creative, animations and info-graphics, which in turn becomes beneficial for smooth and smart learning. And to develop such a portal, it is essential to apply visual effects. Therefore, if you are looking for a career in VFX, this is one of the most promising and trending sectors, you can look forward to.

And as the discussion proceeded till now, it provides you with a clear and comprehensive idea about the VFX career opportunities in India. In this promising era, a VFX curriculum can open the door to a lot of lucrative job offers with reputed designations. And as the discussion proceeds further, we will have a clear and comprehensive review about the 10 most crucial career options that can be selected. Let the debate continue. 

What are the 10 Most Important Career Opportunities in VFX? 

A career in VFX can be satisfying, rewarding, and thrilling. Apart from working with brilliant teams and assignments, it can yield you the job satisfaction that you always desired. Apart from that, it can facilitate you to get a robust and dynamic pathway for career. This, in turn, helps you out with tremendous growth opportunities and help you reach further heights in career. In this article, we will discuss 10 such robust opportunities for a career in VFX in India. 

A comprehensive list of the same can is as follows : 

• Layout Artist
• Composition Artist
• Lighting Artist
• Rendering Artist 
• Roto Artist 
• Matte Painter
• Match Mover Artist 
• Flame Artist
• VFX Paint Artist 
• Body Tracking Artist

And thus, once you choose the option of a career in VFX, a plethora of opportunities await right around the corner once you complete a career-driven curriculum in the same. So, choose the right institute and get enrolled to the right VFX course, to fulfil your dream of working in a dynamic industry. Also, it is incredibly real that the pay packages of a VFX artist is no less than a ‘run of the mill’ career option that people tend to opt for. So you do not need to sacrifice on your deserving pay-cheque to follow your dreams.

A brief discussion about the job roles of the mentioned designations are discussed as follows:

• Layout Artist: Visuals play a pivotal role in any motion video or presentation. And the work of a layout artist is to prepare the foundation for how the visuals will look. Usually, a layout artist interprets the script and the storyboard. And then they create the templates to convert the same into visuals. The role of a layout artist encompasses around scene creation to camera angles and so on. 
• Composition Artist: The visual effects that are created should always complement well with the background. This is the arena of a composition artist. That’s where the creativity of a composition artist lies. Honestly, the viewing experience depends a lot on the match between the effect and the background. And even a small mismatch with the environment and the result can spoil the entire viewing experience for a viewer. Therefore, if you are planning to opt for a career in VFX, the role of a composition artist bears a crucial importance. 
• Lighting Artist: Light happens to be the quintessential component in any film or visual production. A lighting artist’s task is to understand the behaviour of the light primarily. And after following the action of light, the artist is supposed to compare it with the real-world subjects. Finally, the visual artist applies them to visual effects. From visual continuity to the storytelling process, the role of a lighting artist is vital. 
• Rendering Artist: Talking about the options for a career in VFX, the rendering artists bear a considerable demand. To be honest, every leading studios, media houses and production houses need rendering artist for a specified task. A rendering artist is the only person who can convert 3D objects into visuals that we see on screen. Therefore, the job includes high technical nitty-gritty and is very sensitive. But yet, it is a dynamic one, and perhaps one of the most satisfying career in VFX.
• Rotoscopic Artist: Talking about a career in VFX, the task of a Rotoscopic Artist (also known as Roto Artist) includes pretty difficult and yet imperative task. The job involves tracing the parts of a frame where the computer graphics meet real life. And hence, it provides the compositor, the needful framework to start with their task. The designation of a Roto Artist can form a brilliant foundation for a career in VFX. 
• Matte Painter: The role of a Matte artist cannot be denied in creative inputs ina VFX film. As you can figure out from the name, the Matte Painters are responsible for converting photographs, sketches and other references into realistic creatures that we see in a VFX film. So, the role of a matte painter encompasses around applying a lot of creative inputs. 
• Match Mover Artist: While discussing the career in VFX, the role of Match Mover Artist also deserve a special mention in this context. Here, the artists are supposed to work with both 2D and the 3D images. The responsibility of a match mover artist encompasses around dealing with the movements of the Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) that we see in VFX films. The match mover artists are responsible for proper integration of the CGI with the live-action, proportion and movements. This is to make the viewing experience more natural, seamless and glitch-free. Although technical, yet this job designation includes creative inputs too. 
• Flame Artist: In the scenario of career opportunities in the VFX industry, the payout of a Flame Artist is attractive and alluring. But then again, responsibilities lie in delivering the best ‘value for money’ by the outputs and deliverables. In VFX, several job designations are known by the program or the software, the person uses. Flame Artist is one of them. They use a computerized program named Flame which helps to modify a video, once the shoot is over. The task of a flame artist mainly border around the post-production and editing department. 
• VFX Paint Artist: Reconstruction of images is again an essential part of a production unit. VFX paint artist plays a pivotal role in that segment. This is a specific job designation which involves removing the unwanted artefacts from an image, correct the background, correcting a render digitally by taking needful measures in consistency, colour & grain matching and so on. 
• Body Tracking Artist: Talking about the career in VFX, an essential aspect of work involves the basic lineup geometry. The responsibility of a body-tracking artist is to work with the basic lineup geometry.

Also, it includes the associated scene data to ensure a good match with the scene. 

And thus, it provides some pioneer and popular 10 options for a career in VFX, especially for those who are aspiring. With the fellow options, you can take your career to a new height and plan to achieve the extra mile, you always dreamt of. 

The sector of VFX bear the provision for a career out of the box. And that’s what we will discuss in the next segment. 

10 Alternative Career Options in VFX

In the earlier paragraphs, we have discussed the most popular options for a career in VFX. Yet there remains an option to choose from the other alternatives. There remains a vacancy for you at reputed designations if you prefer to stay out of the mainstream. 

A comprehensive list of 10 such alternative careers can is as follows: 

• Camera Tracking Artist
• Mid VFX Compositor
• Pipeline Technical Director
• Paint Prep Artist
• Line Producer
• FTV Roadshow – Compositing
• Production Coordinator
• VFX Production Manager
• VFX Recruiter – Advertising
• Talent Acquisition Manager 

The following paragraphs will provide a comprehensive brief of the career options, as stated above. 

• Camera Tracking Artist: Camera tracking is an art which involves technical components as well. At first, a video is filmed on a camera. And then comes the role of a camera tracking artist. The artist takes that video clip and incorporates the visual effects, 3D images and other components in it. As a career in VFX, the designation of a camera tracking artist can be versatile, challenging and thrilling. But at the same time, you need to be very careful about the technical parts. And for that, you need to learn and acquire the same. 
• Mid VFX Compositor: A mid VFX compositor is responsible for creating high-quality digital composites. A mid VFX compositor also creates visual effects for films and other commercial videos. The role of a mid VFX compositor is to integrate the various layers in a live-action shot. To pursue a career in VFX, the designation includes working in close association with compositor lead and the supervisor. 
• Pipeline Technical Director: When it comes to writing and maintaining essential tools, pipeline technical directors are responsible for that. These tools are widely used in films with high-end visual effect. In this designation, the person concerned is supposed to work in close association with CG Supervisors, Lead Pipeline Technical Director and Departmental Leads. As a career in VFX, the job role of a Pipeline Technical Directors is any day, a robust option to opt for. 
• Paint Prep Artist: A VFX job often includes preparation of 2D digital plates. And a Paint Prep Artist is responsible for working with it. In this designation, the artists are supposed to employ various techniques like compositing, projecting and painting. Being a hugely technical job role, it also includes wire and ring removal and cleaning green screens. 
• Line Producer: A career in VFX is not only about the creative side. It also needs people who bear knowledge and skill about estimating and evaluating the cost of the inputs and executions in a production. Line Producer is the key person who takes care of that. It is imperative to have an in-depth knowledge about the technical know-how of VFX and their costing. And that’s where the role of line producers lies, to make proper estimates and to control the budget.
• FTV Roadshow – Compositing: The responsibility of an FTV Roadshow Compositor, is to aggregate the VFX shots together for more extensive or complex sequences. The duties also include integrating the 3D elements into live-action, development of 2D structures, colour correction, tracking and so on. 
• Production Coordinator: An exclusive option for career in VFX is production coordinator. Being completely different from the mainstream, the job of a production coordinator belongs to an administrative rank in a production house. As a production coordinator, the responsibility includes tracking the schedules, allocating budgets and operating accordingly. Also, it involves making copies of the scripts. 
• VFX Production Manager: One of the significant designation in the VFX industry is the role of a VFX Production Manager. As a designation for a career in VFX, the person concerned is responsible for the entire planning of a production unit and its task execution. As a reputed designation for production manager remains in charge of organizing the visual effects and work in close association with the VFX leads and technical supervisor assigned to the production unit. Some noted responsibilities also include comprehensive monitoring of the entire production, budget management, and supervision of the whole group.
• VFX Recruiter – Advertising: People belonging to this specific designation needs to work in a joint effort with the administration of a unit, including the HOD and HRM group also. The responsibility of this particular designation is to acquire specific talents. The notable forms include drafting job descriptions employing online platforms and screening the correct individual to select. Likewise, the designation also includes incorporation of structure a secure network system of compositors, 3D craftsmen, producers, specialized designers, etc. 
• Talent Acquisition Manager: To distinguish the correct ability, you to need to have a top to bottom thought regarding VFX. So to seek a career in VFX, an alternate yet fascinating assignment is to join in as a Talent Acquisition Manager. The primary job of this assignment is to promote in different online and offline platforms, pooling in talents, screening them based on assessment and selecting the perfect fit in an organization or production unit. Aside from knowledge on VFX, the job designation additionally includes skills and aptitudes about managing human resources. Thus this job designation can enable you to investigate through a vast field and perform flawlessly.

And thus, the discussion proceeded till now provided you with a complete and comprehensive idea about why should you choose VFX as a career option. Apart from the mainstream career options, the article also encompasses around the alternative careers you may opt for.

The Conclusion

Hopefully, the discussion proceeded till now yielded you a complete and comprehensive idea about the options for a career in VFX. Today, a job in the sector of VFX can be one of the most promising genre to start your career with. A career opportunity in visual effects can render you to take a creative bend in your career and achieve an extra mile. 

So, think no more and enrol yourself to a VFX curriculum today. A right decision in time can open your gateway to a promising future ahead.