At first, when joining the course I was solely interested in the compositing/matte painting position. I love creating complex backgrounds and seamlessly merging real footage with created assets/illustrations. It reminds me of concept art and painting and allows me to focus on details, assembling immersive environments.
References:
Compositor (2023) Available at: https://www.unionvfx.com/careers/compositor/ (Accessed: 22 February 2023).
Compositor (VFX) (2023) Available at: https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/compositing/compositor-visual-effects-vfx/ (Accessed: 22 February 2023).
Entry roles for compositing:
Roto artist
Roto artists work closely with compositors, as the mattes which roto artists produce serve as important layers for compositors to work with. Roto artists work on the areas of live-action frames where computer-generated (CG) images or other live-action images will overlap or interact with the live image.
If the live-action camera is not moving within a shot, rotoscoping might involve only one frame. If the camera’s moving, roto artists trace the relevant areas of every frame within the shot so that CG can be combined accurately with the live-action. Roto artists need to have a keen eye and patience to complete this meticulous and repetitive work. In addition to rotoscoping, roto artists assist in the preparation of material for compositing.
Role & responsibilities of a roto artist in the film industry:
- Use Silhouette, and Nuke to create and track roto shapes and lines for various elements within a shot.
- Create roto mattes for Compositors and foreground mattes for Animators with a comprehensive understanding of how these mattes will be used.
- Shape creation/editing; shape animation by hand and with trackers; shape compositing, fill modes and opacity settings.
- Maintaining consistency of visuals and style throughout the production.
- Basic green and blue screen compositing.
What software and tools do roto artists use?
- Silhouette FX
- Nuke
- Mocha Pro
- Digital fusion
- Maya
Further research:
References:
Roto artist (2023) Available at: https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/compositing/roto-artist/ (Accessed: 22 February 2023).
What does a roto artist do? (2023) Available at: https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/roto-artist (Accessed: 22 February 2023).
Prep artist
Prep artists clean up the backgrounds of live-action footage ready for the effects to be layered onto it by the compositor. The shots they work on, known as plates, either moving or still, don’t have foreground action or players included.
Prep artists use specialist VFX software to clean plates. There are many processes used to do this cleaning. They remove any unwanted dust and scratches from the frame. They sort out dropped frames, where a camera has been unable to capture all the frames in a given time resulting in little jerks in the action. They remove any unwanted items such as boom microphones or electric pylons.
Further research:
References:
Prep artist (2023) Available at: https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/visual-effects-vfx/compositing/prep-artist/ (Accessed: 22 February 2023).
Other:
Matte Painter
Matte Painters digitally paint elements, work with live-action footage, digital still photography and rendered CG elements to create photo-real matte-painted environments that are to be seamlessly integrated into the film. They are responsible for creating photo-real painted environments to be used as backdrops, set extensions/fixes and for 2.5D/3D projections.
Along with being able to paint realistic backgrounds and environments, digital matte painters must have at least a basic knowledge of modelling, layout, lighting, rendering, and compositing, as well as a strong understanding of all facets of CG production including colour theory and LUT.
Tasks:
- Produce multiple iteration concept illustrations of key sets & environments to help inform the director’s creative vision.
- Do necessary research on the period, character, props and locations.
- Management and clean up of a large database of source imagery.
- Will attend dailies, can interpret critical feedback and execute desired changes.
- Continuous and efficient communication across departments particularly Compositing and Lighting to ensure that all elements are up to date and in sync.
- Work in partnership with the production coordinator to ensure that matte painting assets are on schedule.
- Experience working with shoot data; including photographic and reference data, HDRIs, and photogrammetry.
- Setup, image re-projection, and apply atmospherics and light effects.
This position combines/draws from all the roles I have explored before. This is by far the most difficult role to get and will not be possible at the beginning of my professional career. At the same time, it is the role that interests me the most and I am trying to reach this position in the future. I hope that other roles/career paths will allow me to acquire the necessary skills to one day become a Digital Matte Painter.