Okay, I will preface this post by saying that this is completely my opinion. These are just my thoughts on how to equip myself most effectively to maximise my work opportunities in the industry.
I have been thinking a lot about this lately as I am transferring my 3ds max skills over to Maya. I started out in 3D and got into compositing later (not the usual route for most compositors) but I am wanting to get my 3D skills up again so I have more chance of getting consistent work.
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Alrighty then, that’s enough doom and gloom for a while! Let’s get back to some tips, and what better way to start the week than with the almighty lightwrap. Easy to overdo but a crucial part of bring your comps together, even if you are doing an all CG project. I am sure that lightwrap in 3D would take a bugger of a long time to calculate and render, just like depth of field.
Our video this week will look at how to do a basic lightwrap in shake and explain why each step and node is used. Yes Nuke has a lightwrap node. Yes I am sure that AE has bazillion lightwrap plugins to do the job. But you’re not just a monkey pushing buttons are ya? I hope note because that means when I ask for a raise they are probably going to give the work to as you will happily work for grubs and the chance to groom the HR staff. When a monkey does that it is cute. When I do it it’s creepy. Go figure . . .
Stu Maschwitz from his ProLost blog and a co-founder over at The Orphanage just announced that the studio will be closing down indefinitely. This after The Orphanage was prime VFX house on “The Spirit”, with Stu supervising most of the VFX.
Again, I have to say that at this point I am having trouble seein how our industry is sustainable. After speaking with a lot of different people who have worked at many facilities, it sems to me that many major studios, including the big guys, are operating on razor thin margins, and if a job doesn’t work out or they don’t pick up the next contract it is “See you later, don’t leave any assprints on the door on your way out.”
Given that VFX houses are constantly asked to produce the impossible with severely limited budgets and time constraints and you have an industry that is very precarious at the best of times.
Depressing, but I think the Visual FX industry is facing some tough times, and it will take something drastic for the major film studios to treat us with some respect.
Just a quick post this Sunday, and one that isn’t really directly relating to compositing but please read on.
Unfortunately a friend of mine passed away last week. John Forsyth was our head IT guy at my last studio and we had worked together on and off for about 2 years. Every day he was in we had a chat and a cup of tea and basically hung out for a bit. He was a hell of a nice guy, very zen, very helpful, very knowledgeable and very capable. He also knew the value of relaxing and going for a surf 
The point is that I wish I had spent more time with him hanging out. I doubt I will be 90 years old (god-willing!) and wishing I had spent more time in front of the computer. I love computers, I love compositing and 3D CG and I love making music on computer, but at the end of the day, they are just just computers and it is just a film. It might seem like the be all and end all when the pressure is on and you are working 14 hours a day weeks on end, but it’s the people in your life, friends and workmates, that matter.
Corny, but true . .