Abstract

This essay draws on the author's own years of professional experience and interviews with working visual effects experts to show the extent to which digital technology has become central to the creation of today's Hollywood movies. He explains this through an examination of the role of the Visual Effects Supervisor, a key artistic and technical position charged with creating a homogenized "look" integrating both digital and analog elements. The author describes some of the underlying fundamentals of the visual effects process and the professional paths that lead to the VFX supervisor role, and covers the duties of the VFX supervisor during the sequential phases of preproduction, shooting, and postproduction, while providing practical examples and explanations of technical terms. Finally, he looks at different approaches and techniques employed to achieve integrated "looks", touching on the different aspects of film and digital media, color, specialized VFX companies, the stereoscopic format, and the increasing reliance on visual effects as a tool for subtle story-telling rather than simply overt spectacle.

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