Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/100015
VFX OUTLOOK GLOBAL BY RA ND I A LTMA N EFFECTS Fluctuating pay scales, tighter deadlines and increased competition from a worldwide marketplace have made working in visual effects production, let���s say, ���interesting.��� But the work has never been better, and the cost of entry is getting lower each year. While there are challenges, the talent is plentiful, as is artists��� love of the process. CHRIS HEALER Founder The Molecule www.themolecule.net New York The Molecule, in NYC and LA, creates visual effects and motion graphics for television and film. Recent work includes VFX for Smash, Elementary, Royal Pains, Infamous, Golden Boy and an upcoming pilot coming out called Sirens. STRENGTHS: ���I like the way things are going now with color flow ��� being able to shoot on set with CDL data in mind and following that through the workflow to the end. It���s exciting because with TV we put out a lot of shots, and being able to see them properly (and in deep color space) all the way to the end is important. This workflow has been embraced over the past two years. ���We do on the order of 100 shots a week; in the past getting out 10-15 shots would be a good number. Now we have refined our workflow ��� we have our process together; we have our software together. Traditionally, you think a visual effect needs to be an explosion or a slimy monster, but now it���s tons of cosmetics. We are changing the way people look, changing costumes, splitting takes, adding things together. ��� WEAKNESSES: ���There is a lot of rumbling out there about VFX unions. The VES, which has been strong in LA for a long time, has gained a lot of momentum with their New York chapter, and they are starting to build a charter and they have board members. That in and of itself isn���t the weakness, but the reason it���s gaining momentum is visual effects as an industry has problems in terms of how the billing structure works, and the perception of what things are worth.��� OPPORTUNITIES: ���I look at Digital Domain closing their Florida office, Asylum and Core going out of business, and what I take from that is a visual effects company wants to be a certain size. When it gets too big it doesn���t function well, and the size is determined by the industry���s technology at any given moment. The ideal size is smaller 34 Post���������December���2012��� www.postmagazine.com than it used to be, and that leads to an exciting opportunity for people to grow. It���s now not crazy to have a VFX company with five or eight people doing a lot of stuff. You don���t need 500 people working in a warehouse or a half-million-dollar Flame system. If you are unhappy with the way the industry is going, you have a tremendous opportunity to start your own VFX shop and contribute to the VFX industry in a different way. ���Also, thanks to fast Internet speeds and regular computers you can perform work quickly. In the past that was a moat that kept the small guys out, and now that moat has dried up.��� THREATS: ���I wouldn���t say outsourcing is a problem in the sense of, ���don���t let it happen,��� but there is a threat. For example, with us being in New York, I can���t compete with India, China and Singapore. That���s why all these other companies open offices out there ��� it might as well be their company than someone else���s. That is happening more and more, and it���s a severe threat. ���Another is that people aren���t being paid a fixed rate. It���s not measured, like it is for a doctor or a lawyer or a banker. It���s whatever town you���re in, the people you know, the budget, and getting paid what you can negotiate. Another problem is there are lots of degree programs The Molecule added an explosion and other CG goodies to CBS���s Elementary Episode 107, which airs Thursday nights. now, and they are putting out kids with tremendous school loan debts. I am afraid for them because I have people coming with virtually no experience asking for $700-800 a day for VFX work. There is a break-