We are a group of highly technical people. Most of us are nerds. I have heard people say " That guy is freak of nature good." What I think they mean by that is the artist is both artistically talented and technically talented. We draw and paint. We can make things move like they weigh a ton when it's really just ones and zeros. Sub surface scattering is exactly that, technical. Normals are pure math. Matching color can be both done by eye or numbers. Frankly the human eye sucks at matching color so you should go with numbers. Math always wins.
I think that's what a company is looking for. Someone who can see and think.
Just this last week we were trusted to make a naked man look not naked even thou he was clearly streaking down the street. Sounds impossible, it's not. We pulled it off and the director was very happy. Having technical knowledge is part of having ninja skills. It's one thing to think it up and have a plan. It's a completely different process to making it come to life on screen.
Stepping back and looking thru a wider lens is always a good idea. This isn't new for any profession. It's a good practice for life in general. It's knowing what is important and getting rid of what's not.
Real?
Maureen says. "It doesn't have to look real. But it has to look consistent."
What's real can be nothing more than a opinion. But if the image isn't consistent then all bets are off. My annt can pick out that comp. Kids these days look at Star Wars and shrug.
Having real world production experience is great. Most never have. If you get the chance you should.
The DP has to make it look real but also has a set look. Maybe it's tragic hour and your losing the light. The make-up artist needs the actress to look there best even thou today, not so much. Working with a DP or Gaffer is great composition and lighting experience. Seeing what happens in the real world is huge. Working as a AC gives really good knowledge of the camera.
Every step of making movies is a trick. From writing the story to final distribution. Know your craft. Love your craft. Geek out. I have seen artists do crazy stuff with both there knowledge of art and there technical knowledge. Push nuke to its limits.
Break it, then come back.