VES Summit 2012 →

Jeff Heusser writing for fxguide.com

On Saturday October 13th the Visual Effects Society (VES) presented VES Summit 2012, EVOLUTION at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. This was the fourth year for this conference which is focused on the business of visual effects. The Summit is not really designed for Visual Effects artists like the VES Festivals of many years ago were. It’s not a gathering of artists sharing techniques, rather a unique opportunity to hear from studios and technology leaders about new directions and business issues.

Artistry of vfx →

Scott Squires

To some we’re looked at as technical nerds (with the full stereotypes) to simply fill in the blanks of the scene - place 2 spaceships there, a creature in the foreground and a castle in the background, just like it is in the storyboards or previs. Stat!

And at times we’re our own worst enemies. We frequently do get caught up in all the technical issues and the pixel level details of the shot rather than stepping back and seeing it as the whole.

We’ve also become slaves to reality. We think that our goal is always to make every shot real, regardless if it’s the most cinematic or even proper for the film. Sometimes we look down our noses at vfx that are stylized or gauge success based purely on the technical achievement rather than what it provided the film.

Mike Seymour said it best and I completely agree. It went something like this[this isn't a quote because I can't find the exact quote] Visual effects has the right amount of art and tech.

Animal Logic buys Fuel VFX →

By Ian Failes:

In a sign of good news for the visual effects community, Sydney-based Animal Logic has bought Fuel VFX, which had been in voluntary administration. A new entity will be formed called Animal Logic Fuel and carry out short form VFX and advertising work out of Fuel’s building in Newtown, Sydney. The new company is opening immediately.

This is good news. It shows good work is always needed.

Power & Performance →

by Hieronymus Foundry:

Watch the first installment of our NUKE 7.0 new feature and uprgade videos. This 2.5min video showcases the improvements in power & performance that NUKE 7.0 brings, including RAM playback cache, bookmarks and 3D updates.

Have a watch.

Pitches →

I came across this yesterday.

Still makes me laugh.

Enjoy.

Link

The Foundry and Luxology →

The Foundry and Luxology Q&A

The Foundry and Luxology brands and customers are very valuable things that we don’t want to harm. So from day one - nothing changes.

Mike Seymour writing for fxguide.com

The Foundry (Nuke, Mari, Katana) today announced it has merged with Luxology (Modo). The two companies are a very interesting fit in terms of technology and markets. The combined portfolio will open doors to new ways of working, providing artists and designers with increased creative choice, yet they only share about 10% of common customers. Modo is very accessible 3D, while Nuke dominates the high end feature film 2D compositing market. Luxology is known for a nearly heroic devotion to artists, and The Foundry is one of the most successful companies in the world at complex workflow pipelines that can handle anything anyone can throw at them.

Excited to see what happens. Both The Foundy and Luxology have great products.

Have a read and a listen.

Here is a Podcast from our friends over at fxguide.com

Deadly dull vfx undermining the biz →

David S. Cohen writing for variety.com

But as innovation has shifted from the screen to the pipeline, vfx have become less startling. This year's vfx movies have ranged from fun ("Avengers," "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") to forgettable ("Battleship" and... you know, that other bloated thing, what was the name of it?) but they haven't made me think "Wow, I've never seen that before" -- even when I haven't. No wonder movie attendance is flat or falling. There aren't enough films being made to build and sustain auds' relationships with stars, and vfx are losing their novelty value.

I thought about whether or not this was something to respond to. So I'm late to the game.

I have work in Battleship that you don't know about. Nothing of what I do is exciting.Its called problem solving. I love it.

I have been sneaking my composites by you for years. Non of them are boring.

Digital Domain, what does it all mean? →

Mike Seymour writing for fxguide.com

The idea of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is to give a company time to negotiate with its creditors, since during that time the creditors cannot pursue any debts or claims. The company must file a plan of its reorganization with the bankruptcy court, and the creditors are participants in the bankruptcy proceedings, that is, they can investigate the operations of the company. The creditors must vote on the proposed plan, and the court will review it for feasibility. Then the company must carry out the plan.

A friend of mine not in the visual effects world is floored by the bad news around DD.

How can it be this bad.

Laid Off →

Scott Squires:

Even staff positions, management and support positions may disappear without much notice. Please don't think you're immune from this because you've worked there x years or they're nice people. As we've seen many companies have closed or had to lay off hundreds of people due to a number of reasons.

A well planned layoff is not possible. I have watched big companies tell good artists only hours before end of day that this will be there last day. I have been laid off over the phone. I have watched artists walk out and quit just because.I have been fired for wanting to get paid overtime.

The long and the short of it. Always be prepared to move around. The bigger the company the more prepared you should be.

You should always have leads on work. Network and know where and when the work is. Stay connected with old co-workers.

You should also be saving good parts of your checks you get to help you thru the times where maybe there isn't any work no matter how good you are.