VFX and CG Survival Guide for Producers and Film Makers (VFX and CG Survival Guides Book 1)

You as a producer or film maker hold a central role in determining a project's successful delivery. You are constantly making decisions on project that will impact every aspect of the running of the project. Unfortunately you cannot consult your entire CG and VFX team at every point you have to make a decision nor can you take them to every meeting with your client to negotiate deliverables.

You as a film maker will need to make quick fast decisions on set that will have huge ramifications further down the line in your post production process. The choices you make will determine both the quality of the final piece and its timely delivery.

When budgets are limited you need to know how the VFX and CG pipeline in your project works.

VFX and CG Survival Guide for Producers and Film makers is the first and (currently) only book that looks at the creation and implementation of complex Visual Effects, CGI and computer animation from the unique viewpoint of a producer and film maker.

This book

- goes beyond theory

- offers an in-depth analysis of the process involved using real life examples

- examines the unique considerations faced by a producer and film maker of every part of the VFX and CG pipeline

- is fully illustrated and contains a number of worked examples

- will show you how to manage the VFX process regardless of what budget you are working with

- covers the different considerations you need to know about across film, games, TV and live events.

No other book is currently offering this.

This book is built upon over twelve years of real experience in VFX and CG gained across film (Harry Potter 3, 4, and 5, Batman Begins, Poseidon, Kingdom of Heaven, Pirates!, Riddick), game (Operation Flashpoint 2, Brink), TV (numerous TV commercials and idents) and live events (including the London 2012 Olympics and product launches). The author has brought together case studies and worked examples which will help you understand, manage and deliver your project on time and on budget.

Chapter Headings

Part 1: Producer Essentials

looks at all the stages of the production of CG and VFX from a producer's unique perspective. This section focuses on what you need to make sure is in place so there is no delay or downtime on the project. This part shows how your decisions can increase efficiency, reduce downtime and eliminate wasted work.

Part 2: Scheduling - getting shots through the pipeline and understanding dependencies

is built upon real life case studies and worked examples. Here you will be able to see how your decisions impact upon the successful delivery of the project.

Part 3: Producer Practicalities

looks at the day to day challenges you will face when managing people and a varied range of resources. This section will show you how to progress your project in an imperfect environment with multiple unknowns. It will show you when re-use and re-purposing can be leveraged.

Part 5: Lo/No Budget VFX

will show you how you can apply gold standard effects even when there is no budget available, how you can plan your shoot to minimise the cost of CG and VFX while still attaining a high production values. It will go through the choices you can make and what the cost/value relationship of those decisions will be.

The book ends with Ten Golden Rules that have been developed from real world experiences over ten years working in VFX and CG. The valuable lessons this book presents will help you make more informed decisions and decipher between contradictory complex information from many different departments.