Visual Effects Artist

A Visual Effects Artist uses computer-generated imagery to produce visual effects in industries such as interactive multimedia, TV, and film. Visual Effects Artists control how gigantic or itsy-bitsy the viewer perceives an object or event to be, and a futuristic city shown from a computer-generated aerial view can, thanks to their artistic prowess, look like a boundless megalopolis.

As a category the position of Visual Effects Artist falls under the umbrella of Special Effects Artists, which includes all workers who produce visual effects, be they digital or physical. This includes things like pyrotechnics, car crashes, prosthetic makeup, and other mainstays of the pre-CGI (computer-generated imaging) film industry.

You work on the digital side of special effects, and within this field you tend to specialize. This means you might choose to focus on VFX elements such as compositing (combining multiple images), rotoscoping, or tracing live action footage.

Alternatively you could opt to specialize in the editing of special effects footage, like a pyrotechnics sequence, for example. In this editing you work to create a sense of continuity, and perform visual cleanup such as color correction.

This is at heart a creative position: Whether adding a mischievous glint to the eye of a femme fatale or digitally rendering a live-action shot of a crowd, you transform the mundane into the unforgettably spectacular.