Determine the brief for visual effects

This standard is about reaching full agreement and shared understanding of the VFX brief in order to ensure that resulting work meets the creative vision and is practicable and achievable within budget and time parameters.

It is an iterative process that may involve many versions.  It may involve working from or refining a predefined brief or it may involve creating one. It may evolve throughout the production and additional items may be added. It may identify items which are subject to further investigation, Research & Development (R&D) or unknowns to be defined.

This is most likely to be carried out by VFX Artists or a separate dedicated Virtual production (VP) team.

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1. confirm any vision, wishes or preconceptions that directors, producers, supervisors or creative teams may have
2. recognise key factors for particular genres and visual styles
3. establish how live action content will be shot
4. use your experience and judgment of what will be practicable whilst meeting the creative vision
5. suggest amendments, additions, emerging technology or alternatives where you think they enhance the brief
6. consider how the work produced by the other film departments will affect VFX
7. confirm with relevant people that you have a shared understanding of the brief, using visual representation where it will enhance understanding
8. outline any R&D work or tests required as proof of concept
9. ensure that the brief can be achieved within constraints of budget, schedule, location and other parameters
10. clarify the brief checking items that are likely to change and deal with them in ways that will not disadvantage your organisation
11. deliver work in line with production schedules and milestones
12. adapt to operational and creative changes as they occur and suggest viable alternatives or options for consideration
13. identify and communicate the implications of changing requirements on budget, schedule and VFX outputs and act to resolve them

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1. the favoured techniques and preferences of the director or creative team
2. how to obtain and interpret the brief or visual materials
3. how to identify production requirements from a brief; plan your approach to the work, techniques, optimisation and schedule
4. the creative vision for VFX work where to get information about the budget, schedule and likely locations
5. how to assess the skills, expertise and capabilities required of the VFX team
6. how VFX can be used to enhance productions, solve problems and save money
7. the benefits and disadvantages of the different tools that can be used for VFX and when it is appropriate to use them
8. the tools that other facilities or developers may be using to work on shared assets and shots / sequences
9. how to present your arguments and proposals in support of your point of view
10. how to identify the cost implications and the practicalities of realising VFX including team, materials, equipment, locations and budgets
11. how to use caveats or notations within agreements to protect your organisation from changing requirements and unknowns
12. the importance of assessing technical feasibility, how to identify and build in the need for R&D or Proof of Concept to test the approach
13. how to assess and communicate the impact of different changes including cuts in budget or changing creative vision
14. how to assess the relative worth of large scale set up or build costs against shot specific work
15. how to design shots in a cost effective way using shared assets

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3

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2027

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Current

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Original

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ScreenSkills

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SKSVFX1

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VFX Technical Director , VFX Artist , VFX Junior Artist , VFX Assistant Technical Director , VFX Producer , VFX Supervisor , VFX Assistant Supervisor

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determine; brief; VFX; visual effects; vision; schedules; virtual production; production;

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