There’s no two ways about it; learning VFX is a pain in the arse. As someone who teaches VFX, I really wish that wasn’t the case, but it is, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Identifying the issue
What can you do about that? Well, I’d like to break down why it’s so difficult (or at least make an educated guess). Here’s what we can say:
- The software can be a pain in the ass. But it’s not the main obstacle - it’s the easiest thing to find guidance on.
- VFX has an equivalent for every film department (costume, acting, camera work, blowing shit up, all these have VFX equivalents). That means there’s a lot to learn. But if we like film, we probably want to learn those, so that’s not the biggest challenge.
- It’s a fast moving industry, where the technology is always changing. That’s a pain, but technology moves fast in most areas of life these days, it’s not unique to VFX
The Creative vs Technical Dilemma
Here’s what I think trips everyone up; VFX requires creative and technical problem solving skills.
Left brain right brain. Pick your side. Then pick up the other side!
Creative, because we’re creating, obviously. But we’re doing it in a technically daunting way.
Most people will identify as a creative OR a technically minded person. If I ask which one you are, you probably know, right?
We tend to see these two traits as opposite ends of a spectrum, and form an identity around whichever one we’re at. Allow me to generalize - creatives are scared of coding. Technicians are scared of drawing.
That means unless you happen to be in a small percentage of people who are gifted at both ends of the scale, VFX is almost never going to be a comfortable fit.
Facing the enemy head-on
VFX can be as much about facing monsters as making them
Some people are natural athletes, singers, painters, dancers, writers. I don’t think anyone is a natural VFX artist. We’re all in the same boat, it’s hard for all of us.
The thing that will make you excel in VFX is learning the opposing skillset.
For me, I’m naturally creative, and chaotic. It’s so hard for me to be clean, and technical. Every step that I take in improving in that difficult direction pays off ten fold, much more than time spent working as a creative. I learned to code, to rig, to run simulations, I studied colour space, and so on.
As a supervisor, I spend a lot of energy making sure that our workflow and pipeline is as clean and polished as possible.
This is all real effort for me, but without it, I just couldn’t deliver VFX at a high level. It’s not about being good at everything, very few of us could do that. Even a small amount of knowledge in the opposing world will take you a long way.
Look at it like visiting a country that speaks a foreign language. If you can’t speak a single world of it, you’re limited. Learning a few key words and phrases, and understanding some basic grammar? You don’t have to do that, but if you do, you’ll go a LOT further, and your experience will be a lot richer.
So on your VFX travels, know that you’ll face some scary stuff that you’re not naturally cut out to face. When that happens, don’t run, don’t decide it’s not for you. Grit your teeth and keep going - that’s where heroes are made.
