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Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a process of starting up a business, organisation or a company. 

 

In the UK, the creatives industries had brought up the economy revenues worth £76.9 billion in 2013. The industries has grow almost 10% yearly. (resource from www.thecreativesindustry.co.uk

 

The sectors included in the creative industries are advertising, crafts, design, film, games, publishing, museums and galleries, music, technology and television.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The value of the creative industries in the UK. As you can see the main sectors that bring the higest revenues is the Sofware & Games followed by Advertising, Publishing, Film & TV and others.

Post Production & VFX Industry.

 

Post production and VFX fall under the Film & TV sector that helps in the increasing revenues in the UK creative industry. Over the past 20 years, Post Production and VFX Industry has undergone a massive change in order of the developement in digital technology. It is undeniable that Post Production & VFX is a vital process in film and TV production. Although it plays important roles in the film or TV production, the society has not been fully exposed to the work behind the scene and appreciate the artists work.

 

Why choose UK as a place to start their Post Production & VFX career?

 

  1. History and Influence 
    UK has created some of the most regconizable film such as Harry Potter a series that run for 10 years. It is a significant Britih film that they keep growing their market after the movie ended by building up a studio, Warner Bros Studio Tour where people can visit them and watch the making of the film.
     

  2. Creativity and Innovation
    Creativities that lies among the UK film makers and TV producer are globally regconized. In the visual effects industry, The Foundry founded in UK developed Nuke as the standard software for compositing across the globe. 
     

  3. Unique location and facilities
    In UK there are a lot of locations with studios facilities not only in London but also in Bristol, Mancester, Cardiff and Glasgow.
    Besides, UK offers variety of shooting and production location from historical sites to natural environment. For example the series, Game of hrones has taken Nothern Island as its production home.
     

  4. Competitive market
    In the UK, the generous and reliable tax relieve has attract the attention of the investor and international partner like Warner Bros and Disney.     Due to the growth rate of the industry, it has brought other Asia country to start investing in the UK. 

    For example: 

    Digital Domain - founded in 1993, majority-owned by Hong Kong company Digital Domain Holdings Limited

    Prime Focus - brought in by India later merged with Double Negative in 2014 

     

  5. Constant growth
    The annual revenues has been constantly growing 10% year on year since 2010.     The core UK film industry contributes over £4.6 billion to UK GDP and supports over 117,00 jobs, taking into account direct and indirect employment. (Source: Oxford Economics study for the BFI)

 

 

 

Film/ VFX/ Commercials company in:

 

London 

  1. The Mills

  2. Framestore

  3. Moving Picture Company

  4. Smoke & Mirrors

  5. Cinesite

  6. Double Negative

 

Out of London

  1. Film59 - Bristol

  2. 422 - Bristol

  3. Sumners - Manchester

  4. Farm/BBC - Manchester

  5. Gorilla - Cardiff

  6. M8Media - Glasgow

 

 

The VFX Careers Guide

 

Job roles
 

  1. Animator - animating anything that moves either 2D/3D
     

  2. Matte Painter - create photo realism environment
     

  3. Motion Graphic Artist - express design ideas through movement
     

  4. Compositor - details focused artist/ putting together all the pieces of a shot to make a final image
     

  5. R & D Engineers - research and implement innovative technologies pushing boundaries of what possible in visual effects & animation
     

  6. Technical Directors (TD) - create / drive system to stimulate real world effects. e.g: fire, water & explosion
     

  7. Producer - responsible for the scheduling of the artist and delivery of all shots in the post production - dealing with the clients
     

  8. 3D artist - modeling, lighting, texturing

 

The VFX Pipeline Flow

 

  1. Research and Development (R&D) the team consists of programmers, scientists, mathematicians to create new tools required. Tests will be produced as a process of convincing clients with a potential look (concept pieces)
     

  2. Modeling (3D artist) for CGI -low poly for pre-visualization where it will be used as a guide during the film shooting. medium quality for animation. high quality for final render.VFX supervisor will be on set to make sure they will have the best overview of how project will be brought back into studios.Reference photography.LIDAR or cyberscan.Film scan > Technical grade > Plate preparation
     

  3. Rigging / Match movers -camera tracking
     

  4. Animation is a process of taking the rigged elements and bringing them into life including anything that moves. e.g: creatures, characters, vehicles ( Animator)
     

  5. Effects Animation ( Effects TD) - particles, rigid body dynamics, fluid
     

  6. Texturing > Look development, VFX Supervisor
     

  7. Lighting & Rendering
     

  8. Rotoscoping - when there's no green screen, rotoscoping is the only way to create mattes that compositor will need to finish.
     

  9. Compositing (Compositor) -all the element are brought together to create the seamless finished images. Lastly, the final composite will exported out as a final film

 

 

 

 

To kickstart my career in VFX?

For me to pursue my career in VFX specifically in the area as compositor or 3D artist, I will have to complete my degree course. Throughout the course I get to learn the techniques and creativity has to be apply within the subject itself. 

During the course, applying for internship will allow me to learn and prepare for the industry once I graduate. Stepping into the industry is a huge change, in VFX industry, you have to start from the junior level. For example, before becoming a compositor you have to start off as roto artist and paint artist.  

 

Setting up a portfolio is a great start to introduce yourself out there into the industry. Other than portfolio, website and showreel are important and they can be published in social media platform. 

 

My goals in 5 years:

  • Mid-level compositor

  • expanding my business in advertising & education (Malaysia)

  • Engaging with different media and platforms

 

Employment in VFX industry?

In the UK:

  1. Internship / workplacement - to gain the first industrial knowledge as well as providing a chance to straight into the industry after graduation

  2. Apprenticeship - a paid training in the Industry

  3. Applying for the job - starting off in entry level 

  4. A successful compositor, VFX Supervisor, or even Producer

 

Income salary guide per annum in UK

Entry level : £17000 - £40000

Senior level : £52000 - £78000

Supervisor & Specialist : £78000 - £104000

 

In Malaysia:(extra information)

Malaysia just kickstart the VFX Industry not long ago when Rhythm and Hues decided to start up the VFX company in Cyberjaya, Malaysia in 2010. In the film Life of Pi, most of the work of the 'Tiger' is done in Malaysia by the artists. Although it is a very sucessful story when Life of Pi won an Oscar Award, Rhythm and Hues announced brankruptcy in California due to business financial. Rhythm and Hues in Malaysia later bought up by Tao Films.

 

Since the exposure of VFX Industry in Malaysia and neighbourhood country Singapore, the VFX Industry is growing in Malaysia with potential. Malaysia government provide generous tax relieves and funding for the industry to start up. 

MDEC Malaysia : http://www.mdec.my/

MSC Malaysia : http://www.mscmalaysia.my/

 

Since the competition is not that huge yet, the chances of getting work is much more higher in Malaysia. 

There are certified Nuke and Adobe training centre available in Malaysia, hkVFX (http://www.hussinkhan.com/) which provides training to the working professionals. 

Bibliography 

 

http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/vfx

 

http://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/industries/tv-film

 

http://www.thevfxcareersguide.com/

 

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/showbiz/article/local-talents-involved-in-life-of-pis-oscar-win

 

http://www.moving-picture.com/about-us/

 

http://www.framestore.com/about

 

http://www.primefocusworld.com/

 

http://glowfrog.com/

 

http://www.televisual.com/news-detail/Prime-Focus-becomes-Blue-2.0-under-new-MD_nid-5242.html

Leading company in VFX Industry?

Moving Picture Company (MPC)

 

 

MPC is one of the leading creative studio in visualisation in the world. MPC has been in the industry for 25 years and located in throughout the globe including the States and Asia. MPC not only focusing in film, advertising but also in entertainment industry. Some of MPC famous projects were Godzilla, Harry Potter franchise, X-Men, Promethus and Life of Pi. MPC clients including Samsung, Coca-Cola, Sony, Three Mobile and Channel 4. MPC provides variety of skill  facilities such as concept design, pre-viz, shoot supervision, 2D compositing, 3D/CG effects, animation, motion design, software development, digital & experiential production, colour grading for advertising and any combination of these services.

In conclusion, MPC contains talented people in the industry and producing creative ideas and skills to the industry no matter in VFX, advertising or entertainment industry.  

 

Framestore

 

 

Framestore is formed in 1986, a British visual effects company based in London spread out to New York City, Montreal and Los Angeles. Framestore develope its own virtual camera and motion capture feature. It is the leading British global leader in visual effects with 900 colleagues within the company.  Framestore specialised in intergrated advertising, film post production, design, digital imaging, pre visualisation, visual developement, and production & direction. 

Small size VFX company

GLOWFROG

Glowfrog is a small size vfx company based in London, the company size is about 11-50 employees. 

Glowfrog specialize in CGI and VFX Production, Architectural CGI, Film and Animation, Planning Verified Views and Reports, Drama Reconstructions, Digital Matte Painting, CGI Cities (Antiquity – 21th C). 

Glowfrog is branch out into different sectors including Architecture/ Real Estate, Branding/ Advertising, Broadcast Factual, Broadcast, Drama, Independent Film,Feature Films.

Prime Focus is an Indian companywho purchased the VTR group five years ago and later merged with Double Negative to keep growing. In the latest news, Prime Focus sold its UK broadcast post production business to a new company Blue 2.0

Prime Focus provide Advancing Stereo Technology which save the time in VFX post production.

 

 

 

 

Prime Focus

Asian company investing in the UK

In conclusion, in VFX industry there are still a lot of sectors to grow rather than just focusing in Film and Post Production although it is the most promising sectors at the moment.

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