A Deeper Dive into the Issues of VFX and the VFX Roto Industry

The issues of the VFX Roto community are like a ball of knots.

The issues are many and they interconnect. If you start unravelling one knot, you can  create other knots. Also, issues can be nested within other issues, creating sublevels.

The mission of A BIT BETTER ROTO is to identify each issue and unravel them.

What are these issues?

Here is a list made purely from my own observations based on my experiences in the VFX Roto industry. This list also reflects the issues related or nested within some of the larger, more complex issues.

ACROSS THE VFX INDUSTRY

• (01) The current VFX bidding system determines cost based on a perception of cost and does not use any actual or historical data.
  • (01a) Project bids are often made without plates. (Example: VFX is often bid using an edit at best or a script or a storyboard at worst.)
  • (01b) Project bids are often made with “best-case scenario” assumptions. (Example: Assume every green screen is fully keyable and only 1 day of roto is all that is required)
    • (01b_i) The people involved in bidding system have biases toward lower and fixed prices
    • (01b_ii) Low and fixed prices creates a perception that VFX solutions are cheap and fast. This devalues the work.
• (02) This devaluation of VFX creates systemic pain points by the Client and for the VFX Studios.  See below.

ON THE CLIENT SIDE

• (03) Many Client Projects have high volume and/or high complexity. Volume and complexity are not pain points by themselves but if the Client also expects quick turnarounds, this combination of  conditions create pain points.
• (04) Clients sometimes lack a clear creative goal. Lack of creative decisiveness requires a lot of versions to figure it out. Again, the lack of a creative direction is not by itself a pain point. If the Client adds budget and time, iterating is not a pain point. But if the schedule is aggressive and the client isn’t flexible with schedule, these conditions create pain points.
• (05) Clients turn over the working files later than the scheduled project start date AND do not move the project end date accordingly.
• (06) Clients can negotiate for fixed pricing and hard end dates for the Vendors but they also expect unlimited iterations. This is a pain point.

ON THE VFX STUDIO SIDE

• (07) VFX Studios lack adequate resources. We could always use more time, more qualified artists, faster, more current technology, and more pipeline support to automate workflows. As mentioned above in (01), VFX studios and projects are under-resourced due to low bids.
  • (07a) Another reason for being under-resourced is many VFX Companies use underbidding the market to secure a project.
  • (07b) This industry practice of underbidding also drives the markets perception of VFX cost down.
• (08) When under-resourced, Studio leadership often make “less than ideal” decisions.
  • (08a) Leadership may bypass proven show set up and management procedures to appear as if we’re starting faster. For small teams with small projects such as 30 shots or less, this may work. But this does not scale for larger teams and projects.
  • (08a_i) Shortcut starts may take the form of:
    • No plate ingestion which also means no task plate tracking
    • No Artist-Welcome to the Facility Onboarding
    • No Artist-Welcome to the Show Onboarding
    • No Facility Tech Specs created
    • No Show-Specific Tech Specs created
  • (08b) If Project Scope is high volume, the schedule is tight and hiring more Artists is not an option, the VFX Studio must increase current artist hours aka work overtime or work more days per week. OT, by itself, is not an issue but the following conditions are:
    • Extended periods of OT (over two weeks or more)
    • Artists anxiety from not being able to deliver even with OT
  • (08c) Leads and Production may have less patience when faced with the combination of multiple expectations within thin turnaround times.
    • This lack of patience can manifest as reduced communication.
      • Lack of communiction slows productivity
      • Lack of communication increases versions created to get to a final.
  • (08d) The above conditions in 8a, 8b, 8c over long periods will increase Artist burnout
    • (08d_i) Artist burnout leads to Artist Resignations and Artist Turnover
    • (08d_ii) Increased Artist turnover also increases stress on leadership/management to back-fill hire, onboard, and mentor.
• (09) Under-resourced studios cannot keep certain staff for long periods. So hiring must be project-based.
  • (09a) Project-based hiring model means job insecurity for Roto Artists regardless of performance.
  • (09b) Project-based hiring model means low incentive for long-term (5+ years) Artist talent retention.
  • (09c) Incentives for long-term employment such salary raises and promotional titles are not offered.
  • (09d) Artists only option for advancement is “contract hopping”- negotiate for advancement thru a new contract / new employer.
• (10) Studios do not agree on definitions of Levelling for Roto Artists
  • (10a) This lack of a industry standard creates possible low-pricing of artists. Example, a Studio can post a job description that lists Senior Level skills but label it a “junior” level position so they will pay the “junior” rate. rate.
  • (10b) For Leads, they feel the discomfort of working with Artists whose Level does not match their performance. Usually an Artist calls themself “senior” but the body of work indicates something else.
• (13) When Leadership feels time-crunched, they communicate less, expecting the Artist to flag issues. Further Leaders don’t create a “safe space to communicate” because it requires time.
• (14) Artists, who also feel the time crunch, fear to speak up due to fear of disappointing the Lead, Supe, or Manager. Or worse, they feel there will be punishment for flagging issues.
• (15) Lack of resources and project-only focus prohibits VFX studios to automate or innovate current systems, or explore new tech. “We dont have the time or people or budget to do anything other than deliver this project.”
• (16) Undefined or uncommunicated expectations between Department Leadership
  • (16a) The department has no Technical Specifications. (Tech specs are basically the expectations of how that Studio wants their roto done).
  • (16b) The department has not defined their “task complexities”. What makes a task “easy”, “medium”, “hard”?
  • (16c) The Department has not defined their Leveling for their Artists.
  • (16d) No, or lack of, specialized training of current Artists / “sink or swim” environment

WITHIN THE VFX STUDIO AND WITHIN THE ROTO DEPARTMENT

• (16 continued) Undefined or uncommunicated expectations within the Roto Department within one Studio. This is the same as 16 above but now within one specific department – the Roto Department
  • (16a) The Roto Department does not have a list of technical expectations for Roto within that Studio.
    • (16a_ii) If there was set of specs, there is no consistent standard of Roto within that Studio. Every Supervior or Lead can and does change the Roto Specifications.
  • (16b) Roto Department has no definition of task complexities. See 16b above.
  • (16c) Roto Department has not defined their Leveling for their Artists. See 16c above.
    • (16c_i) Multiple Leads have multiple Levelling criteria for multiple artists. So while one Lead may call an artist “Senior Level” another Lead may say “Mid”
  • (16d) Roto Department has no, or lacks, specialized training for current Artists. See 16d above.
    • (16d_i) Artists cannot focus their training time and cannot level up because they dont have a clear path for training or progression.
• (17) The lack of revenue and increased demand forces VFX studios to seek “lower cost” options such as Outsource Roto and AI Roto.
  • (17a) Outsourcing amplifies the above issues. Overseas labor can be a great asset if the VFX studios expectations are clear, communicated to the Vendor and practiced by the Vendor. But the outsourcing can be a huge pain point if their results don’t match the Studios specs.
    • (17a_01) Outsourcing Roto also becomes a pain point if the delivery date expectation is faster than the system’s turnaround time. Outsource systems need a minimum time for detailed tasking and data transfer.
  • (17b) AI’s impact is still new to VFX Roto and it is unknown if it can deliver Professional Level VFX and the studio’s specific technical specs. If the VFX industry adopts AI, we don’t know where those pain points are yet.

Have you experienced these issues? Are there some I am missing? Am I off? Let me know.