The Corridor Crew brilliantly explain how VFX isn’t bad, it’s rushed. Yeah I know it’s the title of the video but it’s true. The upper management of the studios seemingly have no idea what they’re asking for. There’s also some eyebrow raising examples of what happens in the industry as well.
To prove the point, Jordan has to create the visual effects shot needed in 5 minutes, then 5 hours and finally 5 days. Despite having the extra time in each case, it’s still stressful for the artist.
Oh just watch the video, it’s better than me trying to push the same point. 😄
I remember freelance designer friends complaining of the same issues years ago. Lack of time, clueless managers making last minute changes, and fixed-bid projects with unrealistic deadlines.
The same issue has been true in the broader tech industry. One solution is if you’re bidding on a fixed contract, to put strict cost control measures and limit the number of revisions.
Another is to move into specializations that they can’t get elsewhere. Be the place you go for water effects, or amazing space travel, or realistic humans. If you’re relying on After Effects, or Houdini, or Maya, anyone who has access to the same tools becomes your competitor. But create plugins that nobody else has and makes you special and you stand out.
Once everyone figured out how to make a website, it became a commodity and it was a race to the bottom. Those who made it figured out how to move up the food chain.
As far as the broader tech industry, you need to do a balancing act between specialization and general skills. Never know when the whims of a megacorp will suddenly kill the specific niche you’ve built a nice home in, so make sure your skills are general enough to be transferable.