How would you explain your job to someone who doesn’t know VFX?
I oversee the process of making film/tv look cool and real. A lot of VFX work has to be done to the footage before it can go on the big screen, and a lot of that work is seamless or “invisible”. To the average viewer you wouldn’t even know anything was done. Those are my favorite types of VFX.
What does a day in the life look like?
A day in my life usually entails checking in with my teams on any milestones / deadlines, facilitating the necessary client communication, and just generally weighing the internal resources and needs against the needs of the client - which can look and pan out completely different depending on the show! That’s where it’s important to exercise good judgment as far as what is priority, what is time-consuming, what can wait, etc. These decisions help steer a show to the finish line and ultimately play a part in its success. I also work quite extensively in excel, tracking changes, costs and updating the budget constantly. Attention to detail is super important as well, especially when it involves the money!
What are some of your favorite projects? Why?
My favorite project is the most recent film I worked on for Universal, “Him.” This was a really cool project because we got to do something super cool and unique with a thermal camera - specifically a camera typically only used by engineers. We did a bunch of camera look-development tests on stunt doubles before principal photography even started, exploring different compositing effects in tandem with CG nervous and skeletal systems we built. These tests helped prepare us for when we would eventually get the real thermal footage from principal photography, as we had already streamlined the workflow and explored a ton of cool creative ideas. So by the time we got the footage, we were far more prepared to execute a cohesive creative vision using this unique footage. So basically I got to really watch the shots evolve from their nascent explorative stage to their final-picture-worthy look, which was super cool!
.avif)
Him | Directed by Justin Tipping
What's something you wish people knew about what you do?
A lot of what you see in movies and TV have a TON of “digital manipulation” before you see it on the big screen. Beautiful landscapes that really capture a film were actually shot on green screen. That rain you’re seeing wasn’t actually there on the day of shooting. These are just a couple examples but are what make what I do so cool in my opinion. I love the “invisible” effects, because when they truly pass as invisible, it means we did our job right!
What is something that excites you about your career?
Someone once said filmmaking is lies in the service of truth - I always thought that was interesting to hear, because once you really work in production, you see how staged EVERYTHING really is, everyone from on set to postproduction is working in unison to create this “illusion” of sorts that ultimately feels real and “true” to the viewer in the end.
Are you learning anything new?
Every day I learn new technical tips and tricks from the artists at work, often through new client requests where we need to brainstorm a creative solution together. This is always a fun part of my job - when artists screen share and I really get to see how the work is done from their side of things - I love geeking out on technical solutions.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love the NYT games, I play Wordle, the crossword, pips, spelling bee, and connections pretty much every day. I love all word games really. I also love playing people from around the world on chess.com, as well as going to the gym, playing tennis and hanging out with my cat haha.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Most important lesson I’ve learned is that nobody knows you better than you. Stay true to yourself always!
SPOTLIGHT
Andrew Jacobs
VFX Producer
SPOTLIGHT
Andrew Jacobs
VFX Producer
How would you explain your job to someone who doesn’t know VFX?
I oversee the process of making film/tv look cool and real. A lot of VFX work has to be done to the footage before it can go on the big screen, and a lot of that work is seamless or “invisible”. To the average viewer you wouldn’t even know anything was done. Those are my favorite types of VFX.
What does a day in the life look like?
A day in my life usually entails checking in with my teams on any milestones / deadlines, facilitating the necessary client communication, and just generally weighing the internal resources and needs against the needs of the client - which can look and pan out completely different depending on the show! That’s where it’s important to exercise good judgment as far as what is priority, what is time-consuming, what can wait, etc. These decisions help steer a show to the finish line and ultimately play a part in its success. I also work quite extensively in excel, tracking changes, costs and updating the budget constantly. Attention to detail is super important as well, especially when it involves the money!
What are some of your favorite projects? Why?
My favorite project is the most recent film I worked on for Universal, “Him.” This was a really cool project because we got to do something super cool and unique with a thermal camera - specifically a camera typically only used by engineers. We did a bunch of camera look-development tests on stunt doubles before principal photography even started, exploring different compositing effects in tandem with CG nervous and skeletal systems we built. These tests helped prepare us for when we would eventually get the real thermal footage from principal photography, as we had already streamlined the workflow and explored a ton of cool creative ideas. So by the time we got the footage, we were far more prepared to execute a cohesive creative vision using this unique footage. So basically I got to really watch the shots evolve from their nascent explorative stage to their final-picture-worthy look, which was super cool!
Him | Directed by Justin Tipping
What's something you wish people knew about what you do?
A lot of what you see in movies and TV have a TON of “digital manipulation” before you see it on the big screen. Beautiful landscapes that really capture a film were actually shot on green screen. That rain you’re seeing wasn’t actually there on the day of shooting. These are just a couple examples but are what make what I do so cool in my opinion. I love the “invisible” effects, because when they truly pass as invisible, it means we did our job right!
What is something that excites you about your career?
Someone once said filmmaking is lies in the service of truth - I always thought that was interesting to hear, because once you really work in production, you see how staged EVERYTHING really is, everyone from on set to postproduction is working in unison to create this “illusion” of sorts that ultimately feels real and “true” to the viewer in the end.
Are you learning anything new?
Every day I learn new technical tips and tricks from the artists at work, often through new client requests where we need to brainstorm a creative solution together. This is always a fun part of my job - when artists screen share and I really get to see how the work is done from their side of things - I love geeking out on technical solutions.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love the NYT games, I play Wordle, the crossword, pips, spelling bee, and connections pretty much every day. I love all word games really. I also love playing people from around the world on chess.com, as well as going to the gym, playing tennis and hanging out with my cat haha.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Most important lesson I’ve learned is that nobody knows you better than you. Stay true to yourself always!