In its efforts to further educate the entertainment industry on the practice and business of visual effects, the Visual Effects Society (VES) plans to launch a white paper program in 2008. Set for distribution in March, ‘The State of VFX’ will be the first of several papers the organization will publish for the greater entertainment industry.
The first VES paper will cover the industry-wide transition to a digitally dominated production paradigm, and how it is being driven by rapid changes in technology. Other issues addressed include such economic and creative ramifications as the eroding lines of production phases, the demands of new roles in the production process, and the myth that vfx production is fast, cheap and easy to do. The paper will also offer information and opinions from the 2007 Visual Effects Society Think Tank comprised of leaders from the vfx and software industries, as well as many in-depth, one-on-one interviews.
‘This will be the beginning of an important industry-wide dialogue lead by the practitioners who experience these changes on a daily basis,’ says VES chair Jeff Okun. ‘Key issues need to be addressed now, not only within the visual effects industry, but as part of an industry-wide initiative to move the art and business of filmmaking forward.’
Initial analysis conducted by VES indicates that a majority of the entertainment industry does not have a working understanding of visual effects and the work that goes into it. The organization believes that guilds and societies need to come together to address the key issues, and that decision makers at the studio level need to be educated on the process of bringing effects to the screen.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary VES is a professional, honorary society and official trade organization representing the extended community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. More information can be found at www.visualeffectssociety.com.
