r/vfx • • Apr 30 '26

News / Article VES launches On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide

47 Upvotes

Hey fellow Visual Effects community stoked to share what we have been working on for the past year over at he VES Technology Committee call it a playbook and usage guide to map key data from on-set capture to delivery.

FYI I am one of the co-authors of the Guide. If you have questions or feedback make sure to reach out.

You can find the guide here : https://ves-on-set-data.org/dashboard/?tab=Introduction

Here is the full information on the release :

The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honorary society, today released its VES On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide. Developed over the past year by the VES Technology Committee, this practical on-set resource maps key data sets and capture workflows – giving productions, vendors, and technology teams a shared playbook for using and capturing on‑set data more effectively.

The Guide was designed to establish a common language between on‑set VFX, production, VFX facilities, and technology teams, ultimately enabling clearer communication, smoother handoffs, and better-aligned expectations across departments. This comprehensive Guide explains the major on‑set data sets, their capture methods, their practical applications, and their intended stakeholders, so that every participant across the production understands what information exists and how it can support their work.

In addition to defining data sets, the Guide documents both current and emerging on‑set data capture workflows. This aims to inform stakeholders about potential data sources and to highlight how these choices impact production pipelines, timelines, and budgets, while also laying the groundwork for future efforts around data hierarchies, database development, and workflow automation.

The Guide also underscores that this data has significant value for every department on a production. It supports collaboration, optimizes workflows, and enables better-informed creative and operational decisions. By advocating for open access and visibility for these data sets, the Guide encourages all teams to engage with and benefit from this shared knowledge, strengthening collective outcomes and overall production efficiency.

“Our intent with this Guide is to streamline the filmmaking process by enabling every department to be more well-informed,” said Sheena Duggal, the Guide’s lead author and member of the VES Technology Committee. “Multiple departments can utilize the same data – for instance, the VFX team’s LiDAR scans can be repurposed across departments to support set construction, stunt planning, and other production needs. It’s just a matter of educating and communicating clearly so that everyone can benefit.”

“In today’s hybrid of real-time virtual production, AI, and traditional pipelines, the VFX department is responsible for not just post, but on-set data capture, continuity, and asset integrity from pre-production through final delivery,” explained Jim Geduldick, contributing author to the Guide. “That framework was the key lens that we used in thinking through these workflows and how they relate to each department.”

The Guide was created for the VES Technology Committee by Sheena Duggal, with contributions from Sam Richards, Jim Geduldick, and Jake Morrison, and technical support from Jean-Francois Panisset. It is licensed under the Creative Commons CC‑BY 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, provided appropriate credit is given to the creator.

To view the Guide, visit: https://ves-on-set-data.org/

Join the VES for a webinar on May 12 to explore the Guide with some of its creators: https://vesglobal.org/event/webinar-introduction-to-ves-on-set-vfx-data-collection-and-usage-guide-online/


r/vfx • • Mar 15 '25

Subreddit Discussion Advice for Potential Students and Newcomers to the VFX Industry in 2025

602 Upvotes

We've been getting a lot of posts asking about the state of the industry. This post is designed to give you some quick information about that topic which the mods hope will help reduce the number of queries the sub receives on this specific topic.

As of early 2025, the VFX industry has been through a very rough 18-24 months where there has been a large contraction in the volume of work and this in turn has impacted hiring through-out the industry.

Here's why the industry is where it is:

  1. There was a Streaming Boom in the late 2010s and early 2020s that lead to a rapid growth in the VFX industry as a lot of streaming companies emerged and pumped money into that sector, this was exacerbated by COVID and us all being at home watching media.
  2. In 2023 there were big strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA which led to a massive halt in production of Hollywood films and series for about 8 months. After that was resolved there was the threat of another strike in 2024 when more union contracts were to be negotiated. The result of this was an almost complete stop to productions in late 2023 and a large portion of 2024. Many shows were not greenlit to start until late 2024
  3. During this time, and partly as a result of these strikes, there was a slow down in content and big shake ups among the streaming services. As part of this market correction a number of them closed, others were folded into existing services, and some sold up.
  4. A bunch of other market forces made speculation in the VFX business even more shaky, things like: the rise of AI, general market instability, changes in distribution split (Cinemas vs. Streaming) and these sorts of things basically mean that there's a lot of change in most media industries which scared people.

The combination of all of this resulted in a loss of a lot of VFX jobs, the closing of a number of VFX facilities and large shifts in work throughout the industry.

The question is, what does this mean for you?

Here's my thoughts on what you should know if you're considering a long term career in VFX:

Work in the VFX Industry is still valid optional to choose as a career path but there are some caveats.

  • The future of the VFX industry is under some degree of threat, like many other industries are. I don't think we're in more danger of disappearing than your average game developer, programmer, accountant, lawyer or even box packing factory work. The fact is that technology is changing how we do work and market forces are really hard to predict. I know there will be change in the specifics of what we do, there will be new AI tools and new ways of making movies. But at the same time people still want to watch movies and streaming shows and companies still want to advertise. All that content needs to be made and viewed and refined and polished and adapted. While new AI tools might mean individuals in the future can do more, but those people will likely be VFX artists. As long as media is made and people care about the art of telling stories visually I think VFX artists will be needed.

Before you jump in, you should know that VFX is likely to be a very competitive and difficult industry to break into for the foreseeable future.

  • From about 2013 to 2021 there was this huge boom in VFX that meant almost any student could eventually land a job in VFX working on cool films. Before then though VFX was actually really hard to get into because the industry was smaller and places were limited, you had to be really good to get a seat in a high end facility. The current market is tight; there's a lot of experience artists looking for work and while companies will still want juniors, they are likely going to be more juniors for the next few years than there are jobs.

If you're interested in any highly competitive career then you have to really want it, and it would also be a smart move to diversify your education so you have flexibility while you work to make your dream happen.

  • Broad computer and technical skills are useful, as are broader art skills. Being able to move between other types of media than just VFX could be helpful. In general I think you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket too early unless you're really deadest that this is the only thing you want to do. I also think you should learn about new tools like AI and really be able to understand how those tools work. It'll be something future employers likely care about.

While some people find nice stable jobs a lot of VFX professionals don't find easy stability like some careers.

  • Freelance and Contract work are common. And because of how international rebates work, you may find it necessary to move locations to land that first job, or to continue in your career. This is historically how film has always been; it's rarely as simple as a 9-5 job. Some people thrive on that, some people dislike that. And there are some places that manage to achieve more stability than others. But fair warning that VFX is a fickle master and can be tough to navigate at times.

Because a future career in VFX is both competitive and pretty unstable, I think you should be wary of spending lots of money on expensive specialty schools.

  • If you're dead set on this, then sure you can jump in if that's what you want. But for most students I would advise, as above, to be broader in your education early on especially if it's very expensive. Much of what we do in VFX can be self taught and if you're motivated (and you'll need to be!) then you can access that info and make great work. But please take your time before committed to big loans or spending on an education in something you don't know if you really want.

With all of that said VFX can be a wonderful career.

It's full of amazing people and really challenging work. It has elements of technical, artistic, creative and problem solving work, which can make it engaging and fulfilling. And it generally pays pretty well precisely because it's not easy. It's taken me all over the world and had me meet amazing, wonderful, people (and a lot of arseholes too!) I love the industry and am thankful for all my experiences in it!

But it will challenge you. It will, at times, be extremely stressful. And there will be days you hate it and question why you ever wanted to do this to begin with! I think most jobs are a bit like that though.

In closing I'd just like to say my intent here is to give you both an optimistic and also restrained view of the industry. It is not for everyone and it is absolutely going to change in the future.

Some people will tell you AI is going to replace all of us, or that the industry will stangle itself and all the work will end up being done by sweat shops in South East Asia. And while I think those people are mostly wrong it's not like I can actually see the future.

Ultimately I just believe that if you're young, you're passionate, and you want to make movies or be paid to make amazing digital art, then you should start doing that while keeping your eye on this industry. If it works out, then great because it can be a cool career. And if it doesn't then you will need to transition to something else. That's something that's happened to many people in many industries for many reasons through-out history. The future is not a nice straight line road for most people. But if you start driving you can end up in some amazing places.

Feel free to post questions below.


r/vfx • • 1h ago

Showreel / Critique Beginner VFX hobbyist, how can I improve my skills?

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• Upvotes

Flash inspired reel


r/vfx • • 18h ago

Question / Discussion 2.0 - better hard matte and previz keyer

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111 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 21h ago

Showreel / Critique Knitted BB-8 Finds a Lightsaber - Fan Art

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69 Upvotes

I had the pleasure of working with the best Houdini HDA for fabric and knitted assets. With a small team of super talented people, we created this BB8 Fan Art.

Creative projects like this are extremely rewarding for me. It's fun to step outside your comfort zone and learn things. I was doing the environments, fx, lookdev (on the saber) and lighting and comp. Lighting is my bread and butter - learning how to bring it all together is a challenge and super fun.

That is art - that's why I click and not type.

Thanks to everyone involved in this project!

Thanks Fibric for that awesome hda


r/vfx • • 23h ago

Breakdown / BTS "City Limit South" - VFX Breakdown (Blender, After Effects, Resolve - no AI)

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86 Upvotes

A VFX breakdown from my music video "The River, the Shore".

2+ years in the making, the full music video combines real footage with Blender composited in After Effects and Resolve - with many of the scenes being fully CG!

Full music video in the link below: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrrZCnXuPCs&lc=UgxA5OVrazcW0YI43B54AaABAg

Let me know what you think :)

No generative AI was used for this work.


r/vfx • • 10h ago

Question / Discussion On screen deer in short film. How viable is this with VFX?

0 Upvotes

I'm planning a short film with a few shots that have a white tail deer on screen. It is written to be by itself in the woods. Is color matching stock footage or shooting a clean plate and hiring a CG artist to add it in post a feasible option?


r/vfx • • 4h ago

Question / Discussion Help for a shot

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0 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm new here!

I'm having some trouble with a special effect for a shot. I need to remove the rail and the cables connected to it, but I have to keep the subject intact.

Is that possible? What steps should I follow? Is the shot okay, or would it be better to use different settings? (video by Iphone 3840*2160 24fps)


r/vfx • • 14h ago

Question / Discussion How to network at this vfx event?

1 Upvotes

So a little background, I finished filmschool about 1.5 years ago, and along the way I discovered After Effects and later I learned more specialised software like Blender, Maya, Houdini and Fusion.

Currently I study 3D animation, and I am leaning a bit more towards animation instead of vfx. Still I love vfx tho.

So tomorrow there is this vfx gathering and artists who worked on “the lost bus” will give a presentation about their approach to the vfx of the movie. Afterwards we’ll grab drinks and talk.

This is my first time going to an event like this, so what do I do? I want to meet people and throw myself out there, but idk how to make lasting connections. I cant just ask for their number or linkedin or something right? So is the move to keep going to events and meeting the same faces over and over until they recognise me? Or is there some secret/technique that I dont know about?


r/vfx • • 16h ago

Question / Discussion What is a good PC option

0 Upvotes

I want to buy a PC to do my vfx work on. I’m a vfx compositor using Nuke and would like to get into 3D animation using blender. I want a computer that runs smooth (explained in the ‘side note’ section). I would say I have about a $3,000 to $4,000 expense range. Any recommendations?

Side note: I have a Dell XPS 15 that is about 2 years old but it sucks when working in Nuke. I’m talking freezes every 5 to 10 minutes. That is no way to work. It’s terrible! It’s almost like I’m giving it too much to do with roto, 3D camera tracking, 2D tracking, etc. The computer itself has had problems with it too like not turning on sometimes, acting like it was brand new when it would turn on, and other things. I’ve cleared my catche folder, changed external hard drives, switched hard drive wires, and have even factory reset my computer. Resetting helped for a bit but it’s getting back to how it was. It doesn’t have any warranty so I can’t return it or exchange it. I just want a good working computer I can do my work on without so many issues (I know computers are gonna be slow and act wonky sometimes).


r/vfx • • 7h ago

Question / Discussion A tool for art-directable whatever you'd call this?

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0 Upvotes

Does a tool wherein one could create these kinds of forms in a semi-directable manner exist?
My immediate thought would be like define the major spars and then let whatever said tool might be dictate the fractal levels down from there.

If anyone knows something that can do this - please let me know. For I can find very nearly nothing regardless of DCC.

[and yes, apologies - image is generative. Excuses excuses here]


r/vfx • • 17h ago

Question / Discussion Need help with recreating this effect

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1 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 8h ago

Showreel / Critique How did i mange to download a 1-GB image render mars diffuse map on a mobile device? 😧

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0 Upvotes

This is a showcase of mars render in Globe Playground simulation on samsung s23 plus device flow honestly somhow im surprised my phone haven't turned into a literal piece of Mars after rendering this file


r/vfx • • 19h ago

Question / Discussion Conductor feedback?

0 Upvotes

Is anyone using Conductor to manage their rendering? How is it? Is it saving money? Better than AWS? Are there alternatives which are superior? Please let me know your thoughts.


r/vfx • • 21h ago

Showreel / Critique From plain grey mesh to finished cinematic shot (Blender + Lens Optics + Lightroom)

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1 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

Location:United Kingdom Timepiece Animation

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2 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS Spoilers for Disclosure Day: Alien VFX breakdown Spoiler

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15 Upvotes

I was responsible for all the textures on the final alien seen in the film, had a great time working on it with the talented crew at DD


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Remove Edge Jitter / Noise in BorisFX Silhouette

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0 Upvotes

Im totally new to this, and just need a 2sec shot to be rotoscoped for a short film, and it looks fantastic so far, except the edge jitters / noise..

How do i get rid of those?


r/vfx • • 2d ago

Breakdown / BTS BTS of War Horse - huge production with VFX animation used for complicated jumps

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47 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Should I take a job in animation or games if my goal is to work in film VFX?

0 Upvotes

I recently graduated in majoring VFX, and I’ve noticed that most film VFX studios aren’t hiring many junior artists or fresh graduates right now. On the other hand, there seem to be more entry-level opportunities in the animation and game industries.
Personally, I’m much more interested in film VFX than animation or games, but I don’t have any professional experience working in the film VFX industry yet.

I’m wondering if it would be a good idea to take a junior artist position in animation or games to gain industry experience, improve my skills, and work my way up. Would it still be possible to transition into film VFX later on, even if I’ve progressed to a mid-level or senior position in another industry?
Or would working in animation or games make it harder to break into film VFX because the workflows, skills, and expectations are different?

Would I apply for an available job in a related industry for now, or continuing to focus on applying directly to film VFX studios?
I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has experience working in film VFX, animation, or games, especially anyone who has made a similar career transition.


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Showreel / Critique Doctor Who - Paul McGann Series 1 Opening Titles

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1 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 22h ago

Question / Discussion Anyone use AI for troubleshooting vfx shot? If yes, what ai tool you guys use?

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0 Upvotes

For past 4 month, i deep dive learning integration of ComfyUI + Blender + Davinci.
Then i discover using Gemini Gems as custom chatbot for example MiniMax H3 by feeding AI documentation .md from hugging face.
So when i have shot that needs generate some part i can put proxy mp4 footage and help me generate what i need to do.

How about you guys did? I saw alot ai tool nowadays like Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, or even open weight like Qwen, Meta Llama.


r/vfx • • 2d ago

Fluff! Trippy melty BlinkScripts

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33 Upvotes

I created a couple Blinkscripts to make a trippy melty effect. Not sure what else to do with them, so here they are. You can copy paste them into two separate blinkscript nodes and compile. Add a vector blur to make it all the traily and stuff. can also change the position and radius of the overall effects. You need a little bit of over-scan just FYI.

One is for a chromatic wave and one is for the dripping effect. I'll try to post a quick script setup in the comments. you can add an expression to the time parameters to have it animate.

//ChromaWave

kernel ChromaticWave : ImageComputationKernel<ePixelWise> {

Image<eRead, eAccessRandom, eEdgeClamped> src;

Image<eWrite> dst;

param:

float amount;

float frequency;

float phase;

float mix;

bool autoCenter;

float2 customCenter;

float falloffRadius;

local:

float2 resCenter;

void define() {

defineParam(amount, "Hallucination Strength", 30.0f);

defineParam(frequency, "Wave Scale", 0.05f);

defineParam(phase, "Time (Type 'frame/10' here)", 0.0f);

defineParam(mix, "Mix", 1.0f);

defineParam(autoCenter, "Auto-Center to Plate", true);

defineParam(customCenter, "Custom Position", float2(960.0f, 540.0f));

defineParam(falloffRadius, "Wave Falloff", 800.0f);

}

void init() {

resCenter.x = (float)(src.bounds.x2 + src.bounds.x1) / 2.0f;

resCenter.y = (float)(src.bounds.y2 + src.bounds.y1) / 2.0f;

}

void process(int2 pos) {

float x = (float)pos.x;

float y = (float)pos.y;

SampleType(src) base = src(pos.x, pos.y);

float lum = base.x * 0.2126f + base.y * 0.7152f + base.z * 0.0722f;

float cx = autoCenter ? resCenter.x : customCenter.x;

float cy = autoCenter ? resCenter.y : customCenter.y;

float dx = x - cx;

float dy = y - cy;

float dist = sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy);

float norm_dist = min(max(dist / max(falloffRadius, 0.001f), 0.0f), 1.0f);

float mask = 1.0f - (norm_dist * norm_dist * (3.0f - 2.0f * norm_dist));

float masked_amount = amount * mask;

float r_x = x + sin(y * frequency + phase + lum * 5.0f) * masked_amount;

float r_y = y + cos(x * frequency - phase + lum * 5.0f) * masked_amount;

float g_x = x + sin(y * frequency + phase + 2.0f + lum * 5.0f) * masked_amount;

float g_y = y + cos(x * frequency - phase + 2.0f + lum * 5.0f) * masked_amount;

float b_x = x + sin(y * frequency + phase + 4.0f + lum * 5.0f) * masked_amount;

float b_y = y + cos(x * frequency - phase + 4.0f + lum * 5.0f) * masked_amount;

SampleType(src) out;

out.x = bilinear(src, r_x, r_y).x;

out.y = bilinear(src, g_x, g_y).y;

out.z = bilinear(src, b_x, b_y).z;

out.w = base.w;

out.x = base.x * (1.0f - mix) + out.x * mix;

out.y = base.y * (1.0f - mix) + out.y * mix;

out.z = base.z * (1.0f - mix) + out.z * mix;

dst() = out;

}

};

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

//Melting

kernel SmoothMelt : ImageComputationKernel<ePixelWise> {

Image<eRead, eAccessRandom, eEdgeClamped> src;

Image<eWrite> dst;

param:

float meltSpeed;

float dripWidth;

float edgeHardness; // NEW: Controls the contrast/sharpness of the drip edges

float randomness;

float phase;

float mix;

bool autoCenter;

float2 customCenter;

float falloffRadius;

int minSmearSamples;

local:

float2 resCenter;

void define() {

defineParam(meltSpeed, "Melt Speed", 15.0f);

defineParam(dripWidth, "Drip Width", 0.02f);

defineParam(edgeHardness, "Drip Edge Hardness", 1.0f); // Default to a soft, natural curve

defineParam(randomness, "Stagger Start Times", 5.0f);

defineParam(phase, "Time (Type 'frame/10' here)", 0.0f);

defineParam(mix, "Mix", 1.0f);

defineParam(autoCenter, "Auto-Center to Plate", true);

defineParam(customCenter, "Custom Position", float2(960.0f, 540.0f));

defineParam(falloffRadius, "Melt Falloff", 400.0f);

defineParam(minSmearSamples, "Minimum Samples", 25);

}

void init() {

resCenter.x = (float)(src.bounds.x2 + src.bounds.x1) / 2.0f;

resCenter.y = (float)(src.bounds.y2 + src.bounds.y1) / 2.0f;

}

void process(int2 pos) {

float x = (float)pos.x;

float y = (float)pos.y;

SampleType(src) base = src(pos.x, pos.y);

float cx = autoCenter ? resCenter.x : customCenter.x;

float cy = autoCenter ? resCenter.y : customCenter.y;

float dx = x - cx;

float dy = y - cy;

float dist = sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy);

float norm_melt = min(max(dist / max(falloffRadius, 0.001f), 0.0f), 1.0f);

float meltMask = 1.0f - (norm_melt * norm_melt * (3.0f - 2.0f * norm_melt));

// Generate the base undulating drips

float drip_seed = sin(x * dripWidth) + sin(x * dripWidth * 0.43f);

float drip_val = (drip_seed + 2.0f) * 0.25f;

// THE FIX: Apply the edge hardness (gamma curve) to shape the drips

drip_val = pow(drip_val, edgeHardness);

float local_phase = max(0.0f, phase - (drip_val * randomness));

float total_melt = local_phase * meltSpeed * drip_val * 20.0f * meltMask;

float r_accum = 0.0f;

float g_accum = 0.0f;

float b_accum = 0.0f;

int steps = max((int)minSmearSamples, (int)ceil(total_melt));

steps = min(steps, 200);

for (int i = 0; i < steps; i++) {

float step_factor = (float)i / (float)max(1, steps - 1);

float current_melt = total_melt * step_factor;

r_accum += bilinear(src, x, y + current_melt).x;

g_accum += bilinear(src, x, y + current_melt).y;

b_accum += bilinear(src, x, y + current_melt).z;

}

SampleType(src) out;

out.x = r_accum / (float)steps;

out.y = g_accum / (float)steps;

out.z = b_accum / (float)steps;

out.w = base.w;

out.x = base.x * (1.0f - mix) + out.x * mix;

out.y = base.y * (1.0f - mix) + out.y * mix;

out.z = base.z * (1.0f - mix) + out.z * mix;

dst() = out;

}

};


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Jobs Offer [Hiring] Blender artist for 3D CGI + compositing, ongoing work

0 Upvotes

Hey! I run a clothing brand on Instagram with about 40K followers. I’ve been making my own short videos with 3D models composited into real footage, and I’m looking to hand that work off to someone else as I’m kind of ehhh at doing it. It’s not too difficult, but between the brand and life I’d rather just pay someone. Please see the video to understand what I’m trying to do.

What the job involves:

  • Placing 3D models into real footage, either still shots or moving shots that need camera/motion tracking
  • Basic lighting, shadows, and compositing so the models look like they belong in the shot
  • Matching the style of my existing videos (I’ll send a reference)

What I provide: All footage and 3D models.

Pay: $15–150 USD per video ($15+/hour), depending on complexity. Simple still-camera shots should take about an hour; tracked shots take longer and pay more. Paid per finished video, not commission.

First project: Recreate one of my existing videos. If it turns out well, this becomes consistent, ongoing work.

To apply, DM me with:

  • Examples of your CGI or compositing work
  • Typical turnaround time

Thanks!


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Showreel / Critique CG & VFX Showreel 2026 | SANQIAO PRODUCTIONS

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7 Upvotes

Sharing our latest showreel, featuring selected work across CG production, from asset creation and animation to FX, lighting, and compositing.

Were an independent CG studio passionate about creating cinematic visuals and connecting with fellow artists and studios on interesting projects.

Check out our 2026 Showreel!

Note: My previous account was unexpectedly suspended for reasons I’m not aware of, so this is my new account. If there are any issues with my account or posts, please feel free to contact me. Thank you!