What's It Like Working At A VFX Studio?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Just realised I dont actually say the name of the studio I work at until about 9 minutes in! The company is called Coffee & TV and it's great 😊

[@DylanArcherOssmann]

thank you so much, I am a young aspiring vfx artist, I hear a lot about how terrible of an industry it is to work in right now but it's really nice to hear about someone working decent hours with decent pay.

[@AlfieVaughan]

No problem! Don't be put off. Some of the massive film companies get some bad press but there's loads of lovely places to work too. And so many lovely people. I'm well paid, not overworked and very happy in my job. What more can you want!

[@davebrainvfx]

I love this stuff! A nice change of pace seeing an actual VFX studio. Thanks for sharing.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks a lot :) glad you liked it!

[@jirehla-ab1671]

@@AlfieVaughan hmmmm I am not quite confident directly facing clients

[@AlfieVaughan]

@jirehla-ab1671 I enjoy it. It takes a bit of getting used to

[@DarrenMostyn]

Great to meet you today! Enjoyed my tour of coffee and TV and interesting video! Speak soon! Darren

[@AlfieVaughan]

Likewise! It was such a coincidence having just binge watched a load of your tutorials last night 🤣

[@DarrenMostyn]

@@AlfieVaughan haha - hope you gained something!! I'll DM you anyway so we can stay in touch!!

[@akyhne]

Hey Darren! Would love to see you make a project of video (gaming) recorded in OBS. 8-bit or 10-bit PQ. No color grading, just how to set up the CST. Most of your videos are about using RAW or log files and the one or two videos you've made that could be useful, is in an older version of Resolve. The interface for color setup is no longer the same. There are so many videos on the tube that do it very different and it's impossible to know if they do it the right way, as they are mostly gamers or wannabe Resolve advisors (and color graders).

[@samueltakele9896]

this is so cool of you to show us what goes on the day to day basis of a vfx artis . much appreciated

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@fomrock]

I sit at home all full of myself because I can track an explosion into an empty field. Then I see this, and all I can think is,"I'm not worthy". Very nice work. A true artist.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha 🤣 We're all worthy 😁 I'm glad you liked it though. Thanks!

[@AAvfx]

So nice. That's a refreshing video. Thanks

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks a lot! Glad you liked it :)

[@LFPAnimations]

Great video! It is rare to see such a detailed breakdown of professional work.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Yes it's usually very hard to get permission which is why you don't see it much 😅

[@perryharovas]

Love this. Although you did, as you said, hand pick this day it still is a realistic representation of VFX work. I have been doing VFX for over 30 years and while some things have changed, not as much of the day to day has changed as one would think. I would absolutely love to see is one of "those" days. You know the ones I am referring to: the days where it is a slog, and everything seems to be either going wrong, taking too long, or both (although I imagine this might be impossible to get permission to do). Still, this is excellent and much appreciated, especially to show younger or new artists and aspiring VFX artists. Much appreciated for the time it took to create this.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks very much! That's great to hear. I've considered doing that as well however on those bad days there's nothing I would want less than to also be worrying about getting it in video 🤣🤣🤣

[@RappinAcoustic]

I am glad someone is documenting what it used to be like to work in the VFX industry before further massive layoffs and Ai complete take over.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha 🤣 It's definitely affecting some jobs and studios but we're still going very strong. I'm not worried about that at all

[@Onn0110]

This is surprisingly insightful Alfie. Really appreciate you taking the time to make this video

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@ErhanGaming]

Awww man this is awesome! You are living a sweet gig! Proud of you bro!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks man ♥️ Living the dream 😎

[@xanzuls]

That's very intriguing and fascinating. Also, it looks like a nice place where you'd wanna spend hours and hours of your life definitely would have been nicer if the room was a bit darker tho and the addition of a shower is a chef's kiss. Thanks for sharing.

[@AlfieVaughan]

It is lovely. I'm not keen on dark rooms. I know it's technically better for looking at colours on the screen but I hate not being able to see daylight

[@omidpakbin]

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing all this. Just one note: 1:35 that setup/posture is... I think, really bad! The screen is too high up. I highly recommend researching a bit to find an optimal setup so that in a few years you don't end up damaging your body.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha yes I thought this too when I went back to edit the video 🤣 don't worry I don't normally sit like that. I even have a standing desk when I work at home. This was just for a quick shot so I didn't sit into the chair properly. But I appreciate you looking out for my back! ♥️

[@bahai2584]

great, the working environment is great. I hope that one day I will be so good that I can experience working in places like this

[@AlfieVaughan]

It's lovely!

[@bobacks]

Enjoyed your workflow and QA, though did no one notice the video horizontally flipped in the QA part? Kind of a big deal for a visual artist video.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Haha yes it's because I filmed that but on the front facing camera on my phone and everything else on the main cameras

[@MikeChrisMike]

Really enjoyed watching this and was fascinating watching your workflow

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it! 👌

[@FamilyGuyVids11]

what an interesting video. thank you (from someone just getting started with basic vfx). i have subbed

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@Farazulous]

Haha you're my favourite vfx youtuber, Great Video as always man ! Thankyou for all of your efforts

[@AlfieVaughan]

Awwww thanks very much!

[@nextcurveproductions]

Awesome video, man! Thank you for such a detailed breakdown of the project, it was very interesting! :)

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thank you :) glad you liked it!

[@Christopher-vt6zt]

That looks like a awesome place to work at man, would love to work at a place like this, colorgrading or other stuff.

[@AlfieVaughan]

It is! I really enjoy it :)

[@freeze102]

Wonder why you flipped all the shots of your desk? I was thrown of by the channellist on the right of your screen and the arrow/numpad keys being on the left.

[@AlfieVaughan]

It wasnt intentional. It's just because I filmed on my phones front facing camera :)

[@contrail33]

Thanks for sharing! I love the kind of compositing projects that combine digital with practical FX. And that setup for cycling to work is awesome. Is it hard to find work in this industry if you haven't had an internship or apprenticeship? Do companies go by a person's reel or is it usually word of mouth from previous jobs?

[@AlfieVaughan]

No problem! Yes it always produces the best result when there's a blend of the 2. I wouldn't say it's that hard. There's lots of jobs going for various stages. It might take a bit of time to get in and you might have to apply for lots but you'll get there. For me since my first job it was all word of mouth. I didn't even make a reel when I joined here. Someone I used to work with just recommended me and we had a chat and that was it. But usually yes it would be based on your reel if you don't know the company

[@gaurav_hivrale]

Is nuke necessary to get in compositing or after effects will work?

[@AlfieVaughan]

It depends where you want to go. After effects isn't used for any serious shots at big studios. Maybe if you went somewhere small as a generalist or motion designer. But nuke is the main software for compositing at big studios

[@akyhne]

I think AE (and Premiere Pro) is big in TV studios. I've also heard that many film schools favorite those two over anything. Probably because they both get free licences from Adobe and because many students already know those software.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Depends what you mean by TV studios. For motion graphics for daytime TV maybe... But for long form TV shows for the likes of Netflix, HBO etc it's all being comped in Nuke

[@akyhne]

@@AlfieVaughan TV production, not TV series. I should have clarified thst.

[@sportsthink]

Great vid. If I was to ever go down a new career path, this would be it

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Glad you liked it 👌

[@nathanploeg310]

I would really love to learn more about VFX, I have a very basic understanding when it comes to VFX and more post production techniques, but are there any places that you recommend starting for a beginner. I have a strong grasp of shooting, so maybe learning how to plan for a VFX shot and then implementing that plan in post production.

[@AlfieVaughan]

KZbin is really good for tutorials. That's probably all you need really. But I don't know of any channels that go into depth on the planning side etc I'm afraid. It's mostly just the technical stuff in the software

[@eerivfx]

superb!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks!

[@pranavmbhat4203]

Thank you so much dude, it helped a lot ❤

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it!

[@pranavmbhat4203]

@@AlfieVaughan bro its my dream to become a vfx artist, and the content u produce helps a lot to achive that dream. 👍

[@rhinopithecus9646]

How do you start learning VFX as a beginner? And what programs do you need?

[@AlfieVaughan]

I learned most of what I knew before working at a studio just from watching KZbin videos. I used to use blender and after effects. Blender is free and has loads of great channels making tutorials like Blender Guru and Grant Abbitt. I'd suggest getting into that and watching some tutorials and learning for yourself. Then if you want to take it more seriously you can study VFX at an educational institution like University or college etc

[@ukmonk]

Nice video thank you! I've worked in the Film/TV industry for over 30 years so if I bump into you one day, I'll say hi!!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Likewise 😁

[@dew_3d]

Very helpful as always Alfie

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it!

[@deep8673]

Thank you so much !

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it!

[@bUildYT]

so cool!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks!

[@beeeezusthree]

What's with the 'Hoosier' decal on the laptop? The Hoosier world headquarters is a 5 minute drive from my home, across the pond from you and lacking a bicycle tire line, to the best of my knowledge. It was super cool to see all of the behind the scene office and workflow, too. That's obviously a world that many of us (probably naively) fantasize about.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Haha well spotted. The Hoosier sticker is from when I bought a replacement tire for my Onewheel. They make gokart tires that also fit Onewheels perfectly :)

[@gautampillai4200]

How does it work in the visual effects companies? Do you bring the client to them or is the work given by the company?

[@AlfieVaughan]

It's almost always the clients come to the company. Or a creative agency on behalf of the client. Sometimes artists might have some contacts and bring some work in themselves but it's less common

[@gautampillai4200]

does this client thingy change vary form company to company?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Not really. That's how it works at most companies

[@gautampillai4200]

great! thnx man I aspire to be a visual effects artist like you once I get into my colleage!

[@animatorFan74]

Thanks so much for sharing this, Alfie..... definitely appreciate it. :) Looks like you get to work on some really cool stuff there.... some big name brands come your way... very cool. :) I work in web development myself and probably not as "cool" as your job, but it's always good working on interesting jobs and interesting projects. I've been using Blender as a hobby for many many years now but still nto up to industry standard. That industry would definitely be interesting to work in and looks like there's good opportunities to get in there. Thanks again for sharing :)

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked the video. Interesting to hear your perspective. Keep at it with Blender. I never thought I'd be doing it for a job either but a few years down the line... It happened! I still don't really consider my blender skills up to a pro standard but I can fake it enough that it works and then get it there in Nuke. All part of the fun!

[@KenSTACKS]

It really looks like a home

[@AlfieVaughan]

It's lovely!

[@yesdadbut960]

That looks like so much fun how many hours a week you work there

[@AlfieVaughan]

It is! This is my full time job. It's 9:30-6:30 Monday to Friday with some overtime occasionally when jobs gets busy

[@pancatrie]

Thank you very much for sharing Sir

[@AlfieVaughan]

No problem!

[@metatrongroove2824]

Bike storage and showers. Nice. OTHER STUDIOS PLEASE TAKE NOTES!!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha 🤣 it's a luxury!

[@justkaddy333]

Ah man, I wish I was there, anyways keep creating keep making!!

[@AlfieVaughan]

It's great! Thanks a lot :)

[@blionart]

amazing video

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thank you! :)

[@jordanhwang]

thanks for sharing!

[@AlfieVaughan]

No problem :)

[@kryptworld6]

What knowledge or degree do you need to work for exampler for Coffee & TV? Like what is an overview for the things you need to learn to work for a vfx studio such as being able to animate, color grading, compositioning etc

[@AlfieVaughan]

There's not really a specific qualification you need. Doing a job like VFX is more about your ability than your qualifications. If you're good enough you could get a job without a degree etc. I don't have a degree. As I said in the video I did an apprenticeship at a VFX studio instead. You would just need to be able to show you're competent in what you want to do. So have examples of work you've done before. Whether it's your own or for clients

[@cineguz]

Great job but i think you forgot to add and interact the shadow from the box lid into the girl.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! They're added, just subtle :)

[@SHKAAL887]

Great stuff, we have very similar days!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it!

[@he.smile_]

Love it! 🔥 pretty similar to a day in the life of a colorist!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Yeah similar circles :)

[@gonz4610]

What type of monitor do you use in your office?

[@AlfieVaughan]

We have BenQ ultrawides at all the desks. They're 1440p and accurately display 100% of sRGB and 98% of P3 so they're really colour accurate. Here's a link if you're interested. I have the same monitor at home too so my setup is consistent wherever I'm working amzn.to/421zM4L

[@patrickmaynard1610]

Thanks for sharing ✌

[@AlfieVaughan]

No problem!

[@madlookzvfx]

Amazing! Does Coffee & TV works on movies or just commercials?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Yes we have a film and TV division too :)

[@Elascador]

Awesome insights! Had a question about working from home, how were you able to access your work files? Cloud? Or local storage?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it! We use terradici software to control our work machines remotely. So there's no file transfers. It's also more secure that way. NDA regulations wouldn't allow us to be sending the footage back and forth to home computers etc. it all stays securely on the server in the office

[@pinpointping6175]

Great video as always Alfie! If I may ask, what advice would you give to an aspiring compositor and VFX artist in high school. Is college a requirement? If not, is there specific training and certification that can be helpful or is jumping into apprenticeship a good idea?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you enjoyed the video! No it's not a requirement. The year after I did my apprenticeship, one of the new hires came straight from high school. Personally, I went to college and studied media production and games design which was quite useful. I spent 2 years making my own films because the classes were pretty easy. And in games design I learned blender which had a lot of transferable skills to VFX. But you don't necessarily need to do that. Just do as much work as you can. Have some things to show so that they know you're passionate and driven. And just apply for as much as you can. Eventually one of them will land. Good luck!

[@carlosdelaportilla3585]

Grat video and info thanks for share!

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks Carlos!

[@abhishekhari4962]

What a day bro, ❤❤ I thinks we are not working in a job its a passion and its task that to achive a profession as passion ❤

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thanks! Yes it's a privilege to enjoy what you do

[@sohelranaupwrok]

Do you have a blender, beginners course?

[@AlfieVaughan]

I did but it's no longer live. There's just all the tutorials on my KZbin channel

[@sohelranaupwrok]

Is there a playlist?@@AlfieVaughan

[@AlfieVaughan]

No there isn't because they're not part of a bigger group of videos. They're all just individual videos

[@artscreations5]

Also can u pls tell me why Fusion is not used? Thx

[@AlfieVaughan]

I think Fusion is pretty good but it's not used at any big studios that I know of. Nuke is the compositing software most widely used by studios working on high level VFX projects

[@artscreations5]

@@AlfieVaughan oh ! I see , the only thing is that Fusion is way cheaper than Nuke , also Nuke is just expensive , anyways , I will work hard and afford it one day. Thx a million

[@beanbreakingart]

I am 15 years old and would love to be a VFX Artist one day. Do you think it‘s worth it or just a good idea in general (because of ai and other stuff)? I‘ve already gathered much experience in blender, premiere, after effects and photoshop, have been doing this for a few years now and I love it. 😅

[@AlfieVaughan]

Go for it! That's about the age I started getting into VFX too. It's such a great career. The AI thing worries a lot of people but I don't feel my job is at risk at all. About 20 years ago everyone thought switching from film to working on computers would put everyone put the job. It doesn't take the jobs away. The jobs just change and people evolve with it. Don't let it worry you. Keep making films, do your best work and you'll get a job in it when the time is right and you'll love it :)

[@beanbreakingart]

@@AlfieVaughan Thank you for taking time to answer that, I really appreciate it! 😇 I’m definitely gonna go for it an put my all into it then. Thank you again and be well!

[@aeliusdawn]

For me, the experience has been being unemployed for months now because of the Hollywood strikes 😅

[@AlfieVaughan]

Ahhh sorry to hear that! It hit a lot of people over here too. Fortunately I work in commercials so it had a bit less of an impact. But lots of my friends at various places got made redundant. Luckily they've all got jobs at other studios

[@ArjunReddy-sq7qu]

Hi iam Arjun from India I hv too learn vfx hw can i

[@vfxboy2003]

I like this type video also you share about yourself and vfx artist if possible create this type of video in a month

[@AlfieVaughan]

Glad you liked it!

[@ShannonMoran]

I’m surprised you were allowed to film anything! When I was in Wardor and Great Portland Street it was very NDA - but very cool and was very much how my life was pre pandemic at DNEG and MPC (I was a cyclist too!)

[@AlfieVaughan]

Smaller studios are a little bit more relaxed. Although it did take a couple of months to get approval for the breakdown 😅

[@scottking8189]

One day😭😭😭

[@AlfieVaughan]

Make it happen! 💪

[@claytonlamyuen9608]

Do you guys do work for hire??

[@AlfieVaughan]

In what sense? You have a job you need doing?

[@artscreations5]

Can u pls share the PC specs ? Thx

[@AlfieVaughan]

I'm not sure of the exact specs but my machine has about 200GB of RAM, I think a Xeon processor and a Quadro GPU. I think it might be an M6000

[@artscreations5]

@@AlfieVaughan damn bro , and me who thought for Some reason my 32bg of ram I7 would be the best 😅😅 anyway I am still new and still improving my self, someday I will get to work with a machine like this , thank you for your reply , I really appreciate it

[@AlfieVaughan]

No problem! Keep at it! You'll get there 💪

[@artscreations5]

@@AlfieVaughan thx

[@leecaste]

7:28 You have not answered the question, only that concept artists don’t get hired in that studio. From cheapest to most expensive: AI, outsourcing, your job. From a business perspective guess what’s the ideal picture. You better have a plan B.

[@AlfieVaughan]

🤣🤣 The answer is no. Just because AI is getting good at making pretty pictures doesn't mean it's anywhere near replacing roles like mine. AI can't sit in a room with clients and do a review or confirm an edit, go on set and supervise the VFX, make creative decisions and try things that haven't been done before. It only knows what it's been trained on. At the point where it CAN do all those things, we'll have much bigger problems than it taking our jobs

[@lessemo]

1:55 How many NBA regulations are stopping us from cool stuff?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha 🤣 it's just a lot of effort to get clearance e for a breakdown most the time sadly. Might be able to do some more in the future 👀

[@priyeshmishra23]

What is NBA ?

[@AlfieVaughan]

They mean NDA, not NBA. It stands for non disclosure agreement. So not leaking any sensitive information from projects that aren't publicly available yet

[@KrystianMieszkowski]

💪

[@sohelranaupwrok]

1st Comment ✔✔

[@AlfieVaughan]

🥇

[@gratefulpixels928]

Living a dream life. Atleast for me it is. Already people spread lot of bad shit when it comes to vfx. The reality doesnt have to be like that always 😊

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha thanks! Yes I feel like I'm living in a dream too. It's a very fun job. VFX gets a lot of bad press but there are a lot of really lovely companies to work at. It's just the bad few that get all the bad press!

[@gratefulpixels928]

Absolutely. The most amazing part might be traveling to sets I guess ? 😅 And btw are those usually sponsored by your company?

[@AlfieVaughan]

It's definitely one of the better bits of the job. When it's a nice shoot anyway. I've been on a few international ones where you fly over business class, stay in a fancy hotel, have days off to go and do tourist stuff... Some great memories! Are what sponsored by the company? The shoots?

[@gratefulpixels928]

@@AlfieVaughan yes , Your Expenses , I meant the Travelling Costs , Stay etc. when going to shoots

[@AlfieVaughan]

Ah I see. Yes it's all paid for. Hotels and flights are booked for you and paid for by producers before you leave so you don't have to sort it yourself. You get per diems which on my last shoot I think was 50 euros a day for food. But theres catering on set and I got taken out for dinner each night by the production company so didn't end up needing to spend them anyway! Any other expenses I can just charge back to the job when I get back to the office like taxis etc

[@nevascurded]

wow, ads for Amazon........

[@AlfieVaughan]

It was a fun one!

[@golukumar-rc5ug]

what you used to work

[@AlfieVaughan]

What software? I use Nuke

[@ericsart6474]

So, personally you are not afriad of losing your job to AI, but you are totally fine with using MJ to replace a concept artist and eliminating their job. It will come for you soon enough.

[@AlfieVaughan]

Interesting point but I don't see it replacing my job anytime soon. People thought computers would take everyone's jobs in the 2000s. People change. If you don't want to move with technology that's when you get replaced

[@AceSfx]

Watttttttt your studio actually has windows, i'm working in a literal bat-cave with no windows hahaha

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha! It's a lovely office

[@Leukick]

NA$A = VFX

[@AlfieVaughan]

🤣

[@akyhne]

Most definitely! They are compositing a lot of photos together. That's no secret. Although calling it VFX is a bit of a stretch, unless you're referring to their actual VFX animations they do all the time, for demonstration videos.

[@saulthetaxidriver6100]

Bruh you don't work

[@AlfieVaughan]

Haha! It doesn't feel like it. It's a real privilege to enjoy your job

[@Rob_eight10media]

..where can I get one of those back to front NASA hoodies?.. 😉lol

[@AlfieVaughan]

Hahaha 🤣 Find a normal one in a shop and look at it in the mirror 😉

[@Rob_eight10media]

haha 🤣 @@AlfieVaughan

[@iamjaspernoir]

Seriosly speaking @alfievaughan do i have to be a mathematician to learn nuke?

[@AlfieVaughan]

Nope! I'm not into the technical side of it all. I just make pretty pictures 😁

[@cg-school]

Cool video. I thought you - a freelancer like me ))

[@AlfieVaughan]

Thank you! No Im employed full time at Coffee & TV. I do the odd bit of extra work here and there (usually stuff that comes up through this KZbin channel!) but I do this as my main full time job