Interface between set and VFX pipeline — translates director's vision into technical specs, monitors shoot for effect compatibility. Manages resources, timelines, feasibility.
CG Supervisor
On set, you sit next to the director and take notes — not about the story, but about the technical aspects. The CG Supervisor is that person: an interpreter between creative requirements and the reality of a VFX pipeline. While the director describes an environment that will later be digitally extended, you ask about camera movement, lighting, background details. This information is not decoration — it is raw data for the VFX teams who will be working on computers months later.
The task is divided into two phases. Pre-Production is your planning phase: you read the script, identify every shot with CG content, and break it down into technical requirements. How many objects need to be placed? What resolution does the digital model require? Will a greenscreen be necessary, or can you work with plates? You calculate what is technically feasible, within what timeframe, with what team size. A director might want ten exterior shots with complex lighting situations — you then know: that will cost an extra three weeks, or we will reduce the complexity. These tough conversations before shooting starts save chaos and budget bleeding later.
On set itself, you become the control instance: you monitor reference shots, ensure greenscreen lighting is consistent, and that camera movements are at a usable pace. When an actor interacts with an object that will later be digitally added — reaching for it, dodging it — you mark the exact position, document lighting conditions, and film clean plates (the empty scene without effect elements). Small details: shadows cast by the later CGI object on the floor, the reaction of real light on digital geometry — everything must be considered beforehand. You work closely with the Director of Photography to ensure that color grading decisions do not sabotage the VFX later.
Post-Production is your communication phase: dailies reviews, where you assess shot quality and brief VFX teams. You create VFX Breakdowns — detailed specifications for each shot. If problems arise later — a background is too dark, a camera movement is not trackable — you are the first point of contact, mediating between editing requirements and technical reality. You must understand what is digitally feasible and what is not — not from an academic perspective, but from the experience of real pipelines.