Assembling a VFX crew

As VFX director for DOG I continue to learn how to  assembling and managing a remote roto crew. Here I review past lessons and my vision for the now.

My first attempt was in May and after several false starts with various applicants ended up hiring Trace out of NYC and Bombay. Their results and prices were pretty good, but they had a real problem with commitment. After completing a decent chunk of work and bidding on more, they went AWOL. Weeks went by and no results, so I fired them. They were taking on my work as filler and found more high profile and lucrative work to focus on, shoving my little project to the back burner and then right off the stove.

I also found out that most Nuke contractors don’t know how to deliver vector based results, after a protracted email discussion with both a friendly Canadian roto artist and then even with folks at The Foundry, makers of Nuke. I got distracted trying to solve her problem so she could work for me – funny!

After gestating for a few months, I’m back with a new protocol. First, the objective is to have clean roto results at great rates with a minimum of hassle and distraction. The artists who can deliver are competent, attentive to detail and passionate about getting it right, are autonomous in following direction, are confident in asking for clarification,  have a reliable work ethic and – bonus – are actively pursuing their own dream projects. So how to identify these folks from anonymous applicants around the world? Here’s my strategy.

Project professionalism with well written, simple and clear expectations. Documents should be accessible but not overly descriptive. Concise. The story I want to tell with my initial solicitation is – This is an a well organized project with significant momentum. There is funding and intelligent management. We know what were doing and we are not fooling around. Competent, efficient, dedicated…

This is like ‘thinking with’ from Cool War. The role I am inviting artists to play is “you’ve got your shit together.”

Let artists self select by passing simple and subtle tests. For example, in my adverts for contractors I include a link to the requirements document in which I ask that all email include “DOG VFX” in the subject. The overt ‘reason’ is for email routing, but it’s really about whether they are paying attention.  Will they read the ‘Artist Reference’ carefully before making first contact? Anyone who’s initial email has “DOG VFX” in the subject is more likely to follow directions down the road, they want to get it right. This immediately filters out the hacks and sweat shops.

I’m not seeking obsessive perfection, just a tendency to pay attention and appreciate detail.

Out of 5 or 6 queries, M, a Brazilian dude was the first to respond with DOG VFX in the subject. That made him stand out.

Prospective artists demonstrate desire and commitment by jumping through a few hoops. Initially I ask for a reel or a work sample. The work sample is for enthusiastic students who could be diamonds in the rough, like Ben Woody. After the initial contact with their work, I ask them for 1) a picture of them at their workstation, 2) scanned photo id, and 3) signed contractor agreement. How they respond to this is key.

In the case of J, he was concerned about privacy, sending his license via email and sharing his SS. I suggested he black out his ID number on the license and that he could send me the SS after we went over $600. He agreed.

The overt ‘reason’ is to learn if these folks are who they say they are, but it’s also about whether they can follow through and perhaps even of delayed gratification. These things will require about an hour of their time to accomplish before they can even bid on work.

Since M was the first to pay attention, I let him bid before sending his identity materials. I liked his price and requested requirements. He was the only contractor to send me a picture of him at his workstation with MY project on the screen. Now we’re talking. M achieved preferred status!

Ready for rapid response. On my end, I want all the stages lined up to respond instantly, so the artists have to constantly react. I want to create a feeling of urgency and momentum, things are happening, snooze you loose. We want our project to become the focus of their workday, for them to be intent on not only landing a place on the team but constantly proving how awesome and worthy they are.

Contrasting bids. Each 3 contractors get a set of at least 3 shots to bid on. This provides immediate price comparisons. Who gets the work is dependent not only on price but who is most likely to pull it off without a hitch. For instance, if I need to talk to an artist about strategy, (fun tho that might be) it’s possible this is not the right artist for the job.

Organize. Create a spreadsheet with select contractors names, bids and rates to keep track of who’s doing what but also the quality of their results, rate per frame and turn around time.

Check results. As artists deliver, I’ve got to constantly composite to confirm the shot is complete. This is going to be a huge stretch for me of course, fitting all this together, so we’ve got to be on so that our investment isn’t squandered. That means a bit of catch up this weekend, actually.

10-8-12

Pretty funny… got results back from J. Not only did he link the wrong movie to the comp, but his roto was (buzzer sound). I’m letting him cool his heels before I out right fire him. DOG dang, amazing!