One of the challenging parts of compositing is that there are always multiple ways to do anything. How do we know which way is best? Use these Comp Rules.
Rule 1: Keep it simple.
Nothing in VFX is ever simple. But that doesn’t mean your work should be complicated.
The minimum viable product is an idea from business development. Apply this idea to compositing. When starting a new comp, only build out as much of the comp as is necessary to get the feedback you need.
As you get that feedback and respond to it, keep simplicity in mind. Organize and label things clearly so that your comp is easy to understand (because Rule 4.) Keep building the minimum viable product in the context of that new feedback. Sometimes the process will lead to complication. Don’t stress. (Rule 6).
Rule 2: Faster is better.
Compositing is an iterative process. Each time you go through the review cycle (make a change, render, review, plan the next step, repeat), your work gets better. The faster you can get through the cycle, the faster you can get to final. Consider how your choices affect both render speed and interactivity in the GUI.
Picking up someone else’s work? See what you can do to make it run faster. If all else fails, precomp the parts you aren’t actively working on. Don’t wait for anything that you’re not adjusting.
Rule 3: Build trust.
This rule has nothing at all to do with compositing practice — it’s all about people skills. Having the trust of your immediate supervisor and teammates will make your job easier and help you final faster.
How can you build that trust? Be predictable. Communicate early and often.
You’ve been assigned some work, and probably a deadline to finish it. If you don’t have the time, materials, or anything else you need to finish the work by the deadline, that’s a problem.
Don’t ignore the problem. Sing out about it. Do it as early as possible. You may be reluctant to pass along bad news or be seen as a complainer. But you might be the only person in your team that is aware of the problem right now. If you stay quiet, other people will find out about the problem eventually. But by then it’ll be too late to fix it easily. Raising an issue early means you and your team have more options.
Problems arrive for so many different reasons. Maybe you misunderstood the brief. Maybe there’s a bottleneck somewhere upstream in the pipeline. Maybe the client changed their mind about what they want. Each one of these is only a problem until it’s acknowledged and solved. So speak out, get it solved, and get back to work.
Hiding problems destroys trust. Revealing them — especially if you can offer possible solutions when you do — builds it, and makes your work life better.
Rule 4: You won’t be the last person to work on it.
Don’t assume that nobody else is going to see the mess you are currently making in your comp script. Picking up work from other compositors is a regular part of the VFX process. Chances are that you won’t be the last person to touch the comp you’re doing now, even if you do take it to final. Did you know that your comp supe will be the one who opens up your script to hit a last-minute client note that comes in after you and the rest of the compositors have rotated onto new shows? Your supe may not be in the most forgiving mindset while they wade into your mess, and might still have that in mind the next time you’re on their crew. It’s a sobering thought, no?
So make your work easy for someone else to pick up, whether it’s your supervisor, your crewmate, or even you if you have to go back to something after some time has passed. Work in single-purpose sections that have clear inputs and outputs. Label things. Leave notes about what’s done and what still needs attention. Clean up your messes. Do it because your script is a representation of you, and because you remember Rule 3.
Rule 5: Check your work.
Have you ever sat in dailies and watched a render-mangled version of your shot loop on the big screen? It’s not fun, is it? You missed an opportunity to get feedback on your work and wasted the time of everyone in the room. That happened because you didn’t check your work.
Check every render, every time. Difference your output against the plate and make sure there are only changes where there are supposed to be changes. Check your frame edges. Check your grain.
Checking your work doesn’t only apply to your comp’s output. How do you know the track you just made is good? Check it. Reversing a matchmove yields a stabilize. If the feature you just tracked jumps around in the stabilize, that track is no good. Redo it.
Picking up a new matte painting or an AOV build for your CG monster? Check the new work against the previous version to make sure that nothing changes that wasn’t supposed to change.
Build a reputation for finding and fixing errors before someone else points them out. Do it by checking your work.
Rule 6: Every rule has an exception.
No simple heuristic will always work in every situation. Production shots have a way of blooming in complexity. It’s not always easy to contain the chaos. Don’t worry. But also, don’t give up on the rules entirely. Stay focused on getting your shot to final. Keep going where the process leads.
Rule 7: Facilitate changes.
Change is inevitable. You are working to someone else’s specifications. Don’t fight it, flow with it.
Make your life easier by building structures that are easily modified. Make edits at source resolution when possible. Make sure each section of your comp has a single function and that it has clear inputs and outputs.
Responding to last-minute changes becomes much easier when you’re prepared for it. And being able to respond with, “Okay, will do.” instead of, “That will take three days.” helps your supervisor relax. (See Rule 3.)
That’s it.
What do you think of these rules? Have a bone to pick? Did I miss something? Please let me know! In the spirit of Sister Corita, “There should be new rules next week.” Stay tuned.
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