Effects Animation enhances storytelling
through establishing the rules of physics and nature to realize a true
and believable world for the characters to live in. The range of effects in a film
can be as subliminal as dirt kicks from a character walking across a
playground to a featured role of a fiery sound stage or menacing
tornado. An effects artist is always studying the world around
them, looking for reference of motion, lighting, imagery and
style. Integration is key in creating a successful environmental
effects element. Motion, design, color and caricature define how
well an element naturally blends in and interacts with the characters
and environment. The effects artist is truly a jack of all
trades, needing to be a skilled animator of timing and shape design, rendering and working with multiple
effects animation packages, working
with lighting and color to integrate effects into the world it inhabits
and compositing multiple elements to create final complex
effects. The effects department begins their work when animation
and layout is complete so that the environmental effects can react and
integrate with the final character animation. The effects
animator has a big bag of tricks from particle animation, fluids,
surface animation, effects shaders, compositing tools to many
others. When the shot is complete, the artist will pass images
with a composite or effects that can further be lit in the lighting
department for the final composite. Effects animation is a unique
vocation often combining physically based simulations with traditional
animation techniques while respecting the director's overall
vision.
