The VFX Factor: Challenges in the VFX Spectrum with Rob Price
Rob Price is a VFX supervisor and compositor with over a decade of experience in visual effects, bringing a fine art lens to digital effects. He joined the Zoic team in 2010 and has worked on a number of critically acclaimed series and features since. Price played a crucial role on the Emmy-nominated series, “Once Upon a Time,” lending his talents to the VFX-driven title from pilot through Season 7, taking the reigns as in-house VFX Supervisor in Season 3. Starting out in the LA office, he is now based in Zoic’s Vancouver location, where he works on a wide range of projects, leading teams and bridging communications between client and in-house creative teams
“Creation is just a part of who I am. Being able to consider myself an artist has always been in my Identity. I have found myself fortunate to be surrounded by people who have helped feed this passion. Always being enthralled with traditional mediums as well as digital and then the blurred lines between the two has led me down the path to VFX. Pablo Picasso said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Being involved with vfx for TV and film has such a wide spread of techniques and challenges to keep me captivated. Anything we imagine can be real.”
VFX Misconceptions
LBB> What do you believe is the biggest misconception that people have about VFX?
Rob> VFX is easy to spot. People often look at thousands of unnoticed VFX shots in everything they watch. Most people only think a few shots here and there are altered. VFX is way more common in all projects than people think. That’s why it's often referred to as invisible VFX.
Challenges in VFX Spectrum
LBB> In VFX, there are two ends of the spectrum - the invisible post-production work and the big, glossy 'VFX heavy' shots. Could you describe the unique challenges associated with each of these ends?
Rob> Accuracy leads to believability across the board. There is not much difference in how I approach these two ideas. Everything needs to be based on reality and look like it is a part of the same rules and physics we see daily, from the movement to how it interacts with light or how a camera would film it. In sci-fi or fantasy, it might be pushed to be more significant events, but the same rules always apply.
Director Collaboration
LBB> As a VFX professional, what key factors should directors be aware of to ensure you can deliver the best possible results on a project?
Rob> Planning early! Like anything, the best VFX is, often, best when prepared from the very beginning. This allows us to design the shot specifically to meet the needs of VFX and productions. Newer tools like real-time Previs with Unreal is an excellent example of a tool that helps us work out ideas with directors and producers earlier than ever before— letting us know exactly the shot they want allows us to focus our time and resources in post to specific needs and not all the maybes of what could happen.
Craftsmanship in VFX
LBB> VFX is often described as a true craft. Where did you learn your craft, and what inspired you to pursue a career in VFX?
I studied fine art until I realized that everything in CG Movies had to be created digitally like I was doing in the real world; combining my artistic talents with my drive for learning technology, I finished college with a degree in Computer Animation from Full Sail University. I have a long-time love of TV and Movie visuals. As a kid, visual and special effects were always my favorite parts of movies. I was beyond excited to become a part of that world. From afar, it seems so unobtainable.
Starting a Project
LBB> When you begin a VFX project, what is your process at the very start? Do you have a consistent starting point for all projects, or does it vary based on the project's needs
Rob> Reading the script is always the starting point. While reading, I build out how I see the visual story. So, I have my starting point for the discussion to come with the creatives for the project. This in-depth building exercise allows me to see what department in VFX will be needed for a shot to help better advise the on-set shooting needs.
Project Completion
LBB> Deciding when a VFX project is finished can be challenging. How do you navigate this aspect, especially when time constraints are not a factor?
Rob> VFX is a team sport. I lean on my VFX producer to help manage the planning and timing of our projects. I have yet to have a project that doesn’t have some time constraints. Even in a streaming world without week-to-week air dates, Post still needs VFX for drop-ins like sound and color, and we work progressively to complete the project on their end. We are always here to help them meet these needs.
Exciting Technology
LBB> Is there a particular piece of technology or software in the VFX industry that currently excites you the most, and why does it stand out to you?
Rob> Everything is getting faster! Real-time is just the start of everything speeding up. Almost all our traditional software and hardware are speeding up to meet the need for a more immediate response in creation. Hardware-accelerated and more efficient software allows us to up the visual fidelity in a world that is always asking to push the resolution and details in the final image.
Role of VFX in Production
LBB> With the advancement of real-time technology and game engines, how do you see this shaping or changing the role of VFX and its place in the production pipeline? (e.g., virtual production)
Rob> It is a fantastic tool in the kit. Real-time agility to move quickly in pre-production and work out the larger sequence previsualization is helping projects work out their big ideas earlier. Virtual production allows production to have more agility in the same way and quickly changes out virtual set locations with relative ease. Lighting integration from the LED walls with the practical set has yielded fantastic results. They are pushing the overall visual impact of a show with the same or less level of resources than before.
Research in VFX
LBB> VFX often requires a deep understanding of natural phenomena. How do you approach the research side of your job, and can you share one random or intriguing thing you've learned from working on a project?
Rob> It is hilarious how much you need to research the world to try and recreate it. I always go down fascinating internet rabbit holes to discover all the different effects we are trying to create. Horror shows take you down some dark parts of the internet but are necessary to make the impactful visuals needed for these types of projects. I know a lot of technical words for strange objects or pieces of anatomy; you need to know these terms to have very explicitly directed conversations about them. I have had more discussions about the caruncle, that tiny pink fleshy bit in the corner of an eye, than you can imagine.
Assessing VFX Quality
LBB> When you watch a VFX-heavy advertisement or movie, what specific cues or indicators do you look for to determine the quality of the VFX work?
Rob> Overall impact. A lot can be forgiven based on style and purpose. But a lot comes down to light and motion for anything trying to be invisible. The real tell is looking for the mistakes that should be there. Nothing filmed is perfect, which should be replicated in the VFX. I love seeing a purposeful error left for realism.
Career Start
LBB> How did you first enter the VFX industry, and what was your very first job in the field? What were the most significant lessons you learned during that time?
Rob> I began as an intern; I quickly learned producers are the people who give you work as an artist—making myself known to a group of producers led to a rapid acceleration into being a full-time artist. People know hard work when they see it. If you also have talent, even better. I began working as a compositor on feature films, only later branching out into episodic television, which allowed for more growth into supervision. Always being willing to ask questions was vital; drawing knowledge from those around me helped me grow quickly. I still quote people from my beginning days of VFX. The lessons learned have been invaluable to this day. Especially from my VFX sups, I still approach interpreting feedback and critiques with the fundamental techniques I found them using. For example, if you are told an object in frame is too orange, take a step back; maybe the rest of the frame is too blue in contrast. Think about the larger picture and how all the elements affect each other. Maybe there is a note behind the note that is valuable.
Creative Milestones
LBB> Reflecting on your career, what was your first creative milestone in the VFX industry? Can you share a project that you worked on and were exceptionally proud of?
Rob> Getting my first nomination for an Emmy for our work on Sweet Tooth was a significant milestone. Being recognized for one of my favorite projects of all time takes it over the top. As a VFX supervisor, you are often more of a conductor, leading an orchestra of artists to create a larger complex piece. My most fulfilled moments are when we have more extensive, difficult shots with many moving parts independent of each other, and it all comes together. My favorite of these was one of the final shots of Once Upon a Time, a single shot with every castle and creature we had developed over seven years and 152 episodes. It was so many moving pieces. Hundreds! How well we had honed our team at that point made it feel nearly effortless. It was magic.
Recent Admired Ads
LBB> From a VFX perspective, are there any recent advertisements that you particularly admired, and what aspects of those ads stood out to you?
Rob> I am a fan of the Squarespace Singularity ad. I enjoyed the fun take on the simple idea and building it into a visual narrative. It had a lot of visual aspects: world-building, crowd duplication, exciting action, and stunt work. Many graphicly striking elements, like the singularity, were very well done. It was strange and fun all at the same time. It kept me engaged.
