SET- UP | VFX LOCKDOWN
We’re living through one of those pivotal moments where things will be changed forever
But it’s not just the employees adjusting; studios and production
companies are also adapting to the new norm, providing notes and feedback virtually, but most importantly, securely. Giannini says: “A lot of our work has to do with client presentations, where clients physically come into our space and review various shots, but we’ve been able to do that virtually by sending QuickTimes and using various software that everyone connects to. It’s important to note that the projects we work on are heavily NDA’d, so we’ve updated our firewalls and made sure that we’re all covered to work on them at home.” FULL STEAM AHEAD And there is work to be done. Compared to other members of the below-the-line community affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the production shutdowns it spurred, post-production artists are uniquely positioned; they can create content from nothing and aren’t dependent on having things shot. “Films are obviously a big part of what we do,” agrees Moore. “But we’re also able to produce amazing, photorealistic content from scratch. And, although we have seen a drop in demand, there are still brands, people and advertisers with important messages that need to be communicated at this time. We’ve just finished an advertisement, which was a direct response to the coronavirus situation, from Facebook.” He continues: “Facebook was
ABOVE Visual effects company, Vine FX, has transitioned to remote working in response to the coronavirus crisis. Here are some of the team’s working-from-home set-ups
asked by the British retail consortium to help amplify the message about not panic- buying and to shop responsibly, so they asked us to produce some content, which they could push on their platform to try and allow people to be a bit more circumspect when it comes to their consumption.” There is, of course, concern that work will dry up if production doesn’t resume soon and all the post-production work is complete. But Illingworth, whose company is located in the UK’s home of tech, has managed to find work outside of film: “We’ve been working with Microsoft for some time, and we’ve got an assignment with them this summer. We’re not sure what we’ll be working on just yet, but we think it has something to do with a game engine we’re building assets for. So hopefully that will keep us ticking through the summer.” Speculative guesses run anywhere from the end of June and potentially through winter, though timelines are entirely unknown. Once production does start up again, it will be months until it reaches post- production, and the world is preparing for a period of time without new content. THE MODERN OFFICE However, if there’s one positive to come out of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s the lessons learnt from lockdown. Technology has enabled post-production artists to
work in increasingly flexible ways – and companies, for the most part, are embracing its potential. Illingworth, Moore and Giannini agree they can benefit from giving employees the opportunity to work remotely, but it’s still important to offer them the option of space. Giannini says: “We’re living through one of those pivotal moments where I think things will be changed forever. Our company was very much used to being in an office and working together. I think we will still do that, because nothing beats the immediacy of being in the same room and working together as a team. But where I think remote working will come into play is when we need to expand our team; we can rotate staff, so some work at home part of the week and are in the office for the rest. It’s important everyone feels engaged and part of a team by being in the same space.” Illingworth refers to this experience as “eye-opening”, as he marvels at the efficiency of his team, despite their separation from one another. He says: “It’s a great experiment, asking what would happen if we all had to work remotely. Well, we’re in it, we’re experiencing it and it’s not so bad. And, I dare say it, when we get back to the office, we might even be in a situation where we’ve all got our headphones in and we’re in a big group meeting, but we’re doing it via Zoom.”
08 DEF I N I T ION | JUNE 2020
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