‘Inside VFX’ by Pierre Grage offering a candid look at the inner workings of this complex VFX world.
The book is part exposé, part guide, and part history lesson, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the VFX industry—whether they’re newcomers, seasoned professionals, or just curious outsiders.
So What’s Inside the Book?
Grage gives us a clear view of the VFX industry. It contains 13 Chapters covering many angles.
He shares stories from his own experiences the book is not just a light read; it’s packed with Hollywood Film business ,Inflation, case studies, and insights that give it a lot of substance.
Also touches a history of around 15 companies. He talks briefly about how Asia contribution to the Vfx industry.
Who Should Read This Book?
Inside VFX is a must-read for anyone working in or aspiring to enter the VFX industry. It’s also valuable for producers, directors, and anyone else in the film and television industries who work with VFX artists.
One of the cool things about Inside VFX is how Grage explains the structure of the industry. He breaks down how different studios operate, from big global companies to smaller shops.
He talks about the financial pressures that affect VFX work, like how studios compete for contracts and how tax incentives influence where the work happens inflation, globalization, subsidies and business cycles and more.
If you’re looking to understand the financial structures behind the business and the reasons why subsidies exist (as well as the arguments for and against them) then this is a great book.
The book also dives into the money side of things. Grage discusses how many VFX studios operate on thin margins and the pressures they face to stay afloat. there’s so much of this material, including charts dealing with box office, definitions of key concepts like inflation and globalization, and details on Hollywood accounting, that the book might easily have been called ‘Inside VFX Economics’ instead.
He explains the competitive nature of the industry and why studios often move their operations to different countries to save costs. this book is it provides so much insightful information about the economics of the VFX world, and Hollywood in general, as well as the history of VFX with many, many insightful case studies on all of the most popular films dating back to the dawn of visual effects
My Final Thoughts:
The book could have used another pass in editing since it was released 8 years ago . Many things happened like Covid crisis, Virtual production, AI boom in Vfx industry, New generative AI tools such as Chatgpt, Midjourney, Stable diffusion and many other tools and Also The Writer strikes.
But the other info is all very accurate and Grage’s predictions about where the industry is going unfortunately make sense.
Amazon Link : https://lnkd.in/gTvTX6jf
