Inside VFX: An Insider's View Into The Visual Effects And Film Business

by Pierre Grage, Scott Ross (Foreword)

So you think you understand the film and VFX world? Think again! This book will turn everything you know on its head. Pierre Grage is a senior visual effects professional, who has worked on numerous blockbuster films including Avatar, Harry Potter 5 and Pacific Rim. In this book he lifts the lid on the multi-million dollar secrets of filmmaking and special effects.

Prepare to discover:

- The untold history of digital VFX
- What Hollywood's real business model looks like
- The true costs of movies and visual effects (you'll be shocked!)
- Why evermore blockbuster movies are turning into box office failures
- How the visual effects business turned from boom into bust
- If Asia is set to take over the filmmaking industry
- How the VFX industry really looks from the inside
- An in-depth investigation on the current challenges of the film and VFX industry
- Where the future of entertainment is heading

And much, much more.

Based on 10 years of research by working among the best, Pierre Grage describes in uncompromising detail how today's film business is facing its biggest challenges since the invention of TV. After reading Inside VFX you will never think of the movie and visual effects industry in the same way.


Praise for Inside VFX

"Grage shines a light on just why and how the movie business and the VFX "business" are so royally screwed up. This book, with its statistical analysis and commonsense approach, fully encapsulates the problems. It should be a primer for every student of VFX or animation, a must-read for anyone who works in the industry and, in fact, should be mandatory for every studio executive who might be "looking to put (yet another) VFX studio out of business."
SCOTT ROSS --Co-Founder of Digital Domain and former CEO of Industrial Light & Magic, Sr VP Lucasfilm Ltd.

"Inside VFX is a must-read for anyone interested in the film and VFX business. The amount of information Pierre Grage uncovers is groundbreaking. This is the one and only book about the film and VFX industry you need to read."
MICHAEL PANGRAZIO--Co-Founder of Matte World Digital & Art Director for Weta Digital Ltd.

Genres: Nonfiction

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2014

About the author

Pierre Grage was born in Eutin, Germany to a German father and a South-African mother. He grew up in Lübeck while he became fascinated by computer games and their graphics. Because of a lack of graphic design courses at that time, Pierre went on to get an economics degree. Yet after his studies he was nevertheless sucked in by a massively booming computer graphics industry.

His specialization in digital special effects for feature films has enabled him to live and work in Europe, New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. He has held CG artist positions with leading visual effects houses, including Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital, Double Negative and Animal Logic. His work can be seen in films like Avatar, Pacific Rim, Sucker Punch and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Reviews

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare find; an insider in a deeply specialized field leverages 14 years experience and an Economics degree to lay down a rough map for newcomers (and a supporting hand for his tired peers). Rather than drill into the trade itself – beyond loose references to tasks like "rotoscoping", "keying" and "matchmoving" – he nimbly frames the industry from A New Hope (1977) through Gravity (2013), identifying the key macroeconomic forces at play, like inflation, globalization, subsidies and business cycles. The Digital Domain history, peppered throughout, is absolutely fascinating; the 8-page "More Creative Destruction" section, forecasting the disruptive potential of Weta Digital's "virtual camera" employed by James Cameron for Avatar is ... unreal. Surprised neither Fight Club (1999) or Twister (1996) made the cut.

[Francesca Piergiovanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would be interesting to see an updated edition considering when this came out and how fast things are changing, but I think this is still a great book for some insights about the VFX and film industries. Balances data and interesting facts pretty well and all the economics are digestible for anyone. The author tries to get to the roots of the problems and see them from different angles, discussing points that often fly under the radar (the type of people that get to certain position in companies, or production roles that get in the way). He also acknowledges issues with the business even if they are not strictly essential to analyse certain phenomenon, like the credits problem.
I definitely agree that it's a must read for people in the industry and a very interesting read with plenty of fun facts for anyone who likes cinema.

[Will Elsdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grage applies his rogue intellect to a probing analysis of the digital visual effects business. He investigates economic factors determining the way movies are made, and how this has driven the development of the visual effects industry and its rising use of digital technology. He considers topics such as inflation, subsidies, globalization, etc.. A thought-provoking book for anyone reflecting on the industry.

[Alvin Loh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m new to the whole visual effect industry.

But this is an eye opener compared to all the happy media shown.

Reading this book definitely help any VFX artists to be prepared for the future, or pivot to a different industry.

[Pepe Orejel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight of the VFX industry, its history, how it works, its problems and what to expect in the future. A must read for anyone working or looking to work in the enterntainment industry.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mustread for anyone planning on being in the vfx business. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Eric St-Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insides, statistics and explain the reality of the VFX industry, especially why it's not going well

[Damien · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so informative!