Learn directly from an Oscar & BAFTA winner exclusively on Stage 32.

Think VFX is only for films or digital projects with high budgets? Think again. In fact, understanding how VFX can be worked into your project can help you save costs before you ever step on set. Understanding (and removing your fear of) VFX ahead of time can actually help you trim some shooting days, save money and give you more opportunity to make your film shine and stand out from the crowd.

Independent filmmaking and the creation of quality digital content calls for being creative with your budget. But for most producers and filmmakers, the idea of adding VFX to their projects seems like a budget breaker. The reality is quite the opposite. Not only can VFX be quite affordable, but also be a game changer for your project. Accounting for VFX in pre-production may also allow for less "fix it in post" issues which, in turn, will actually help you save money and stay on schedule!

Christopher M. Anthony is an Oscar and BAFTA winner and the Senior Director of Kayfabe Films. He is also one of the most sought after VFX masters in the business. Just some of the films Christopher has worked on include Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men franchise, Harry Potter, and The Jungle Book. But don't let those big budget films fool you. Christopher cut his teeth on smaller independent shorts, features and digital projects. He gets hired because he knows how to save money and bring projects in under budget. And now, exclusively for Stage 32, Christopher is going to teach you all his tricks of the trade.

Chris is going to lead you through the entire VFX process in an easy to understand format. Using 19 carefully chosen VFX clips and examples, Chris will distill VFX down to the nuts and bolts. You will easily see how VFX can work for you no matter what format or budget you're working with.

"Chris is quite the gent and a caring one at that. You can see how much time and effort he put into this webinar. The examples were priceless and opened my mind to an entirely new world that, to be honest, I thought was unattainable for me as a filmmaker."

- Antonio C.

• Why Would You Want Visual Effects In Our Low Budget Films?
• What Is The Difference Between a Visual Effect and a Special Effect In Camera vs. Post? 
• Can A Special Effect Or Production Design Solve My Problem? 
• What Does Visual Effects Mean In Today's Filmmaking Process?
• What Is The Full CGI Pipeline? 
  • 2D vs CGI
  • Color
  • Capturing Set Lighting For CGI
• Can You Fix In It Post?
  • Why You Can’t Just Fix It In Post.
• The Cheap-Fast-Good Triangle
• Why You ALWAYS Need A VFX Supervisor
• But Gareth Edwards Did It?
• They’re Uhh… Flocking This Way – What is a Match Move and why does it affect your post?
• Welcome To Roto-Hell
• Green Scream
• Motion Crap-ture
• The Matte Painting and The Effect of Distance
• There’s a Bucket in Frame AKA The Paint Job
• Shooting Dirty vs Shooting Clean
• Every Cut Is A New Visual Effect – Breaking Down Your Requirements
• Why You’ll (Probably) Struggle To Find Someone To Do Your VFX for cheap/free
• How Long Will It Take? How Good Will It Be?
  • How to prepare
  • Storyboarding - a picture is worth a thousand words (and grey hairs)
  • How not to annoy the person doing your VFX
  • CGI Asset Libraries
  • 2D Element Libraries
  • Render time
  • Hours in prep vs hours in shoot vs hours in post
• Epilogue - Do We Even Need VFX? How important is this to the storytelling?
• Q&A with Christopher

Directors who want VFX in their low budget shorts and features

Producers who want to know what their money will get them with VFX

Filmmakers who want to understand the process and where little things can massively affect time and budget

Creators who want to organize their shoots and requirements better to save time and money