Also called: Visual Effects Supervisor
Oversees all visual effects on a film or show, from planning on set to the final shots.
On set they plan how actors, green screens, and cameras will capture what's needed for effects. Back at the studio they review dragons, explosions, and digital crowds with artists. They answer to the director and keep the effects budget in line.
Estimate; varies widely by studio and project.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 12 years after high school. Bachelor's in animation, VFX, or computer science plus years as a VFX artist.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Visual Effects, Animation, Computer Science, Film.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Film and streaming VFX work fluctuates and often moves to other countries with tax incentives.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI rotoscoping, de-aging and generative shots reshape pipelines fast; on-set planning and judging final quality stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, Video production CTE, AP Computer Science Principles.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1014.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.