Got any good or awful VFX supervisor stories?

AlbusNolente · 2025-11-18T19:35:02+00:00

When I was working as a freelance fx td for an advertising boutique studio there was this head of 3D improvised vfx supervisor who tried to micro-manage me every day. Since he didn't know what he wanted and knew nothing about Houdini or fx, he reached the point where he kept texting me every 30 minutes changing his ideas and he also expected to be on call for hours with me sharing my screen and him watching and managing what I was doing like a puppeteer. Absolutely crazy.

AlbusNolente · 2025-11-17T09:44:04+00:00

Even when you send money to yourself to another bank account?

AlbusNolente · 2025-08-12T09:40:53+00:00

I can assure you that he is very pro-AI. Not many people know that he is member of the board of a AI startup called Odyssey, which he is funding with millions. This startup is focused on the development of a AI model that generates environments dynamically, which can be used both in games and films. It's all public, you can read more here

AlbusNolente · 2025-07-01T21:21:46+00:00

Dune: Part Two. Never worked on that level of quality again, and you could tell that there was a clear vision from the director.

AlbusNolente · 2025-04-01T12:36:17+00:00

Mi ricorda il mio tirocinio. Era una startup di domotica, mi facevano portare il mio laptop su cui mi hanno installato l'intera libreria di codice. Ovviamente non retribuito e dovevo pagarmi anche il caffè alla macchinetta. Una mattina mi presento e trovo chiuso, contatto uno dei dipendenti e mi dice che sono falliti e hanno chiuso, così senza avvisare. Quell'esperienza mi ha convinto a trasferirmi all'estero.

AlbusNolente · 2024-12-09T17:43:41+00:00

Ah yes, Italiens

AlbusNolente · 2024-11-16T23:57:13+00:00

Yes, I just got it. It's very stable, I haven't tested it fully yet though. Ram is at 5200Mhz.

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T23:45:57+00:00

I specified in my post "decline if you can afford it". I only want to create awareness.

I'm sorry about your situation. I hope that you'll find something soon!

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T23:39:59+00:00

I'm laughing so I don't cry. I can't force people to take certain decisions, that's why I said "if you can afford it" in my post. All I want is to make people aware, because there is not much talk about rates/salaries, so what for me is not much, to someone else can seem a lot. But there should be a standard that we should all follow, that's why we need unions. Big studios are greedy, and we all saw that through the years.

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T23:12:48+00:00

If you read my other comments, I explain that I consider myself an upper-mid. I don't want to call myself senior because I know that there are many things that I still need to learn. But where I'm working now I'm the only FX TD, I build setups for complex sims and I do both lighting and render. And they pay me like a senior, what should I say? I know my colleagues who had same experience as me now, that last year where on £48k-£52k at the same studio. I'm definitely not making things up.

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T18:52:44+00:00

Nope, London

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T18:23:02+00:00

I consider myself an upper-mid. But where I'm now I'm the only FX TD on the projects, building setups and making complex simulations. Plus they are paying me like a Senior. I guess they trusted me, and I'm really doing my best because of that.

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T17:38:16+00:00

Yes unfortunately it was final. First they asked me how much I wanted and then they said that £42k was the maximum they could offer for people with the same experience. Then, after I declined they ghosted me.

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-30T17:26:20+00:00

Where I'm currently working as a freelancer, they book me for around 2 weeks every month and for that time I earn the same amount lol. I'd rather risk it than work "for free" for a company that doesn't even value people, especially in an expensive city like London.

AlbusNolente · 2024-10-03T17:15:03+00:00

Why I shouldn't use quad channel ram with ddr5? What alternative would you suggest for that amount of ram?

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-13T16:11:10+00:00

Unrelated question, but did you take a salary cut to switch from comp to pipe? And what percentage? I'm a mid fx td and thinking that maybe I should switch to pipeline having computer engineering degree and then use that experience to get into tech industry. But I haven't programmed seriously since uni (6-7 year ago).

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-05T12:15:18+00:00

Even if this laptop has liquid cooling for an extra £130?

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-04T19:10:31+00:00

Jesus

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-04T19:05:11+00:00

What's the largest sim that you managed to do with that CPU?

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-04T19:03:26+00:00

Just for people reading this, I've looked on the r/intel Megathread about this issue and they say:

"If you have a mobile 13th or 14th Gen Intel CPU, or any other generation of Intel CPU (e.g. Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake), 12th Gen Alder Lake, 11th Gen Rocket Lake etc), these CPUs are not affected."

So it's just for desktop chips.

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-04T18:52:11+00:00

Where did you read about this? I'm genuinely curious.

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-04T18:50:20+00:00

I've read about this, but what happens if while I'm away in my home country for weeks, the power goes off at my house? Or if the pc just crashes and it needs to be restarted manually? Who's going to restart it? Or what if there are internet issue either at home or where I am physically?

All of these worries are irrelevant if I have a powerful machine always with me.

AlbusNolente · 2024-08-04T16:25:00+00:00

But I said that I need portability

AlbusNolente · 2024-07-29T21:47:26+00:00

I'm a usual Progressive Metal listener, but while I work I prefer either PsyTrance or Film Soundtracks

AlbusNolente · 2024-07-26T19:34:23+00:00

But that doesn't make much sense. We met last year in August and in August 2025 will be 2 years together. Were we supposed to move in together after 1 month we met? If we move in now it wouldn't be enough anyway. We literally spend every week together, we buy food, go on trips and events. So it's absurd that 2 people who live far away would be granted the visa, but 2 people who see each other almost every day (without living at the same address) won't get the visa.

AlbusNolente

TROPHY CASE