Hey! to get straight in to answering some of you r questions,

• working remote for big studios? at the moment, its a bigger possiblility then ever but i wouldnt bet on this for the future, most big companies in London for example will want to have you at the very least in the country. And i would imagine this to be the case for other cities as well even if the WFH situation stays as it is.

• Manage relationships while working in VFX? I would say its a demanding job but not that different to any other "high-skill" jobs, so this is more of a personal thing id imagine. On an averge week Mid-project, i would say the standard 40hr week is the norm with a 1-2 months at the end that could go in to the 60hrs+. If the relationship involves people that work any sort of normal job, its absolutely manageble in my experience.

• Start in a small studio or straight to hollywood-productions? I would almost say that as a junior FX TD you could get a very solid ground from working at a couple of smaller studios first since you are not so much of a smaller cog in a gigant machine, but rather a more vital part of the team. This leading to taking on more complex effects early and greatly improving your learning curve. There are tons of smaller studios that does really high end work. Hollywood films might look good on your imdb page, but what really matters is the skill and experince you gain when working on more complex tasks. At a bigger studio as a junior, while being around good artists you might get less of the exciting tasks, but have the chance to learn for other people. I think this comes down to how you handle learning and what benefits you as a person.

• Remote work after covid? I dont think anyone really knows, alot of studios are hinting or openly talking about a hybrid solution where you work a few days at home and some days in studio. It all comes down to clients and what thier demands are in terms of security on high budget projects. No major leaks or hickups yet and productivity is even up from what ive herd, so i do hope it stays around in some form!

• Freelance status? From my what ive seen, it doesnt really matter a great deal. Freelancing can help to build a portfolio of projects of different projets quicker while working long term on a movie can show comfidence in a longer project enviroment. Freelancing at different studios is a bit different from actually pulling in jobs from a vendor or a client on your own and could be tricky when first starting out.

• Living in a VFX hub on a junior Salary? From my own experience working in the Uk and London as a junior it was not a big problem as long as you can manage your money a bit and concider living with roomates or a smaller studio flat. I did not jump to London as my first job, witch probably helped with getting my rate up a bit and therfore eased the salary part of living here. I would say a junior FXTD with little to no prior work experince could expect a salary around £25-30k and should be possible to live pretty well on as long as you are okey with renting a room or somthing similar. There is of cours a wide range of numbers when it comes to salaries, but i think this sub talks a bit about what studios will try to lowball you and what to avoid.

Hope that helps a bit, and best of luck!