VFX Supervisors On Set? (Shiny Silver) Balls To That!
Independent VFX supervisor Des Anwar, whose credits include Netflix dystopian drama, Black Mirror, ponders the increasing importance of having a post expert on set.
I’ve been working in the VFX industry for advertising, TV and film from the beginning of the digital era. Back then it was unusual for anyone from post to be invited to attend a shoot. Over the next decade there was a massive change - not just because creative briefs and visual effects were becoming more prevalent and sophisticated - but as a result of advertising agencies and production companies having to pick up large post-production bills for unsupervised ‘post fixes’ created while shooting.
At this point, it became apparent to producers that a VFX supervisor was needed on-set. Not only could the supervisor advise instantly in a critical situation, quoting the financial implications of a non-budgeted ‘fix’, but they could also sometimes suggest a more cost-effective solution. Take a recent project for TNT, Will, a TV drama about the (fictional) life of William Shakespeare. We were shooting an interior of the Globe Theatre with 300 extras for the audience, but once we filled the pit in front of the stage we had very few people to put into the first and second floor galleries. Rather than framing out the sparsely populated areas and compromising the scene, I suggested using digital extras for the problem areas.

A scene from TNT drama, Will
As film crews grow more familiar with VFX supervisors and understand what we can do, we’re definitely becoming more integrated and accepted. Even before shooting, production designers and the art department want to collaborate with us as they now realise we can save them valuable production time and resources. Digital set builds and extensions are a great example of how post-production has become an inseparable part of many productions.
Additionally, the director and DOP will ask for a VFX supervisor on the location and tech recce to ascertain what’s possible to do digitally to save them time and overcome potential obstacles when shooting. On a recent location recce for Netflix’s Black Mirror, we found the perfect location - but unfortunately right next to it was a busy highway which wasn’t going to work in the storyline. Instead of starting a search for an alternative location, there was the option to remove the highway digitally – something that production were more than happy to take in order to save several days of pre-production.
Des Anwar on the set of Black Mirror, season 4
So, apart from waving our shiny silver balls around, hassling the camera department and holding everyone up, what is the VFX supervisor actually doing on-set? Well, aside from trying to influence factors that will make the visual effect look as good as possible, we are also capturing all the set and environment information needed to do so. This includes the unit camera data, set stills and set measurements, as well as lighting and environmental references which we obtain from those metal balls. At the same time, we’re in constant contact with our team back at the VFX studio, updating them with the information collated from set and making sure the project is staying within the VFX budget.
It seems VFX supervisors do now have a legitimate reason to be on-set, and as more new technologies are developed for filmmaking and the accuracy of the information we need to gather increases, there will definitely be a greater on-set VFX presence in the future.