Special and Visual Effects Technicians
Overview
Introduction
Special and visual effects technicians are crafts persons who use technical skills to create effects, illusions, and computer-generated images for the entertainment industry. They work with a variety of materials and digital techniques to produce the fantastic visions and seemingly real illusions that add dimension to motion picture, theater production, television broadcast, and video game.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Some technicians have steady, salaried employment, while others work freelance for an hourly rate and may have periods with no work. The average daily rate for beginning freelance technicians is $100 to $200 per day, while more experienced technicians may earn $300 per day or more. According to SalaryExpert.com, in August 2020, special effects technicians had an average annual salary of $67,853...
Work Environment
Special and visual effects is an excellent field for someone who likes to dream up fantastic monsters and machines and has the patience to create them. Special and visual effects technicians must be willing to work long hours, and have the stamina to work under strenuous conditions. Twelve-hour days are not uncommon, and to meet a deadline technicians may work for 15 hours a day. Many special a...
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that employment of multimedia artists and animators (which includes visual effects technicians) will grow by about 4 percent, about as fast as the average for all other occupations, through 2028. The motion picture industry is expected to have modest growth, the television industry is projected to have slow growth, while streaming services, such as Netflix a...