Special Effects Artist

From mystical creatures and exploding cars to extraterrestrial planets, special effects artists, or VFX artists, are now compulsory on audiovisual productions because they create and insert the special effects in animated films.
VFX artists are both technicians and artists. They specialise in digital special effects and use a variety of animation, 3D modelling and simulation tools, and filming techniques. They do magic by combining technology with creativity.

Main goals

Special effects artists/VFX artists create and insert visual effects frame by frame and must:

Understand the creative objectives
Create special effects for gameplay and environments
Create special effects by making models, animations, texturing, etc.
Factor in technical constraints, artistic cohesiveness, pacing, etc.
Add special effect frame by frame
Adapt their creations to the director's requests, feedback and notes

Required qualifications

VFX artists (special effects experts) are highly technical and creative, and must have the following skills:

Imagination and creativity
An artistic eye
Discipline and meticulousness
Ability to listen and collaborate
Good communication skills
Special effects artists should also possess these qualities:
A background in moving images: film, video, animation, video games, etc.
Mastery of 3D animation and modelling software like Photoshop, Maya, 3DS Max and Blender
Excellent IT skills