My Compositing Workflow for TV Schedules

Working in television VFX means dealing with tight deadlines and high shot counts. Over the years, I've developed a workflow that helps me maintain quality while meeting aggressive schedules.

Planning is Everything

Before touching Nuke, I spend time analyzing the shot requirements. Understanding what the director and VFX supervisor want saves countless hours of revisions later.

Key Planning Steps:

- Review reference frames and temp comps - Identify potential problem areas - Estimate realistic time requirements - Communicate early about any concerns

Template-Based Approach

I maintain a library of template scripts for common tasks: standard keying setups, cleanup workflows, and color matching tools. This isn't about taking shortcuts—it's about starting from a proven foundation.

Iterative Reviews

Rather than polishing a shot to 100% before showing it, I prefer getting to 70% and getting feedback. This prevents wasting time on approaches that might need to change.

Tool Efficiency

Learning keyboard shortcuts and creating custom Nuke tools has dramatically improved my speed. I estimate it saves me 2-3 hours per day on a busy show.

Conclusion

The key is finding the balance between speed and quality. With experience, you develop an intuition for what's "good enough" vs. what needs extra attention. ```