Trong shot "Mission Impossible" Tom Cruise hang from helicopter, wire holding actor invisible to audience. Trong "Game of Thrones" dragon flight, rig used to support actor on greenscreen disappear from final cut. Đó là magic của Paint / Cleanup Artist.
Paint / Cleanup Artist là chuyên gia clean unwanted element trong footage VFX — wire, rig, blemish, mic shadow, set imperfection, unwanted person. Foundation invisible role — work tốt khi audience không notice. Critical bước trước compositing + further VFX layer.
01Paint / Cleanup Artist là ai?
Paint / Cleanup Artist (cũng gọi Roto-Paint Artist) là chuyên gia paint hand-frame để remove unwanted element + restore background plate. Phân loại theo task: (1) Wire + rig removal — fly wire stunt, rig hold actor; (2) Blemish + beauty cleanup — pimple, scar, wrinkle (actor) — overlap với beauty work; (3) Set imperfection — boom mic, light reflection, crew accidental in frame; (4) Set extension cleanup — remove element không thuộc time period; (5) Tattoo removal — character không có tattoo trong story nhưng actor có; (6) License plate / branding removal — legal clearance. Phân loại theo experience: Junior Roto-Paint (simple cleanup), Mid (complex), Senior Cleanup Lead.
Khác với Compositor (broader composite layer) — Paint focus pure removal + restoration. Khác với Roto Artist (matte extraction, mask creation) — Paint actually paint pixel; overlap heavy though, thường same person. Khác với Matte Painter (create new background painting) — Paint restore existing. Khác với Beauty Artist (cosmetic skin perfection) — Paint broader cleanup. Hợp tác chặt với: Roto Artist, Compositor, VFX Supervisor, Tracker, 3D Artist, Production Coordinator.
- Remove wire, rig, unwanted element
- Restore clean background plate
- Track shot cho stable paint across frame
- Maintain photoreal seamless
Gợi ý tìm ảnh
"vfx paint cleanup artist nuke wire removal compositing studio workstation professional"
Paint / Cleanup Artist — invisible essential work
Vị trí trong quy trình sản xuất
Paint / Cleanup Artist work tại VFX studio — major (ILM, Weta, DNEG, Framestore, MPC) + mid-tier (Sparx*, Bad Clay) + indie. Báo cáo Roto-Paint Supervisor / Compositing Supervisor. Quy trình per shot: receive plate + yêu cầu → analyze (1-2 giờ) → set up tracking + paint approach → paint frame-by-frame hoặc track-based (per shot 1 ngày - 1 tuần) → review + iterate → deliver clean plate cho Compositor / 3D team.
02Công việc của một Paint / Cleanup Artist
1. Plate analysis + approach planning
Receive plate + yêu cầu from supervisor. Analyze: what element remove, motion (handheld vs locked-off), lighting, occlusion (element passing in front), grain pattern. Plan approach: 2D paint stroke per frame (handheld + complex), tracked patch (locked-off plate, repeat motion), 3D projection (architectural set), clean plate generate from frame elsewhere.
- Plate analyze
- Approach decide
- Setup project
Gợi ý tìm ảnh
"vfx paint plate analysis nuke node graph quy trình approach professional"
Plate analyze
2. Track + clean plate generation
For moving camera: track shot first (point / planar) trong Mocha Pro hoặc Nuke Tracker. Generate clean plate: borrow background from frame where element không occlude. Patch projection from clean plate back onto frame có element. Work với Tracker artist for difficult shot.
- Camera track
- Clean plate generate
- Patch project
Gợi ý tìm ảnh
"vfx mocha pro tracking shot motion stabilize footage professional"
Track + stabilize
Gợi ý tìm ảnh
"vfx clean plate generation patch background nuke compositing professional"
Clean plate
3. Frame-by-frame paint
Complex shot need frame-by-frame paint. Công cụ: Nuke Paint node (industry standard), Silhouette, Mocha Pro. Use RotoPaint stroke, clone, healing, blend mode. Match grain + color + blur of original. Maintain across frame for stable result. Patience + meticulous work.
- Frame paint
- Match grain + color
- Stable result
Gợi ý tìm ảnh
"vfx nuke paint rotopaint frame by frame cleanup wacom workstation professional"
Frame paint
4. Review + iterate + handoff
Review với supervisor on cinema screen — element invisible? Edge clean? Grain match? Flicker? Iterate until perfect. Final paint handoff to Compositor / 3D team as clean plate. Document approach for shot consistency across project. Continue cleanup of next shot.
- Review supervisor
- Iterate perfect
- Handoff clean plate
Gợi ý tìm ảnh
"vfx supervisor review screening room compositor cleanup professional"
Review + handoff
03Paint / Cleanup Artist cần giỏi gì?
handyman
Nuke + Silhouette + Mocha mastery
palette
Photoshop fluent
straighten
Tracking + matchmoving basic
visibility
Detail obsession + patience
photo_camera
Cinematography + grain knowledge
widgets
Production speed + organization
Nuke + Silhouette + Mocha mastery
Nuke (Foundry) — industry standard, primary tool. Master RotoPaint, Tracker node, expression. Silhouette — paint + roto specialty (excellent for paint specifically). Mocha Pro — planar tracking + roto. Course: Foundry tutorial, FXPHD, SilhouetteFX tutorial.
Photoshop fluent
Photoshop skill help — clone + healing + blend mode similar concept. Hand-paint approach learn from Photoshop. Sometime use Photoshop for clean plate prep.
Tracking + matchmoving basic
Tracking fundamental for paint. Hiểu camera tracking, planar tracking, 3D tracking. Solve track problem yourself. Pass complex to dedicated Tracker artist.
Detail obsession + patience
Frame-by-frame work tedious. Spot single-pixel flicker. Detail obsessive. Patient. Persistent. Work invisible — only appreciate quality when fail. Mindset critical.
Cinematography + grain knowledge
Hiểu camera + lens + grain pattern. Different camera (Alexa, RED, Sony Venice) different grain. Lens distortion. ISO setting affect noise. Match perfect.
Production speed + organization
Per shot deadline tight. Build personal template + quy trình. Organized node graph + version. Speed valuable competitive advantage.
04Làm cách nào để trở thành Paint / Cleanup Artist?
1
Học VFX / Digital Media 2–4 năm
Nền tảng: VFX / Visual Effects / Digital Media / Animation. VN: SKDA Hà Nội, FPT Arena VFX, Arena Multimedia, MAAC. Quốc tế: Gnomon School VFX, Lost Boys School VFX, Vancouver Film School, Think Tank Training Centre, SCAD VFX. Plus online: FXPHD, CGMA Roto Paint course, Nuke training.
2
Junior Roto-Paint Artist 2–4 năm
VN VFX studio entry-level common: Bad Clay Studio, Sparx*, Glassbox Animation, Tinker Studio, Cyclo Animation. Quốc tế: ILM, Weta, DNEG, Framestore, MPC, Method, Cinesite, Pixomondo, RodeoFX — major hire many entry-level for paint work. Roto-Paint is common entry door to VFX career.
3
Mid Paint Artist 4–7 năm
Lead complex paint shot. Mentor junior. Specialize: stunt removal, beauty cleanup, set extension.
4
Senior Paint Artist / Lead 7–12 năm
Lead paint department on project. Train + mentor team. Establish quy trình standard.
5
Roto-Paint Supervisor / Compositor transition 12+ năm
Supervise entire roto + paint quy trình. Hoặc transition to Compositor career — natural progression with paint foundation.
6
Sự nghiệp Paint / Cleanup Artist
Lộ trình dài hạn: (1) Compositor transition — most common path (broader role, higher pay); (2) Roto-Paint Supervisor — specialize as Lead; (3) Compositing Supervisor — overall composite leadership; (4) VFX Supervisor — career peak; (5) Independent freelance; (6) Educator. Lương: VN Paint Artist junior 10-22M/tháng; mid 22-45M; senior 45M-90M; Lead 90M-170M+. Quốc tế: $50K-$80K mid; $80K-$140K senior; Lead $140K-$220K+. Paint career entry-level friendly + clear progression path. Many VFX career start here.
