Scalability for CG Pipelines

What managerial items should be included when discussing scalability for a cg pipeline?

* Skillset and learning curve for your crew and potential recruits are realistic.

* A toolset and workflow that can produce shots quickly without bringing your infrastructure and network to it's knees.

* A toolset that can adapt to a variety of styles and looks.

* A toolset that can supported, and does not completely depend on third-parties.

* A toolset that can be replicated across productions, and even studios. 

How to keep a team together.

l always aim to establish and create a cohesive team that feels like a family, so that people have a sense of loyalty and commitment to their colleagues and the studio. Another goal is to always keep the motivation of the team at a very high level. I feel that It is important to provide opportunities for group members to become acquainted. One method that I use is eating together. I've always made a point of eating lunch with my coworkers as often as possible. It is amazing how this one little thing can impact a team. I also believe it is necessary to indicate the importance and value of the individuals and team. The people need to know how they are important to the studio. I always make it a point to acknowledge achievements and identify progress, to the person, the team, and studio wide.

Inevitably in a team, disputes sometimes occur ranging from minor differences in opinion, to fundamental differences in ideology. It is my job to handle such disagreements constructively, ensuring that the team remains focused on achieving its goals. I always encourage people to stand back from any disagreements and look at things objectively. By doing this, any differences between the team can be more easily resolved and possible conflicts can be avoided.

Why do you need a central production tracking system?

Productions don't run like an organized, gantt-charted schedule. Real productions are chaotic: Missed deadlines, miscommunication, director’s scope/artistic creep, new tasks, new people in, old people out. This is why information needs to be centralized and archived. No more he-said she-said. No more forwarding 500 emails to a person who gets involved in the middle of a project. No more losing knowledge when someone leaves a show. With a good production tracking system it's all there: centralized, archived, accessible, date stamped, and labeled for clear accountability.

Top 5 Recruiting Tips

Here are my top 5 tips on recruiting the best talent for your production.

1.) Only hire A people.

If you start making compromises, B level people will start to hire C level people who will in turn bring on D Level staff.

2.) Only hire people who are smart.

You want to recruit and hire staff that have aptitude, not a particular skill set. You want to find those that are going to be able to learn any new technology rather than people who happen to know Maya version 6.0 this minute. You want those that understand the concepts, not the pixel-pushers who know the buttons.

3.) Only hire people who get things done.

Getting things done is crucial. Avoid those that are completely impractical, the ones that would rather mull over something academic about a problem rather than deliver the film on time (and budget).

4.) Hire the right combination of stars and role players.

Just like in sports, the best teams have one or two superstars and the right mix of role players to complement them. It's important that everyone on the production team knows their specific role. Not everyone can be the director.

5.) Hire the right combination of experience and youth.

Also, as in sports, you want to bring in the veterans for guidance, mentoring, and experience. And the youth for their energy and innovation. With the right mix, you will have success now, while building an even brighter future.