The "VFX Artists React" Series

Corridor Digital puts out a series of videos of them reacting to various VFX shots in film, television, and the internet. Though the videos are not tutorials or how-to videos, there is a ton to learn from them. Ambient Occlusion, aliasing, sub-surface scattering, clipping, the Uncanny Valley, the index of refraction, all terms that you can learn what they mean and how they affect your VFX.

From these videos, I've learned a lot about cinematography while working with VFX. I've also learned to notice subtle nuances of real life that can translate to a better VFX later on. Shadows and lighting, color correcting, all things that the guys talk about.

I am not a VFX Artist, although I was able to create a crude animation of a lens sitting on top of a roof top in Orlando Fl, it doesn't look that great, but it looks far better than it did before I started watching these videos and started learning the subtleties of how to make it look better. (In this instance, I learned from Corridor that to make something look further away, the black value of the objects in the distance gets brighter and more faded, as well as making sure I had highlights wrapping around the lens per the index of refraction)

Not only has this series made me appreciate the art of VFX and VFX artists more, but it also makes me appreciate all of the planning and prepro that goes into some of these shots. These videos are lowkey about more than VFX, and they've made me appreciate the whole film industry more.