Visual Development

Visual development is a key role in the process of making an animated movie and creating whole worlds from scratch that will end up on the big screen and move audiences around the world. So when I thought about preparing a course about visual development, I thought of everything that is already available out there that covers the theory you would need to help you with your art: perspective, composition, values, contrast, and so on. But there’s one fundamental question that’s often unaddressed: What does it really take to become a good visual development artist and work in feature animation?

This is the second edition of a text devoted to the development of the visual system. The author is one of the leaders in the field of visual neuroscience, currently one of the hottest areas in neuroscience. Visual Development, 2e, covers (i) development of the visual system, (ii) effects of visual deprivation, (iii) mechanisms by which visual deprivation produces its effects, and (iv) a list of some fundamental questions that need to be answered.

Whether you know it or not, nearly every studio has a special team of artists called Visual Developers that have a tremendous amount of creative control. These artists work very close to the director to get a project “green lit” (funded) as quickly as possible.

This Introductory lecture is geared towards the beginner to intermediate artists for understanding the production pipeline in major animation studios. This essential knowledge will discuss how the Visual Development Department fits as a crucial gear in the overall machine that drives the force of production.