Table 1Transition record

storyboard artisttospecial effects artist

A storyboard artist already meets 42% of what the special effects artist role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From storyboard artist

42%

Overlap1

To special effects artist

12 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

60.8 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

42%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

60.8/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the special effects artist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the storyboard artist profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A special effects artist role treats 9 of its required skills as things a storyboard artist already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

ICT software specifications
adapt to type of media
analyse a script
design graphics
develop animations
follow work schedule

What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A special effects artist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a storyboard artist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held develop animations communication, collaboration and creativity
already held study media sources information skills
already held design graphics communication, collaboration and creativity
already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manage feedback communication, collaboration and creativity
already held adapt to type of media communication, collaboration and creativity

All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the special effects artist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 23 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 arts and humanities 3 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held digital arts required
required, not held digital compositing required
required, not held motion graphics required

optional, not held 3D lighting optional
optional, not held motion capture optional

02 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required, 7 supplementary

required, not held computer equipment required
required, not held computer graphics required

optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
optional, not held Synfig optional
optional, not held graphics editor software optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held create moving images required
required, not held follow a brief required

optional, not held convert into animated object optional
optional, not held operate 3D computer graphics software optional
optional, not held manage portfolio optional
optional, not held render 3D images optional

04 management skills 1 required

required, not held finish project within budget required

05 working with computers 1 required

required, not held provide multimedia content required

06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a special effects artist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held ICT software specifications knowledge
already held adapt to type of media skill
already held analyse a script skill
already held design graphics skill
already held develop animations skill
already held follow work schedule skill
already held graphic design knowledge
already held multimedia systems knowledge
already held study media sources skill
already held consult with production director skill
already held copyright legislation knowledge
already held manage feedback skill

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held 3D lighting optional
optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
optional, not held Synfig optional
optional, not held convert into animated object optional
optional, not held graphics editor software optional
optional, not held motion capture optional
optional, not held operate 3D computer graphics software optional
optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
optional, not held manage portfolio optional
optional, not held render 3D images optional

21 held skills the special effects artist role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
not needed by the target role cameras knowledge
not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
not needed by the target role create 2D painting skill
not needed by the target role create animated narratives skill
not needed by the target role create digital images skill
not needed by the target role create original drawings skill
not needed by the target role create sketches skill
not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
not needed by the target role familiarise with personal directing styles skill
not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
not needed by the target role photography knowledge
not needed by the target role present storyboard skill
not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
not needed by the target role use storyboards skill
not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill
not needed by the target role work with playwrights skill

14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held digital arts required
required, not held computer equipment required
required, not held computer graphics required
required, not held digital compositing required
required, not held motion graphics required
optional, not held 3D lighting optional
optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
optional, not held Synfig optional
optional, not held graphics editor software optional
optional, not held motion capture optional

Index

Other moves recorded from storyboard artist

Full index of moves from storyboard artist

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.