VFX
Every VFX shot, from plate to final.
VFX gets tracked in a spreadsheet on most productions, and the spreadsheet loses to reality by week three. Shot tracking here is attached to the scenes the plates came from, so a scene change is visible to VFX rather than discovered in the review.
What is VFX management software?
VFX management software tracks visual effects shots through production — from the plate shot on set, through vendor assignment and versioning, to final approval. It records the status of each shot, the notes given at each review, and which version is current, so producers and supervisors can see where the work actually stands.
What you get
Raised from the breakdown
Visual effects tagged during [script breakdown](/script-breakdown-software) import straight into the tracker as shots, with shot numbers generated from the scene and checked for collisions. Re-run it after a revision and only new tags are offered.
The shot is the unit
Every shot is its own record — shot number, scene, description, vendor, delivery date, status and notes. Shot numbers are unique within a production, so two people cannot quietly create two different SH0140s.
A pipeline that moves one stage at a time
Turnover, layout, animation, FX, lighting, compositing, review, delivery. A shot advances or goes back one stage; it cannot teleport from turnover to delivery because somebody picked the wrong item in a dropdown.
Notes pinned to the frame
Click the exact point on a version's frame and the note stays pinned there, on that version. It replaces a paragraph of email describing where in the frame the wire is.
Vendors see only their own shots
An outside vendor can be granted one project and one vendor name. They see the shots assigned to that name and nothing else — not other vendors' work, not unassigned shots, no other department. They upload versions and leave notes; they cannot create shots, move a status, or reassign a shot to themselves.
Linked to scenes
Each shot can be tied to the scene it came from, and shots imported from the breakdown carry their scene automatically.
Why the spreadsheet fails
VFX tracking almost always starts as a spreadsheet, and for a small shot count that's genuinely fine. It stops being fine at the point where versions start accumulating.
A spreadsheet row holds one status. It doesn't hold the four versions, the notes given on each, and which note is still outstanding. So that information moves to email, and the spreadsheet becomes a summary of a conversation happening somewhere else — accurate on the day it was updated and misleading afterwards.
Plates are shot once
The most expensive VFX mistake happens on set, not in post: a plate shot without the reference, the markers, the clean pass or the correct frame rate.
Tag visual effects during [script breakdown](/script-breakdown-software) and they can be imported straight into the tracker as shots, each carrying the scene it came from. The shoot day follows from the schedule, so a supervisor can see what is shooting tomorrow and catch a missing element while it still costs an hour rather than a reshoot.
What a shot record holds
Enough to answer the questions that come up in a review without opening anything else:
- Scene and shoot day the plate came from
- Description of the work required
- Complexity band and bid estimate
- Assigned vendor or artist
- Current status and due date
- Every submitted version, with notes attached per version
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does VFX management software do?
- It tracks visual effects shots from plate through vendor work to final approval — recording status, versions, review notes and due dates per shot, so producers and supervisors can see where the work stands without chasing email.
- How is this different from a spreadsheet?
- A spreadsheet row holds one status. It can't hold multiple versions with notes attached to each, which is where VFX tracking actually lives. Past a small shot count, the spreadsheet becomes a stale summary of a conversation happening in email.
- How do shots get flagged as VFX?
- Tag the scene's visual effects during script breakdown, then import them into the VFX tracker — shot numbers are generated from the scene and checked for collisions. You can also raise shots directly, one at a time or in bulk. Either way each shot carries its own status, versions and review notes through to delivery.
- Can vendors access it?
- Yes — an outside vendor can be given access to their own shots only. They can submit versions (as a link to the media) and leave review notes; they cannot see other vendors' shots or the rest of the production.
- Does it replace a full VFX pipeline tool?
- No. For large-scale feature VFX with hundreds of artists, dedicated pipeline software does far more. This is built for indie features, series and commercial work where the alternative is a spreadsheet.
- Is it free?
- Yes, on the free tier, alongside the rest of the production chain. Zero commission on crew hiring.
Terms explained
- Conform
- Conform is the process of rebuilding the locked edit at full quality, relinking the offline edit's decisions to the original camera media. The result is the sequence that goes to colour grading and final delivery.
- Dailies
- Dailies are the footage shot on a given day, processed and made available for review shortly afterwards — traditionally the following morning, which is where the name comes from. They are watched to confirm that what was shot is usable before the unit loses access to the location.
- Picture lock
- Picture lock is the point at which the edit is final and no further changes to shot selection or timing will be made. It is a formal gate rather than an opinion, because sound design, score, visual effects and colour all work to a fixed timeline that a later change invalidates.
Get the templates and guides
Call sheets, breakdown sheets and DOOD grids as downloadable files, plus a note when we publish something new.
No spam, and unsubscribe from anything we send. See how we handle your address in the privacy policy.
Get your VFX slate out of a spreadsheet.
Shot-level tracking with versions and notes. Free to start.