After doing many profiles I have often come across credits for a person called 'Special Effects Coordinator'.

My understanding of the rules doesn't allow the credit.

I have also come across credits where there is the above credit, then Special Effects Foreman, Special Effects Technicians or Special Effects Crew.

So as far as I understand the rules none of these would be credited.


I looked up Special Effects Coordinator and found the following.

From IMDB:
The chief of a production's special effects crew.




From the link below.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0122862/BehindTheBigScreen/nspeciale.htm

When working with special effects, there is always a special effects coordinator, along with his or her assistants. They are responsible to the director for safely and effectively planning and executing all special effects required during the production. This may include weather effects such as wind, rain or snow; separate from furniture for fight scenes; fire and smoke etc.



So when there is no Special Effects Supervisor, but there is a Special Effects Coordinator credited - should the Coordinator be credited & contributed?

I wouldn't... but I am more of the type that if it is not on the list in the chart... then it shouldn't be added.

I'm generally a bit unclear as to whether we are merely after visual effects crew who happen to be credited as "special effects" crew (let me insert the "primarily in older films" note here), or if we're really after both crew categories.

Wikipedia: "Special effects are traditionally divided into the categories of optical effects and mechanical effects. With the emergence of digital film-making tools a greater distinction between special effects and visual effects has been recognized, with "visual effects" referring to digital post-production and "special effects" referring to on-set mechanical effects and in-camera optical effects."

That distinction does seem to be of some importance: I feel that a "special effects" credit in a random seventies flick, where it only refers to a few car chases and the destruction caused by them (clearly just "on-set mechanical effects"), is quite something else than the "visual effects supervisor" on the latest 'Indiana Jones'. I really would like to know which category we're after - just the latter, or both?

Most "recent" films have a fairly prominent "visual effects supervisor" credit, and then, usually decidedly further down the end credits, additional "special effects" credits - sometimes called "supervisor", sometimes "coordinator", or whatever else. I'm still not entirely sure whether it's right to lump these all together under one equal "visual effects supervisor" credit.

Basically I'm happy to go either way, but I would like to see a consensus on this. If we're indeed entering both categories, and there's no special effects supervisor, but there is a special effects coordinator, then I think he should be included. In that case "coordinator" just seems like another label for "supervisor". But again: I'm wondering whether we're supposed to track these people at all if there's an actual "visual effects" credit already.

Quoting CubbyUps:

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So when there is no Special Effects Supervisor, but there is a Special Effects Coordinator credited - should the Coordinator be credited & contributed?

IMO those are labels for the functional equivalent job and should be entered into the profile. But unfortunately the rules do not allow functional equivalents except if that's what is meant by "direct translation". We need some official clarification here.

Quoting RHo:

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IMO those are labels for the functional equivalent job and should be entered into the profile. But unfortunately the rules do not allow functional equivalents except if that's what is meant by "direct translation". We need some official clarification here.

Maybe you need that but I don't, because I already have seen hundreds of contributions which said function X credited as Y gotten approved, and so I already know functional equivalents are allowed.

Quoting T!M:

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Quoting Daddy DVD:

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Quoting RHo:

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IMO those are labels for the functional equivalent job and should be entered into the profile. But unfortunately the rules do not allow functional equivalents except if that's what is meant by "direct translation". We need some official clarification here.

Maybe you need that but I don't, because I already have seen hundreds of contributions which said function X credited as Y gotten approved, and so I already know functional equivalents are allowed.

They are indeed - as they should.

Then why are people in the forum keep telling that functional equivalents are not allowed? An official statement from Invelos would really help.

Quoting Katatonia:

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I found 'Special Effects Coordinator' in a TV film just the other day, but didn't contribute it. However, it was the only Visual Effects credit in the entire film...

That's what I'm running across doing the credits for Dollhouse. There is only the Special Effects Coordinator listed. Wonder if down the road they can be included in the rules (only for visual effects) for TV shows (or made for TV movies) when only one visual effects person credited (i.e. they are not included if there is a Visual/Special Effects Supervisor and all the other variants in the rules now listed...)

No comment.

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