Digital compositor
The image enhancer
The digital compositor works on the atmosphere of a film, and finalizes all the visual effects by assembling the different elements (green background, 3D elements, high resolution pictures, etc.) in order to achieve the final coherent and homogeneous plan to optimize the artistic quality. The digital compositor is both an artist and a technician.
What is digital compositing ?
Digital compositing is the art and process of digitally assembling multiple images into a final image, usually for printing, filming or screen display.
It gives consistency to a film, a short film, a music video or a commercial.
What does the digital compositor do ?
This professional works in most areas of animation and post-production, creating the perfect combination of live action, computer graphics and visual effects for films and videos. His material may include digital images from cinema, drawings, or videos.
Digital compositors work at the end of the production process. He is one of the last protagonists in the image production process of a film.
Skills and qualities
The digital compositor must be comfortable with digital technology in order to combine speed and efficiency.
He perfectly masters the so-called “lightweight” material used in digital filming.
Creative and logical, autonomous and methodical, he also has a passion for teamwork and a perfect mastery of specific software and its management process.
This job requires attention to detail in the composition of images (integration, colors, lighting).
The digital compositors must keep up to date with technological developments in their field in order to remain efficient.
You don’t become a digital compositor out of the blue.
The unavoidable step before achieving this goal is to follow a training program within a film school such as CinéCréatis, a school of applied and graphic arts where students acquire all the artistic and technical foundations to understand motion and image.
His career and opportunities for development
Digital compositor is a job of passion but also of contacts and networks.
The more people you know in the field, the more you will have the opportunity to be informed about the possible missions.
The compositor works in a studio, in an agency or as a freelancer on an occasional basis for missions requiring short and intense efforts, or on a regular basis for animated films, feature films or commercials.
The salary of the compositing operator depends on his . her status, on the company he works for and the assignment he is entrusted with.
