Bugaj (in Okun and Zwerman, 2010, p.784) describes a workflow as “…a specific set of procedures and deliverables that define a goal.” However complex projects may involve contributions from several creative or technical artists at various stages in the process, each deploying their own workflow to complete a given task. We therefore need to consider an overarching process that embraces and organises all these individual contributions. Okun and Zwerman refer to this process as the ‘total production workflow’:
A framework that is composed of a series of departmental workflows, beneath which are artist workflows, and beneath those are task workflows. This hierarchy of studio/production, department, artist, and tasks is the workflow, which is implemented in a pipeline. The pipeline is the expression of a workflow as procedures for operating the specific hardware and software used on a given production and/or in a given studio (2010, p.784).
Matte painters often work outside of the production studio framework, working alone to bring an environment from concept through to a completed shot ready to be inserted into the edit. In many ways this belies the complexity of process yet there is no doubt that the more complex shots comprise of a number of processes, each designed to accomplish a specific goal. Each of these are assembled into what can easily be described as a total production workflow and whether different, or indeed the same artist, completes the individual components is arbitrary. Moreover, the matte painter must use their workflow specification to construct a pipeline, which is a matter of selecting the software and the procedures for using them, that facilitate realisation of the workflow.
From the outset, the complexity of this project suggested that the development of a robust workflow and pipeline would be necessary. Figure 24 is a representation of this in table form, commencing with the development of the concept art, although I had in fact developed this during the proposition stage of the project. Using the definition provided by Bugaj and Okun & Zwerman, each row is a representation of an individual low-level workflow designed to accomplish a specific task and deliver one or more outputs. Each of these outputs are assets used as essential raw ingredients, and which I have described as inputs, for other workflows further down the chain. The software column needs little explanation; it is quite simply the application chosen for execution of each part of the process. What is evident is that each application features at least twice within the total production workflow, both to commence a new process or indeed a continuation of a previous process that could only be taken to a specific stage of developed within that software. This raises the issue of universal and interchange file formats, which is described at several points in my development process.
Peter Holmes PhD Journal 