Visual Effects World Atlas

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Project

Why did you make an atlas of the global Visual Effects Industry?

There has always been a shortage of clear, objective information on Visual Effects as a global industry. Some countries and regions gather detailed and informative data on their region. But a comprehensive picture of the global industry has never been widely available (if it has existed at all).

Why is the atlas free?

The goal of the atlas is to help Visual Effects professionals around the world develop a shared understanding of the global Visual Effects industry, and to foster a sense of community between Visual Effects people in different parts of the world. Cost should not be a barrier for anyone in the industry to have access to this fundamental information and be able to participate in the discussion.

Why doesn’t the atlas go into more detail about VFX companies?

It’s impossible to understand the shape of the global VFX industry without some basic knowledge of key players in the industry. The atlas provides this context through a broad overview of some of the larger VFX companies, plus insight into global trends like remote work affecting many companies. The focus of the atlas is on people and skillsets, however, not companies or business strategy. While the content of the atlas may be helpful to business decision makers, it is not intended as a source of business intelligence.

I believe there’s an error in the atlas. How can I get you to correct it?

If you believe there’s a factual error in the atlas or information is misrepresented, please email us at info@vfxatlas.com.

The atlas has consistent, objective editorial policies that prevent us from making changes to the data or the publication “upon request”. We investigate and validate errors using public information before making any changes.

The public data that we use for the atlas has several limitations (which are explained in the atlas itself). In many cases, we believe potential sources of error affect the data for all companies and countries equally. Even so, the data is a better representation of e.g. the relative size of hubs and studios compared to each other than the absolute number of people who work there.

About the Data

Where do you get the data for the atlas?

Almost all of the data used for the atlas comes from public sources, largely through internet research. Collating that information, cleaning it to make it usable, and then visualizing it to extract insights is more difficult than accessing it in the first place.

Data for emerging markets needs to be gathered using different methods. Data to properly capture the Visual Effects industry in certain countries simply isn’t available on the internet. We used other forms of research -- engaging with local organizations, calling companies -- to start building a picture of the Visual Effects industry in specific regions that would be heavily underrepresented in the atlas otherwise.

Why does the atlas talk more about quantity than quality?

We needed consistent and objective measures with which to chart the industry globally. This does NOT mean that we think bigger is automatically better, or that we don’t care about quality, capability, talent, or the health of companies. Those are incredibly important factors in our industry; they simply aren’t the focus of the data we use to make the atlas.

Do the numbers in the atlas represent jobs?

No, not directly. The numbers in the atlas represent people with VFX skill sets in a country or hub city. They do not directly represent the number of jobs there, or tell us how many of those people are currently working. The data used for the atlas does not track employment statistics; we need to look to other sources for that.

Did you use data from the Visual Effects Society?

Many of the people who contributed to and supported the atlas are VES members (including the author). VES did not engage with the project as an organization.

VES members comprise roughly 1 in 20 visual effects professionals worldwide. A comprehensive picture of the global industry requires a broader sample. VES no doubt has their own sources for broader information on the industry. The atlas was created independently using data collected for this purpose.

Why is my country or company not represented in the atlas?

The atlas was put together by a very small team. While every effort was made to be inclusive, we were not able to cover every country in as much depth as we would have liked, or identify every VFX professional and company worldwide, for this first edition of the atlas.
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We would love to include even more in future editions of the atlas. If you want to make to make sure you are on our radar, please contact us at info@vfxatlas.com. We love to hear from you!

About Sponsorships and Support

I think this is a great project! How can I support it?

For the first edition, sponsorship from companies has helped us cover the cost of the research. If you would like to know more about becoming a sponsor, please email us at info@vfxatlas.com.

Individuals who’d like to support the project can do so by buying a bit of atlas merch through this website. Part of the purchase price goes towards production of the atlas; the rest gets you a nice piece of swag to show off your pride in the global VFX industry.

Does having paid sponsorships compromise the objectivity of the atlas?

Sponsors have no ability to influence the editorial content of the atlas. We draw a firm line between the editorial content of the atlas and sponsor messages. We do not accept sponsored content that conflicts with the editorial content (for example, maps or headcount estimates supplied by companies).

Sponsors who support the atlas see value in sharing objective, factual data on the visual effects industry, which makes their contribution even more remarkable and appreciated.

Visual Effects World Atlas

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Project

About the Data

About Sponsorships and Support

Contact Us

We welcome comments, corrections, and suggestions.