THOUGHT LEADER
THE TR I CKL E - DOWN EFFECT
I t’s an interesting time for the VFX film and TV shoots, VFX studios are now facing the fallout of the WGA and SAG strikes, which have been ongoing since May and July respectively. Shows and movies that were in post-production before the strikes started are now being finished, and few new projects are heading into post and VFX workflows. Unfortunately, many VFX artists are once again coming to the end of their contracts with no idea of what’s next. All of this comes amid high-profile conversations about how VFX artists are credited (if at all) and how this year’s biggest budget movies don’t need VFX – which of course isn’t true. It’s no surprise that rumblings of strike industry, to say the least. Not unlike Covid-19 lockdowns that suspended action are reverberating throughout the VFX industry, shining a light on how traditional industry structures can hamper artists and VFX itself. With pressure mounting from all angles, there can be no winners in the current situation. High audience expectations mean studios, who are already facing writer and actor strikes, need to produce more content and programming than ever. So, they squeeze budgets and push VFX studios to do the work for less. This in turn means shows and projects within VFX studios become pressured to turn around faster, while maintaining the same high standards. It’s a trickle-down effect, and VFX artists are often at the bottom, working long hours for little to no credit. It’s not uncommon for a distributor or studio to give a VFX outfit just 100 credits, while 200 people might have been needed to finish a project on time. Adding to that, an artist might have spent
Martin Izzard, head of media tech at Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, asks: Why isn’t there a winner in today’s VFX industry?
three months working on a project, only to see press ops around the film focus on the fact filmmakers are doing everything in-camera, without any digital VFX help. Despite recent headlines, VFX remains a ubiquitous part of the filmmaking process. Even films with the smallest budgets include VFX work, let alone those with a budget of £150 million or more. Of course, superhero films that prominently feature other dimensions, magic or alien beings, get the most attention for VFX because the effects aren’t supposed to go unnoticed. VFX is part of the spectacle! Recent blockbusters that have made the news for ‘doing less’ with VFX haven’t required audiences to suspend disbelief in the same way an intergalactic space battle does. The extensive VFX in these films is largely invisible, and that’s exactly where studios need the best artists. With this in mind, it would be great to see credit where it’s due for artists. In the same way pressure trickles down, we need recognition to climb its way back up. Becoming a great VFX artist isn’t something one can pick up in a matter of weeks. Those at the top of their field have put in years of training and dedication for their craft – to only have the top 100 credited on a film is incredibly unfair. Having great artists on their books should be a point of pride for VFX studios, who should be pushing for enhanced
DUE CREDIT VFX artists working on major motion pictures, from Barbie to Avatar, are experiencing a struggle for recognition
recognition for their people. By the same token, producers creating our favourite content should be willing to pay for the art of VFX instead of squeezing studios. Lastly, studios or streaming giants should fairly evaluate the hard work and craft that goes into the films and TV shows that make them millions. Like many areas of the industry, it’s time for change. Namely, recognising the craft in entertainment for what it is – people’s artwork.
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