For the last two years or so, the “Plight of the VFX Artist” has been slowly building up steam in news journals and circles of employment, discussion how VFX artists are undervalued, overworked, and generally forgotten in the hollywood buzz machine. With recent films like Avatar attributing more of their success to the visual effects than the A-list actors, it’s back again but with a bit more momentum. In a recent piece from Lee Stranahan published in the Huffinton Post, Stranahan brought it back into the forefront with great success.
Visual Effects Society chairman Jeff Okun said Stranahan’s column is “absolutely true.”
“The fact that we have no representation means we have no voice anywhere,” Okun said, “so it’s a free-for-all from the bottom up and the top down,” where artists and studios alike must haggle for the best deal possible.
Still, what’s the solution? Should VFX artists risk having more work outsourced overseas by simply demanding more money? Or is a Union the answer? Dave Rand, who recently signed up with the IATSE Animation Guild, seems to think unionizing is the answer:
“I have had by far the best year of my 18-year career in digital f/x,” he said. “I made more money, had the best lifestyle, worked with state-of-the-art technology for a company that has attracted the best talent in the industry. I’ve been treated wonderfully up here.”
What do you think?
Vfx artist plight at issue – Entertainment News, David Cohen, Media – Variety.
