Category: ves
How OpenAI so royally screwed up the Sam Altman firing and joining Microsoft
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/19/tech/sam-altman-open-ai-firing-board/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/18/tech/openai-sam-altman-shakeup-what-happened/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/tech/sam-altman-joins-microsoft/index.html
A company’s board of directors has an obligation, first and foremost, to its shareholders. OpenAI’s most important shareholder is Microsoft, the company that gave Altman & Co. $13 billion to help Bing, Office, Windows and Azure leapfrog Google and stay ahead of Amazon, IBM and other AI wannabes.
So a day later, the board reportedly asked for a mulligan and tried to woo Altman back. It was a shocking turn of events and an embarrassing self-own by a company that its widely regarded as the most promising producer of the most exciting new technology.
The board angered a powerful ally and could be forever changed because of the way it handled Altman’s ouster. It could end up with Altman back at the helm, a for-profit company on its nonprofit board – and a massive culture shift at OpenAI.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67474879
But Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest investor, has decided not to take a chance on Mr Altman taking this tech elsewhere. He will be joining the Seattle-based tech giant, it has been announced, to lead a yet-to-be-created AI research team. His co-founder Greg Brockman goes with him, and judging from the number of staff members posting on X today, it looks like he’ll be taking some of OpenAI’s top talent too.
Many OpenAI staff members are sharing the same post on X. It reads: “OpenAI is nothing without its people”.
Is that a warning to Mr Shear that he might have some hiring to do? A BBC colleague outside OpenAI’s headquarters just told me at 0930 in San Francisco, there were no signs of people arriving for work.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/tech/openai-employees-quit-mira-murati-sam-altman/index.html
“Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,” wrote the employees. “We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees.”
The employees also warned that they would “imminently” follow Altman to Microsoft unless the board resigns and reinstates Altman and Greg Brockman, the former OpenAI president who was also removed by the board on Friday.
Epic Games Store Still Makes No Money
https://80.lv/articles/epic-games-store-still-makes-no-money/
Recently, Epic Games has encountered financial challenges, leading to significant steps. Towards the end of September, the company laid off around 16% of its staff, which is approximately 830 employees. Subsequently, in early October, Epic Games announced a price hike for non-game developers utilizing Unreal Engine. During this announcement, CEO Tim Sweeney openly acknowledged the financial difficulties that the studio has faced since July.
Quiet Quitting at work – Causes and remedies
Quiet quitting isn’t about leaving a job.
It’s when people stay but mentally check out. They do the bare minimum. No excitement. No extra effort.
It’s a silent alarm. Your team may be losing interest right under your nose.
And it’s a big deal. Why?
- Because it affects:
- Your team’s morale
- Your team’s productivity
- Your company’s profitability
- And everyone’s overall success
- Resources are already stretched thin.
- You need to get the best from your team.
What can employers do? Many of the causes are within your control:
➡️ Listen Well
Talk to your team often.
Listen to what they say. Then take action.
➡️ Recognize Efforts
Public recognition can boost morale.
A simple “thank you” goes a long way.
➡️ Promote Balance
Allow time for life outside work.
Overworked employees burn out.
➡️ Give Chances to Grow
Invest in them. Provide training.
Show them a career path.
➡️ Build a Positive Culture
Ensure everyone feels valued and respected.
➡️ Set Clear Goals
Clearly define roles. Tell them what you expect.
➡️ Lead by Example
Show excitement. Work hard.
Be the way you want them to be.
Quiet quitting isn’t just an employee issue. It’s a leadership opportunity. It’s a chance to re-engage, re-inspire, and revitalize your workplace.
Resources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/workers-disengaged-quiet-quitting-their-jobs-gallup/
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
TV/Theatrical 2023 – SAG-AFTRA Contract and Regulating AI
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/AI%20TVTH.pdf
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/TV-Theatrical_23_Summary_Agreement_Final.pdf
Mike Seymour : A Deep Dive into the New Laws around Governing AI
https://www.fxguide.com/fxpodcasts/fxpodcast-361-a-deep-dive-into-the-new-laws-around-governing-ai/
Local copies
Studios Align With Big Tech in a Risky Bet
Under U.S. copyright law, directors and writers are not entitled to some rights that exist in other countries, including the U.K., France and Italy. This is because the contributions of writers and directors in America are typically considered “works-made-for-hire,” which establishes creators as employees and producers as the owner of any copyright.
LasVegas’ Sphere and the Big Sky Camera
https://theasc.com/articles/sphere-and-the-big-sky-camera
Sphere is a 516′-wide, 366′-tall geodesic dome that houses the world’s highest-resolution screen: a 160,000-square-foot LED wraparound that fills the peripheral vision for 17,600 spectators (20,000 if standing-room areas are included). The curved screen is a 9mm-pixel-pitch, sonically transparent surface of LED panels with 500-nit brightness that produce a high-dynamic-range experience. The audience sits 160′ to 400′ from the screen in theatrical seating, and the screen provides a 155-degree diagonal field of view and a more-than-140-degree vertical field of view.
The image on the screen is 16K (16,384x16,384) driven by 25 synchronized 4K video servers.
https://nofilmschool.com/darren-aronofsky-sphere-camera
Cross section:
Tom Hanks on his debut novel “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece”: Nothing comes easy if you learnt all through mistakes…
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-50-q/clip/16014382-tom-hanks
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, A League of Their Own) on his debut novel “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” the insecurities he’s felt throughout his career, and what drives his passion for filmmaking when it feels like “the odds are stacked against you.”
Nothing comes easy if you learnt all through mistakes…
Epic is changing Unreal Engine’s pricing for non-game developers
The change will happen sometime next year and will charge some users on a per-seat model, similar to Photoshop pricing.
Game developers using Unreal Engine won’t be affected and will continue to pay for a license based on a royalty model. However, users in industries like film or automotive will be moved to per-seat pricing, meaning they’ll be charged for the subscription the same way someone might pay for Photoshop.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/5/23905082/epic-unreal-engine-pricing-change-film-automotive
DNEG Canada is moving into unionizing
IATSE, which also runs the powerful Animation Guild Local 839 out of Los Angeles, says that organizing a union will give collective voice to workers’ concerns and requests. Some of the things it aims to achieve at DNEG Vancouver include:
- More transparency and consistency in the decisions that impact our daily lives
- Improvements to current working conditions (i.e. salary, vacation)
- Enhanced RRSP and health benefits
- Sustainability in the Canadian VFX industry as a whole
- Access to legal counsel
- Protections from sudden and unjust layoffs
- Strong representation and solidarity across the Canadian VFX industry
Epic Games cuts around 16% work force, 830 jobs
https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/layoffs-at-epic
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894266/epic-games-layoffs-fortnite-unreal-engine
Tim Sweeney sent the following email to Epic employees:
As we shared earlier, we are laying off around 16% of Epic employees. We’re divesting Bandcamp and spinning off most of SuperAwesome.
For a while now, we’ve been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators. I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic.
SAG-AFTRA Members Vote To Authorize Video Game Workers Strike
SAG-AFTRA members have voted to authorize a strike among video game voice actors and performers, a group of workers who weren’t part of the original actors strike that began back in July.
Australia’s NSW Government reverses 60M cuts to Made in NSW fund, PDV and games rebates
The NSW government has responded to mounting pressure from the film sector, reversing cuts and restoring funding to develop new screen projects.
Former news
https://if.com.au/nsw-government-flags-cuts-to-made-in-nsw-fund-pdv-rebate/
https://if.com.au/dneg-slams-proposed-cuts-to-nsw-screen-funding
The NSW Government has signalled it will make cuts to screen funding in next week’s state budget, including the Made in NSW fund, the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) rebate and the Digital Games Development Rebate Program.
Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has called the proposed changes “devastating”, and argued they will put jobs, revenue and investment growth at risk for years to come. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) similarly said the cuts would damage the state’s credibility and competitiveness as a global film and television “powerhouse”.
Unity3D – open letter on runtime fees
https://blog.unity.com/news/open-letter-on-runtime-fee
To our community:
I’m Marc Whitten, and I lead Unity Create which includes the Unity engine and editor teams.
I want to start with this: I am sorry.
We should have spoken with more of you and we should have incorporated more of your feedback before announcing our new Runtime Fee policy. Our goal with this policy is to ensure we can continue to support you today and tomorrow, and keep deeply investing in our game engine.
You are what makes Unity great, and we know we need to listen, and work hard to earn your trust. We have heard your concerns, and we are making changes in the policy we announced to address them.
Our Unity Personal plan will remain free and there will be no Runtime Fee for games built on Unity Personal. We will be increasing the cap from $100,000 to $200,000 and we will remove the requirement to use the Made with Unity splash screen.
No game with less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue will be subject to the fee.
For those creators on Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise, we are also making changes based on your feedback.
The Runtime Fee policy will only apply beginning with the next LTS version of Unity shipping in 2024 and beyond. Your games that are currently shipped and the projects you are currently working on will not be included – unless you choose to upgrade them to this new version of Unity.
We will make sure that you can stay on the terms applicable for the version of Unity editor you are using – as long as you keep using that version.
For games that are subject to the runtime fee, we are giving you a choice of either a 2.5% revenue share or the calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month. Both of these numbers are self-reported from data you already have available. You will always be billed the lesser amount.
We want to continue to build the best engine for creators. We truly love this industry and you are the reason why.
I’d like to invite you to join me for a live fireside chat hosted by Jason Weimann today at 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT, where I will do my best to answer your questions. In the meantime, here are some more details.*
Thank you for caring as deeply as you do, and thank you for giving us hard feedback.
Marc Whitten
On September 18, Unity Software held an all-hands meeting to discuss the rollout of per-install fees. The recording was reviewed by Bloomberg, which said the company is ready to backtrack on major aspects of its new pricing policy.
The changes are yet to be approved, but here are the first details:
➡ Unity plans to limit fees to 4% for games making over $1 million
➡ Instead of lifetime installs, the company intends to only count installs generated after January 1, 2024 (so the thresholds announced last week won’t be retroactive);
➡ Unity won’t reportedly track installs using its proprietary tools, instead relying on self-reported data from developers.
During the meeting on Monday, Unity CEO John Riccitiello noted that the new policy is “designed to generate more revenue from the company’s biggest customers and that more than 90% of Unity users won’t be affected.” When asked by several employees how the company would regain the trust of developers, execs said they will have to “show, not tell.”
David Helgason, founder of Unity and its former CEO (he is currently on the board), also commented on the controversy around the pricing changes. In a Facebook post (spotted by GamesBeat), he said “we f*cked up on many levels,” adding that the announcement of the new business model “missed a bunch of important “corner” cases, and in central ways ended up as the opposite of what it was supposed to be. […] Now to try again, and try harder,” Helgason wrote. “I am provisionally optimistic about the progress. So sorry about this mess.”
RESPONSES
Unilaterally removing Terms Of Services and making them retroactive is a HUGE loss of trust in Unity’s executive and management team. There is no going back there, no matter if they patch this mess. Using Unity moving forward will just be a gamble.
4% doesn’t change anything. It does not fix any of the problems that have been raised, and asked repeatedly. Install bombing still not addressed. So many “corner cases” still not addressed, especially in the mobile space.
To little to late tbh it’s a systematic problem with the ceo being so out of touch that it’s going to happen again. Remember this was a man who wanted a dollar per battlefield player revive
Mega Crit said Unity’s decision was “not only harmful in a myriad of ways” but was also “a violation of trust”, and pointed to Unity’s removal of its Terms of Service from GitHub, where changes can be easily tracked.
Why every game developer is mad with Unity right now, explained
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/unitys-self-combustion-engine-this-week-in-business
$1.3 billion – Unity’s lifetime accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2021. Unity has never had a profitable quarter in its history. It has posted modest operating profits in the past three quarters for the first time ever,
Unity lit money on fire for decades to buy a market advantage that overrules the basic economic incentives that supposedly ensure free markets work best for customers. It was successful in doing that because it’s very hard for a sustainable business to compete against one that is fine losing billions of dollars.
First, you make yourself essential to the market, even if it costs you billions to get there. Then once you hit a threshold – let’s say, I don’t know, 70% of the market – you lean into the enshittification process. You charge more for your services, you give your customers worse terms, you turn the heat up slowly and continuously, confident in the knowledge that people are so locked in to your business and have so few viable alternatives that they may grumble but they will ultimately put up with it.
And it’s such a common strategy in so many industries today that there’s just no sense of horror or outrage from the onlookers. Industry watchers and Serious Business People have seen this play out so many times they just acknowledge it’s happening and treat it as if it’s a perfectly cool and normal thing and not illegal predatory pricing.
I think this new Runtime Fee makes perfect sense from a mile-high point of view, if you think about Unity as a business where you just turn whichever dials and pull whatever levers will make the numbers go up the most.
The only problem is it makes no sense at all if you instead think about Unity as a game development tool that game developers should want to use.
https://www.pcgamer.com/why-every-game-developer-is-mad-right-now-explained
https://www.axios.com/2023/09/13/unity-runtime-fee-policy-marc-whitten
“The uproar is primarily driven by two factors: Unity is attaching a flat per-install fees to games that use its engine, and it’s arbitrarily scrapping existing deals and making the changes retroactive.
The policy announced yesterday will see a “Runtime Fee” charged to games that surpass certain installation and revenue thresholds. For Unity Personal, the free engine that many beginning and small indie developers use, those thresholds are $200,000 earned over the previous 12 months, and 200,000 installs; one those marks are met, developers will be charged 20 cents every time someone installs their game.
Another big issue is that Unity has made this change retroactive: It supersedes any existing agreements with Unity that developers may have made, and it applies to games that were released even before any of this happened. The revenue threshold will be based on sales after January 1, 2024, when the new pricing system takes effect, but sales that occurred before that date will count toward the install threshold.
Unity bosses sold stock days before development fees announcement, raising eyebrows
Unity executives sold thousands of shares in the weeks leading up to last night’s hugely controversial announcement it will soon charge developers when one of their games is downloaded.
Behind the scenes, CEO John Riccitiello shifted 2000 shares last week on 6th September, as noted by Yahoo Finance, which noted this move was part of a trend over the past year where the exec has sold more than 50,000 shares in total and bought none.
DNEG announces pay cuts of up to 25% and artists’ repayment loans
EDIT 20230919
Revised Proposal: Initially met with backlash, DNEG has revised its proposal over the weekend. They’ve introduced a third option that focuses on reducing work hours instead of salaries, along with additional paid leave to compensate for the income reduction.
- A salary reduction of 20% to 25% for seven months, with paid leave to compensate.
- A temporary 50% salary reduction, supplemented by a company loan, totalling 90% of the original salary, repayable over three years.
- Reduced working hours to a 3-day week for seven months, with no hourly rate reduction.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/avuuk_animation-visualeffects-dneg-activity-7107674426275442688-Fd1d
Today, we want to address a concerning development at DNEG. They very recently announced pay cuts of up to 25% for its employees, coupled with a rather unconventional approach to compensate for these losses through ‘loans’, which their staff need to repay overtime.
As of now, DNEG is imposing these pay cuts for a period of 7 months. To ‘help’ offset the financial impact on their staff, the company is offering ‘loans’ to their employees. While offering financial support during challenging times is usually commendable, the repayment terms are causing deep concern within the Animation & Visual Effects community, especially around their legality.
The loan offered by DNEG comes with a significant catch: employees are required to pay back the loan over a three-year period. This means that even after the pay cuts are reinstated, employees will be obligated to allocate a portion of their salaries to repay the company. Aledgedly, there is no interest on the loan (tbc). This approach has sparked a considerable backlash within our industry.
We at the Animation & Visual Effects Union voice very strong concern and opposition to the pay cuts, as well as the loan method. We believe pay cuts should not be compensated through loans with long-term repayment plans, placing a heavy burden on the employees who are already facing financial challenges.
This situation underscores the importance of open dialogue and collaboration between employers and employees during challenging times. While businesses often need to make tough decisions to navigate economic uncertainties, it’s crucial to strike a balance that doesn’t disproportionately impact the livelihoods of their dedicated workforce.
What can be done about this?
If you are a member of the Animation & Visual Effects Union, get in touch with us immediately and do not accept any pay cuts yet. You can email your BECTU official Stefan Vassalos stefan.vassalos@prospect.org.uk to get advice and organise with your colleagues at DNEG.
Remember, you MUST give your consent for a paycut. It is ILLEGAL to impose a cut without it. You DO NOT have to consent to a pay cut. Legal action can and will be taken against paycuts without consent. Anyone affected please get in touch with us immediately so we can represent and protect you and your livlihood as much as possible. BECTU has the power and resources to challenge moments like this, so it is imperitive YOU take action and contact us. Talk to your colleagues and get in touch. It is only through solidarity and collective effort that we can address these challenges and shape a brighter future for our industry.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights on this matter. Your input and perspective are valuable as we navigate these unprecedented times together.
Unity Presents New “Runtime Fees” Based on Game Installs and Revenue
https://80.lv/articles/unity-presents-new-fees-based-on-game-installs-and-revenue/
The new program is called the Unity Runtime Fee and the main principle is based on how often users install games. Unity thinks “an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share”.
This is bound to kill all developers who count on free downloads but profitable venues of income like in-app purchase. Which count for a vast majority of the 30% of the market that Unity holds onto.
The extra bill will be estimated by Unity based on non-specific data.
Unity does not have a ‘known’ way to track installs. Likely due to privacy laws. Thus they will need to ‘estimate’ installs and bill clients based on that. … …. Data which is aggregated with no identifying features isn’t really prevented. Unity’s claim that they can’t distinguish between an install and reinstall or even a paid versus pirated copy actually reinforces the idea that they aren’t using any identifying information, so it would be compliant to privacy laws. … Assumption is that they will get some data from distributors like AppStore, GooglePlay, Valve, Sony, Microsoft, etc… and estimate from there.
“It hurts because we didn’t agree to this. We used the engine because you pay up front and then ship your product. We weren’t told this was going to happen. We weren’t warned. We weren’t consulted,” explained the Facepunch Studios founder. “We have spent 10 years making Rust on Unity’s engine. We’ve paid them every year. And now they changed the rules.”
“It’s our fault. All of our faults. We sleepwalked into it. We had a ton of warnings,” they added. “We should have been pressing the eject button when Unity IPO’d in 2020. Every single thing they’ve done since then has been the exact opposite of what was good for the engine.
Why VFX workers are unionising in Hollywood — and why it’s important
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a44936059/vfx-workers-unionising-hollywood/
Last March, IATSE released a damning survey that showed how visual effects workers lack access to essential benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans.
It also found VFX crews are lacking breaks and rest periods, and they’re not getting paid for working overtime, resulting in some workers failing to even make minimum wage.
This survey was aimed to organise VFX workers, one of the last areas of the production community that are still not unionised. Given the worsening of their working conditions while their craft is increasingly in demand within the industry, seeking protection has become a necessity.
Workers at Vancouver’s WildBrain animation studio look to unionize
“…workers are concerned about issues such as scheduling, base pay, and the rising cost of living in Vancouver.
They are also seeking ways to address “the precarity (insecurity) that’s really baked into the industry,” Gladman told CBC’s The Early Edition on Wednesday.
“People are working really short-term contracts, sometimes weeks at a time,” he said. “You go to work on Friday. You’re not sure if you’ll have a job on Monday. I think workers are just tired of holding the bag when things slow down every time.”
Europe and Canada’s new Digital Services Act
Leading parties are now in charge of what constitute information.
Walt Disney Pictures VFX Workers Move to Unionize
https://variety.com/2023/artisans/news/walt-disney-pictures-vfx-workers-union-1235706136/
A supermajority (over 80%) of the 18 in-house VFX crew members at Walt Disney Pictures signed authorization cards signaling their desire to unionize.
The historical move is the second time in history that VFX professionals have joined together to demand the same protections and rights as their colleagues. Earlier this month, VFX crews at Marvel Studios voted to unionize beginning Aug. 21. Ballots are due on Sept. 11, and the vote count will take place on Sept. 12.
Here’s What the WGA Has to Say About the Big 3 Streaming Monopolies
https://gizmodo.com/here-s-what-the-wga-has-to-say-about-the-big-3-streamin-1850758992
- Disney controls the means of production
- Amazon controls the means of distribution
- Netflix controls the means of employment
The WGA proposes the following legislative actions, copied verbatim from their executive summary.
- Block further consolidation
- Proactively investigate anti-competitive issues and outcomes
- Increase regulation and oversight in streaming.
The top Hollywood exec made $498 million in the last 5 years
The top 10 highest-paid Hollywood executives in the last 5 years includes:
- David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.: $498,915,318
- Ari Emanuel, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.: $346,935,367
- Reed Hastings, Netflix: $209,780,532
- Bob Iger, Walt Disney Co.: $195,092,460
- Ted Sarandos, Netflix: $192,171,581
- Rupert Murdoch, Fox Corp.: $174,929,867
- Lachlan Murdoch, Fox Corp.: $171,359,374
- Brian Roberts, Comcast Corp.: $170,158,088
- Joseph Ianniello, Paramount Global: $152,793,125
- Patrick Whitesell, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.: $143,584,597
In a random comparison:
OpenAI may go bankrupt by 2024, AI bot costs company $700,000 every day
While OpenAI and ChatGPT opened up to a wild start and had a record-breaking number of sign-ups in its initial days, it has steadily seen its user base decline over the last couple of months. According to SimilarWeb, July 2023 saw its user base drop by 12 per cent compared to June – it went from 1.7 billion users to 1.5 billion users. Do note that this data only shows users who visited the ChatGPT website, and does not account for users who are using OpenAI’s APIs
WGA Response to Studios Indicates No Quick End to Strike
https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/wga-response-studios-not-quick-strike-1235697413/
The two sides remain at odds on items across the board, including streaming residuals and a higher minimum tier for TV writer-producers
The WGA wants to tie streaming residuals to the popularity of a show, but streamers had adamantly refused to share such viewership data.
The WGA is also seeking a provision that would allow its members to honor other unions’ picket lines.
Most bosses regret how they mandated workers return to the office. They blamed it on not having enough data
Four in five (80%) of bosses told workplace software firm Envoy that, had they had a better grasp on actual employee preferences, they would have taken a starkly different approach to their return to office plans. The problem, they said: They didn’t have access to workplace data to help them make their decision.
Lucasfilm to shut Singapore operations, affecting more than 300 employees
Lucasfilm is winding down operations in Singapore after nearly 20 years in the country, with parent company Disney citing economic factors affecting the industry.
According to an ILM employee in Singapore, there are 340 staff members in the company and work will continue until the end of the year.
Marvel VFX Artists Vote to Unionize
https://variety.com/2023/artisans/news/marvel-vfx-artists-unionize-1235690272/
BREAKING: Visual Effects (VFX) crews at Marvel Studios have filed for a unionization election with the National Labor Relations Board, Monday. The move signals a major shift in an industry that has largely remained non-union since VFX was pioneered during production of the first Star Wars films in the 1970s. A supermajority of Marvel’s more than 50-worker crew had signed authorization cards indicating they wished to be represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
This marks the first time VFX professionals have joined together to demand the same rights and protections as their unionized colleagues in the film industry. Mark Patch, VFX Organizer for IATSE, highlighted the significance of this moment: “For almost half a century, workers in the visual effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their coworkers and crewmates have relied upon since the beginning of the Hollywood film industry. This is a historic first step for VFX workers coming together with a collective voice demanding respect for the work we do.”
While positions like Production Designers/Art Directors, Camera Operators, Sound, Editors, Hair and Makeup Artists, Costumes / Wardrobe, Script Supervisors, Grips, Lighting, Props, and Paint, among others, have historically been represented by IATSE in motion picture and television, workers in VFX classifications historically have not.
Bella Huffman, VFX Coordinator, highlighted the challenging nature of the industry: “Turnaround times don’t apply to us, protected hours don’t apply to us, and pay equity doesn’t apply to us. Visual Effects must become a sustainable and safe department for everyone who’s suffered far too long and for all newcomers who need to know they won’t be exploited.”
The Marvel VFX workers’ filing for a union election comes at a pivotal moment in the film and television industry, amidst ongoing strikes by both the Actors and Writers guilds as both seek fair contracts with the studios and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb put it in plain terms, “We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of solidarity that’s breaking down old barriers in the industry and proving we’re all in this fight together. That doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Entertainment workers everywhere are sticking up for each other’s rights, that’s what our movement is all about. I congratulate these workers on taking this important step and using their collective voice.”
