The Abuse of VFX Artists in Hollywood

[Akun]

This is pretty f***ed up.

As someone who's passionate about movies and the craft of filmmaking, I'm often reminded of how it doesn't just take a single person to make a movie, but an entire crew of often unsung heroes. At least the writers got their due with the Writers' Guild, but VFX artists need their own guild or unionization as well.

I wasn't really a fan of how the newer Marvel films looked the same in terms of color grading and style compared to the Phase 1 films, but I certainly wouldn't have blamed the VFX artists for that one, but the studio heads that wanted to cut cost and push release dates. This reminds me of how when certain AAA games were released with bugs, people complain about it and the hundreds and thousands of developers working those bugs and animation details had to fix it on a crunch time, often without thanks.

I've seen so many video essays talking about such an issue in modern Hollywood films too, how studios have become lazy and dependent on VFX artists to polish up the film rather than having the filmmakers do the hard work of capturing the right shots in the right environment with the right lighting. And these freaking release dates too, pushing for a harder deadline regardless of workers' rights. I'd have been willing to wait years for a movie to be done right rather than be rushed out. That's my policy with any entertainment, including games.

I do understand that there are certain windows of opportunity that makes a release date the most profitable, and history has proved that when certain movies get delayed too long, people were no longer interested anymore. But I think there needs to be a compromise for that, for studios to come up with a solution that doesn't mean VFX artists get underpaid or forced through forced labor and unreasonable crunch times, threatened with bullying or worse. Just make movies the traditional way and stop relying on visual effects so much. We know that most movies rely on it so much because it's cheaper to polish up the lighting and color of a film rather than do the hard work of location-scouting or picking the right lighting - you know, like in the old days with Hitchcock or Kubrick when VFX wasn't as heavily relied on as a crutch.

And if you do need the VFX artists to do the heavy work... PAY THEM. Maybe even give the proper credits to them in your little pretentious Oscars speeches instead of being cheap, you Hollywood hacks.

[Justin11]

I can't say I know if VFX artists aren't paid but we are aware that in every sphere of the entertainment industry there are certain departments that do take all the credits while others are Left working in the shadows.

Hopefully they get the proper kind of recognition and pay they deserve.