My name is VFX Soldier.
For many years, I have worked in the Hollywood Visual Effects industry creating imagery and animation for a good number of blockbuster films. While the journey here was tough, it was driven by a simple idea portrayed by a quote in an old film The Flamingo Kid:
There are only two important things in living . . .
Finding out what you do well, and finding out what makes you happy.
And if God is smiling on you, they’re both the same thing.
I loved creating art when I was young and it became the fundamental driving force in my education. I tried so hard and learned to do it so well that after college I was blessed to end up working with incredible people of different talents from all over the world on awesome films. However, as satisfying as my career has been, I’ve labored long enough in our industry to notice huge problems that are affecting me, my friends, and the companies we work for.
The Success Of The Industry
The visual effects industry is relatively young but the imagery we create each year for these films have taken center stage since it’s inception. The top box office grossing films of the last 30 years were driven by an abundant amount of visual effects and so were the top 100 films of all time which made a combined amount of $56 Billion dollars. If you were new to this industry, you would suspect that the companies that administer visual effects for the Hollywood conglomerates would be fortune 500 companies with stock prices that rival Apple or Google.
Industry Problems
Isn’t it ironic that the visual effects industry is one of the worst businesses to be in? Each facility operates on a flawed business model by losing or making no money at all on the blockbuster films they conduct work on. On a good year they will make a profit margin as small as 3-5%. How can this be possible? The reason why is Hollywood studio conglomerates effectively leverage their position by pitting vfx facilities so strongly against each other that eventually one company ends up taking the project for a loss. In fact, one producer was so bold as to state in an article that:
If I don’t put a visual effects shop out of business (on my movie), I’m not doing my job.
You are probably thinking that the ability to get the lion share of companies to compete for your business is great, and indeed for the studios it has been a total blowout. They have made billions of dollars from these movies while visual effects facilities compete to make the best work for the lowest price and thats where the problems snowball.
Our Problems
Unfortunately this one-sided affair is compounding problems for my colleagues and I. In an attempt slash costs the vfx facilities have eliminated benefits such as sick days, health insurance, and retirement accounts. Many are forced to work under illegal conditions with unpaid overtime and 1099 tax statuses where we are responsible for paying the employer’s portion of social security. The projects have become more volatile as the vfx facilities try to please the demands of the director put in place by the studio.
For example, famous director Jon Favreau during reviews at one vfx facility was ever so bold as to stuff his mouth with donuts and wipe his hands clean using the sides of expensive leather seats provided for him to sit on. Constantly months of work can be thrown away by last minute changes by directors with zero consequences. This in turn leads to extended crunch times to update the changes where artists work day and night with 70-100 hour weeks.
The problems are further compounded by countries that hope to generate economic activity by offering subsidies that essentially pay studios to have the vfx work done there. Vfx facilities are now becoming “rent seekers” where they move from country to country, state to state to take advantage of free government money. This has led many vfx artists to become permanent nomads where some are forced to leave their partners and newborn children to find temporary work in the far reaches of the world. I know of senior colleagues who purchased homes with a false sense of job security only to end up being laid off months later and forced to foreclose when they could only find work in another country.
However, one would naively think the subsidies are a great solution to the problem since the facilities can begin to make a profit, and countries can make a huge investment returns in economic and tourist activity. But even that is not the case as studios expect even lower bids for their unprofitable work. With the recent decline in the economy, governments are finding themselves in deep debt due to dwindling tax revenues. Many of them are starting to take a hard look at the economic returns they are receiving for the subsidization of studio welfare. One study concluded that for every dollar spent to lure film industry work, there was a 14 cent return in economic activity.
My Problems
Many of you are probably reading this and thinking why doesn’t the person who wrote this stop being a crybaby, after all it’s competition and if you want to get paid you better play. But of course, why don’t I just shut up and live with the fact of being a vfx nomad and that having a retirement plan, health insurance are only reserved for those who can afford to fund it themselves. I have always known that there are many people out there that have it worse than me but after being witness to all these problems it causes me to reflect on the very idea that drove to do this in the first place.
The idea of finding out that one special thing about myself that I did well and made me happy ultimately became a part of my soul. You might think it’s ridiculous to think this but why the hell should we sell our souls at the lowest price? This contemplation has led me to re-think things and jokingly fantasize with others how nice it would be to work a steady job in the insurance industry. These thoughts come across many of my colleagues who are in turn seeking careers elsewhere. These issues are slowly getting the attention of the national media in the Huffington Post and Time Magazine. They allude to the many problems we are facing and that it may lead to a huge billion dollar industry collapsing. Simply put the incentive for many of us to do great work is going away.
The Mission
I’m not going to leave this industry without attempting to help fix the issues that are facing my friends, colleagues, and their families.
- The vfx facilities need to stand up and organize to ensure that the work they accept from Hollywood studios lead to sustainable profits.
- The artists that work for the facilities need to educate themselves about organization and agree to a set of standards that ensure they can continue to work. It’s easier than you think. Just anonymously sign a rep card.
- Artists need to be vocal about vfx facilities that engage in abusive and illegal behavior. One site has cleverly created a way to review your experience with various facilities. Take the time to comment on the facilities you work for here (update 3-11-2012: Link taken down as it seems the site has been hit by a nasty virus. Makes ya wonder dunit?).
- These problems are ultimately solvable by engaging in communication and conducting townhall meetings.
This blog will post and reflect on issues that are facing the people we work for and the people we work with.
I Need Soldiers
I’ve never served in the military but I call myself VFX Soldier. I have and will continue to battle along side many of you in the trenches to conduct work for many vfx, commercial, and animation facilities. Given the problems we are facing, the current reaction is trending towards a slow march to the bottom.
In a race to the bottom the only ones left standing are biggest losers.
The big hollywood corporations have always been the same. Are they greedy and bad? duh. Are they highly organized? Of course. What compounds the problem is that we accept the fate they hand to us because we are un-organized . The irony is that they stand to lose the most in this. So why are we losing so badly? It’s because we let them win. I always hear the term used to describe vfx artists as “geeks” and given the situation and the results this is rightfully so. We let the big Hollywood corporations bully us without saying anything.
You are probably a vfx artist sitting there reading this as you wait on your render of the 78th iteration of a shot that was due two weeks ago. Have you bothered to take the time to speak to some of your colleagues about the things going on in the industry? Many of you roll your eyes and accept it but what if you could do something simple that could echo in changes for your career and make things better for you, your retirement, your future partner, your future kids and their education, and your future families’ health. For you, VFX Soldier is commited to help you understand about the importance of providing for your future in retirement and finance. For others, you may be reading this and think that I am finaly a person in the industry you have been waiting for. Actually, I have to admit that you have been the person I have been waiting for. Soldiers are commited to a mission to defend an idea. They sacrifice themselves for the greater good and that is ultimately what our industry needs. VFX Soldier is on the march and I don’t need geeks, I need soldiers. Contact me and let me hear your story.
[...] When I heard about the VFX Soldier blog I thought I’d post for FX DAG readers. Lots of similar sentiment to much of the discussions that have been recently sweeping the industry. Worth a read.Check it out here: http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/about/ [...]
I read your article and I feel energized. I am a VFX Supervisor with some Hollywood experience.
I would like to know more about this project. In principle, I am interested in becoming a soldier too.
All the best and aloha from Kailua.
Remo Balcells.
I hear you and its upsetting to me as well. How can I continue to work in an industry that holds a bleak future?
I left a former career for vfx 7 years ago thinking I had a chance to do something I truly love but now am reassessing my goals.
First there was global outsourcing, then dwindling opportunities as facilities began to shut down. The gaps in work between gigs are getting longer and tougher to deal with.
You are so right, we must band together somehow. People like Jeff Okun are our champions and we should definitely give him and others like him our support and input.
We are all in this together whether we work far from one another.
Count me in as a VFX Soldier.
Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Count me in. I was planning on going guerilla. How can I help.
I loved my job… I spent a lot of money on education to do a job I loved. That’s the one thing I wanted out of life, a job that didn’t feel like I had to go to work, that I can be proud of. Fast forward a few years.. and I can’t stop thinking about how to get out and what to do next.
Everyone I know says “have your next career planned out,” they all know you get burned out, tired of it all… guess you can say I’m there now.
I’ve had one weekend off since January, I’ve worked for 6 companies in that time. A lot of the time I was on dayrates, with no OT. Only one of the six companies offered me health. None offered me sick days, and all asked me to come in on the weekends.
One wouldn’t let me leave at 1:30 am until they were sure I’d be in the next day at 9 am for Saturday morning.
I’ve worked a shift so long I hit straight time again, and for what?
For them to ask if I’d want to go to India to train my replacement, for being handed an EDD packet and saying good luck after having me lose out on my next gig for that particular company, for working until my eyes burned and my wrist stung and my health to deteriorate on the bad catered food only to learn I don’t even get a credit.
I could say I’m done, I hate it, that’s it. But you know what, I’m going to say let’s have at them, I’m with you. It’s about damn time and we deserve it.
It’s not that I’m bitter, it’s that I’m a fighter, and I don’t like being pushed around, and I don’t feel like holding my breath any longer.
My father told me to do what i love, because i will shine, and the money will come. so thats what i did. i went to school, got my degree in computer animation, and set out on this journey to doing what i wanted to do with my life. i had a steady job at a studio for 2 years as a department lead, and while the money was good, the only other thing we got was promises, promises, and more promises. we’d become full ‘employees,’ we’d get actual CONTRACTS, benefits, raises, allthat stuff. then they called a big meeting one friday and said “pack up your desks and be out by 6.” some of us managed to land work elsewhere, some in california. and we were happy for them. for maybe 6 months, then they’d be unemployed again. this industry is a mess. and its going to reach a breaking point where the reality is too loud and well known for big hollywood to contain, and then nobody will want to do vfx work anymore. organization is key to growth. and i think step one is getting the word out as to how this industry is actually being run, and the young ones in school need to know first what that path they’re on is really heading towards, because you cant pay sallie mae on 8 bucks an hour.
Count me in
While I agree with much of what you say, I think I detect a parochial US-centric bias. Even references to “Hollywood” betray that. The key fact of the matter is – vfx is a global industry, like it or not. California, London and New Zealand are the three key players right now, but other centres coming up fast.
So any references to guilds etc (as per your link to the rep card idea) have to take this into account.
Vfx is unique in the film industry, in that it requires the dedicated labour of hundreds, if not thousands of skilled “workers” for long periods of time. Only in the construction of large sets can I think of anything in film that is comparable.
There is no tradition to cope with this, and the general state of affairs is that vfx artists are taken on in a freelance capacity, with little job security and relatively poor working conditions.
But what would seem to be poor working conditions, little job security and not-great wages to someone in Los Angeles probably looks pretty wonderful to someone in Mumbai or Bangkok. And people in those places are every bit as smart, hardworking and creative as people in LA.
Yep – globalisation. It may not be fair, it may not be pretty, but all things being equal, work will go to the lowest bidder. It’s only the fact that Hollywood, and London, and NZ etc have a certain depth of knowledge and the right cultural attitude to achieve high-end vfx work that is keeping those places dominant.
One solution that might be available to vfx houses, given that the payroll will always be by far the biggest figure in your outgoings – find ways to reduce vfx artists’ wage expectations by providing better conditions, better fringe benefits, better job security, better creative input and so on. Or to put it another way – stop treating your artists like shit.
I agree the VFX industry, like many other industries, is a global one. However, all things NOT being equal, is the problem.
Subsidies and barriers to work are the problem. Subsidies offered by a city, state or nation to attract TEMPORARY production are a bad idea. They artificially prop up the local economy, driving wages and prices up locally, for a short period. When the subsidy expires or a better one is offered elsewhere, work dries up and the local industry crashes. Workers enticed into low “start pay” with expectations of higher pay never see their higher pay as their job vanishes.
I’m a big believer in economic advantage. If the same work can be done for less somewhere, that’s a reality that is hard to complain about. For security sensitive industries, the country can and should protect themselves from the loss of those industries. I don’t see VFX as a security sensitive industry.
Further, the blocking of skilled workers by certain countries gives the lie to the idea of free world trade. Yet no matter how much experience a worker has, if the worker is above 30, the odds of getting a job overseas become smaller. Many countries make it easy for single workers under 30, but over 30 it gets tough.
The world is changing, and we can change with it or we can go the way of the dinosaurs. This may mean working abroad if you can get it. It may mean finding ways to develop and own content and then control the production. It may mean a workers’ guild and a vfx producers’ guild. It may mean taking the issue to the WTO and protesting subsidies. Canada can’t really claim their industry is not competitive to the US industry, so why do they still have subsidies?
I don’t actually work as a Hollywood VFX artist, but in a related field. The question that keeps coming up for me is: If you’ve had bad experiences with a company, why not name names? Company, supervisors, producers… If you’ve worked your butt off for a company for years and then get screwed or loose your benefits, what do you have to loose by calling them out? Really?
If an employer requires insane, illegal work hours, why not report them? If that company isn’t paying overtime, they are evading taxes. The EA spouse’s letter only resolved the problem once a class action lawsuit was filed to go with it.
Curiously, even internationally studios in the UK and Canada are also starting to feel the same pinch CA ones have been experiencing. It’s just taken a bit of time to get there. Just last week the UK Olympics work was farmed out to a studio in China.
Big corporations will always try to take advantage of their employees, the difference is that in so many other fields – they pay for it either in the courts or in recruiting. I wonder if VFX artists are just too nice.
I’ve worked for four of the big companies over the last 4 years in London and LA as an artist and I totally agree. Count me in as a soldier and let me know what I can do to help the cause.
“If I don’t put a visual effects shop out of business (on my movie), I’m not doing my job.”
I remember this quote going around. Does anyone know who actually said it? Would whomever said this be man/woman enough to own up to it, to come out and claim responsibility for having said it? I’d love to start a dialog with this person. Have them on the next town hall panel, maybe.
A lot of vfx people assume all studio-types think the same way as this anonymous producer. Unless we get some big names disagreeing with this mentality, we’ll all continue to assume all producers are motivated by such private thoughts.
AMEN BROTHER
London based compositor of 8 years..worked for most of the vfx companies..count me in!
I feel like a big f..k..g fool
I’ve been studying my ass of to get into this industry, if i knew this is what it is , I would have gone for some retail job a long time ago.
If I don’t put a visual effects shop out of business (on my movie), I’m not doing my job.”
I cant believe that the whole world of VFX tolerated this. I saw this video of George Clonel or watever his name is spelt, he must have said something bad about the paparazzi and on one of this their red carpet show offs. they all shut their cameras when he came out of the car. even for that brief moment, it was a great response but I guess VFX artists have no balls, why , because they been sitting on it for too many insane hours it burst.
Now
On the issue of solution
VfxSoldier, I dont have it but as of now, I dont care if i never produce an effect again, I dont care if I never touch aftereffects or maya again but I do care what happens to the people that create effects and I will decicate whatever is left in me to that cause.
I’ve in this office here for 4days, I haven’t gone home, I smell like my ass, I’ve been doing music videos for cheap ass people saying to myself oh, dont worry, when you get to hollywood it will all be good, just put this in your reel.
Many Nights I could have gone to clubs and find me some UKnowWhat, I stayed in to study everything from rigging to scripting all on my own with little money, I will be dammed if to silly ass producer was to make my little worst at a time when it should be better.
I too grew up absolutely in love with art and movies and VFX. I remember watching Star Wars and Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 and just being awe struck by the magic of it all. The magic I saw was such a profound inspiration to me that I started learning 3d at age 12 on my 486 using 3d studio for DOS… 3d and film have been in my heart and soul for so many years now and its such a real part of me that I know I can never walk away from it. Ill be doing 3d in the raining streets homeless if I have to. I have been working professionally in the VFX industry for over 5 years now and I am one of the fortunate ones lucky enough to have an agent who is a decent man. He will haggle my price, get me jobs, warn me about companies… But even with a guy like that on your side he still cant fix the problems that VFX solder mentioned, like the lack of benefits, and abuse, the long hours, the low pay for something so astonishingly technical; the stuff that relatively very few people can do. I am all for a workers revolution in this industry and I hope the day comes where we are organized enough to get whats due to us. We deserve better lives… I can feel the revolution starting, people are talking and that’s good. I just hope it happens soon. Spread the word people. Start doing something about it.
For you fellow Californians, the insane taxes and anti-business attitude in California are strangling the VFX houses and pushing the big studios out of the state when they need work done. This hurts EVERYONE. The easiest thing to start with on the list of things to do is to stop voting Democrat! We all know the tax incentives other states are using are easily pushing people into other states. Lower the taxes here and bring them back! A business-friendly state with lower taxes and spending would be the first step in keeping work here and bringing jobs and money back.
Part of the problem is that because there’s less work here due to the bad business climate, there are way too many people dying to do the work because they love it so much. This is what causes the abuse–because there are so many people trying to find work that doesn’t exist in California, the studios and VFX companies don’t have to fight for people to hire because the prospective employees aren’t willing to walk away from what they’re offered, no matter how bad it is. They’ll just take whatever they get.
But lower the taxes, bring the work back, and suddenly the companies have to compete for YOUR skills because there’s a better match between the amount of work and the workers. When they have to compete for you, they can’t treat you badly because you’ll just walk away. This is a very easy first step.
Kathy,
We had a Republican Governator for the last 6 years but politics aside:
VFX facilities pay little if any taxes at all so a tax cut would do them no good. Remember, their profit margins are razor thin and as an employer in California, you only pay taxes on your profits.
The studios who hire the VFX facilities are the ones who are taking their work out of California. If it wasn’t so bad for them to do business here (and so much better elsewhere by comparison), that wouldn’t be happening. The more work there is here, the more everyone has to compete to hire the individual workers. That means better conditions.
You know vfxsoldier, for all the back and forth between us, I agree with pretty much everything that you have to say here in your mission statement.
I acknowledge that you strongly support labor organization as a solution. I agree that it is A solution. But is it the BEST solution?
I don’t mean to quibble here. I’ve come to share. Regarding this issue that you mention:
“Many are forced to work under illegal conditions with unpaid overtime and 1099 tax statuses where we are responsible for paying the employer’s portion of social security.”
I’ve brought some weapons to the party. I don’t know how effective these weapons will be, but here you go:
IRS Form 3949-A for reporting suspected tax fraud activity.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3949a.pdf
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=106778,00.html
Can be used by ANYONE to report ANY suspected tax fraud activity of ANY person or business ANONYMOUSLY. Alleged violations that would apply would include “Failure to Pay Tax”, “Failure to Withhold Tax”, and “Other” (would be “Misclassification of employee as independent contractor”).
IRS Form SS-8 for requesting an IRS review of employee classification
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss8.pdf
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html
Needs to be filed by the worker or business. NOT anonymous, but I’m sure many vfx houses would have a fit if an artist sent this form to the IRS.
IRS Form 8919 for employees who have been misclassified as independent contractors by an employer;used to figure and report the employee’s share of uncollected social security and Medicare taxes due on their compensation.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8919.pdf
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=176666,00.html
Must be filed by a worker, and is NOT anonymous.
For those readers who are not familiar with the difference between an employee and an independent contractor, please see what the IRS has to say about the topic:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15a.pdf
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html
Basically, what it all boils down to, is that the IRS is the one who makes the final determination. NOT the business. NOT the worker. It does not matter if you have a written contract where an artist and a company mutually agree that artist is an independent contractor. If your work status fits the definitions determined by the IRS, you are an employee.
IRS Forms SS-8 and 8919 should be used by any artist who currently works for, or has worked for, a company that employs/employed you as an independent contractor instead of an employee.
IRS Form 3949-A is the most interesting. An artist does not even have to work at a company to file one of these. Let’s say that you interview at a company, and the hiring producer and/or owner gives you think old wink-wink about you being hired as an independent contractor instead of an employee. You can say no thanks and decline the job and then file Form 3949-A with the IRS. Or you can take the job and then file the form. Or if you already work there, you too can file the form. No doubt that it will take a while for the IRS to process the claim. But eventually they will. The IRS is very thorough and takes tax fraud very very seriously. Remember, famous Chicago mobster Al Capone was never jailed for murder and mayhem. He was sent to prison for federal tax fraud.
I’m personally planning on filing a Form 3949-A against a prominent vfx company in southern California by the end of this year. We”ll see how that goes.
I’ve been looking into California state law to see what kind of protections there are against employee/contractor misclassification and the process for reporting violations. I’ll post when I find anything useful
More to come…
Here here. Capitalism seems to only reward the shyster. The guy who stands out front of the wagon extolling the health-restorative virtues of his cocaine-imbued drink. Marketing. The guy who made the coke gets no money. The guy who bottles the coke makes no money. The guy who paints the bottle makes no money. They guy who sells it lives in the big house. Why is this?
When I left a 10-year career in games, I wanted to start a Union for all the overworked game artists. It was the only way I could think of making rules to enforce a better quality of life – reform from the bottom up. If no one who makes the art will work these hours, for this money, we can’t make the product in that time, etc…. Alas, I learned that no one wants to join a Union in games. They want to play it safe – they don’t want to rock the boat.
Please tell me how I can help!
Dont worry When Im an awesome Director I will compensate good work.. then the companies will want to work for me — all depends —- if movies make that much!! I will not be so greedy – Being an artist myself I know the stresses involved. Or even perhaps not have workers literally die making a film. Instead a productive environment, happy — producing FFF wicked stuff….
This is what I will achieve If given the chance.
BAM!!
We hear this same story all the time, and half the comments are from people saying how late they had to work or how they got no time off.
I am a visual effects artist and have put in my hours just like everyone else. That being said I am not going to sit here and blame every company for the shitty working conditions.
As a FREELANCE artist you give up Healthcare and Sick days- and this is the way it should be. If you are indeed staff somewhere, then yeah, you might have something to complain about. If you are not, then get you’re own damn health care and stop bitching. When you work at 6 different studios a year, how can you expect a company to offer your those incentives?
Secondly, most of you guys want all these companies to change, but all you do is bitch on forums. I just read a comment how some guy had to stay until 1:30 am and then the studio expected him back at 9:30 am. If this is a problem SAY SOMETHING. No one says anything to their producers, you all mostly just take it and then whine about it. I’ve worked all nights on a Day rate not making any OT. I hit my limit and gave my producer a Black out after set amount of hours… Guess what, I stopped working All nighters.
Moral of the Story- Grow some balls- there is a reasons were pigeonholed as geeks- cause we let them step all over us. Grow a backbone and stick up for yourself..
Same with pay too- ask for more money and don’t be so god damn timid.
When you work at 6 different studios a year, how can you expect a company to offer your those incentives?
Easy: With a union. That’s how so many other disciplines such as editors, cinematographers, art directors are able to get health and retirement benefits while working at 6 different places.
A union provides portable benefits and health insurance to cover you in between gigs.
There is a reason Freelance artist make more money than Salaried artist.
Pay into your own retirement and health insurance. Most places wont even match a 401k anyway.
Union, really only protects the entry level wages.
All the savvy freelancers I know, do just fine. It’s not rocket science- protect your own interests.
Have you been audited yet?
A lot of assumptions with that comment.
First off. I work primarily as a w2 artist.
Secondly, if I owned my own S-Corp I would work as a 1099 legitimately.
Not sure if you have been following as of late, but this whole 1099 issue is really becoming a non issue.
Most of the commercial houses in LA have switched to w2 and only accepting 1099 if you have an S-Corp.
Obviously this doesn’t fly with big film houses like Rhythm and Hues, Digital Domain, or ILM. But then again, no ones really complaining about them, as they tend to offer all the incentives you are asking for (at a less wage) minus the retirement.
Retirement is an interesting subject though, cause this isn’t the 50′s anymore, people don’t stay with a company for a their whole career, so you tend to lose those legacy incentives. This is why I say to plan your own retirement. Max out your Roth IRA, pay into your own 401K.
So you haven’t been audited yet.
Why would I get audited, I pay my taxes- can you arrive at your point?
I know quite a few artists who agreed to 1099 situations with the whole S-corp deal etc. They got audited and paid – big time.
My point is the mistake many vfx artists and facilities are making is thinking 1099 is some sort of choice. It’s not defined by you or the employer. It’s defined by the law.
Firstly, you’re friends must being writing off more than they are allowed too, like say… a home “office.” in which case, they deserved to get audited. If you don’t want to get audited, hire an accountant who does everything by the books.
If you are incorporated you are paying your quarterly taxes and employee taxes, so what exactly are you getting at here?
The problem with the 1099 situation is companies classifying unincorporated artist as 1099 artist- getting out of paying employee Taxes. THAT is what uncle sam is after. Its a liability problem with the employers not the artist. If anything, the artists have been on the hook for those fees through 3rd party payroll companies.
Why else do you think companies have been fast to switch to w2? And by the way, these same companies will accept a 1099 if you have an S-Corp. It is a legitimate means to do business as a freelance artist, especially for commercial work.
My guess is you do not freelance heavily, or are just strictly stick to film.
Wow! Imagine that someone bitching on a forum about other people bitching on the same forum. This forum is to help everyone and also to educate those that are unaware of how bad the situation is in this industry. You talk big but you still only grew some balls as you put after a ton of abuse from your employer.
Unions are seen as the end all solution to the problem, there has to be a global stand on this situation for it to change. While a union would be a fabulous support to poor working conditions and wages only if artists stand together can change occur.
Not everyone can stand up to their employers, many artists have family’s that they need to support and feel vulnerable because of this.
This industry is small and it’s easy to be blacklisted!
Benefits, fair wages (including OT) shouldn’t be something that an employee should be worried about especially in Canada.
Tell me about it. I voiced some political opinions that some considered ‘conspiracy theories’ and got blacklisted from a major studio, after asking the leads and supes about my work and having them say it was excellent, one of them still destroyed my chances at another big studio with a negative review. Unfortunately, increasingly one does not make it in an industry unless they tow the globalist establishment line, or at least keep their mouth shut on the subject. This is particularly true of the VFX industry where it’s so small that politics and word of mouth is King.
Does anyone know what VFX facilities charge their artists out at? There’s been a lot of talk of wages and hours etc.
and I know it’s all based on hollywood accounting but if VFX soldiers knew that they were worth to the studios they would have a lot more ammunition when bargaining
Im 17 and just started my first term studying VFX. My lecturer referred the entire class to this site. Truth be told, Im rather discouraged by all the negative comments. I never knew that this industry was this bad..
But you know what? Im damn well still gonna pursue it, because its my passion. I really hope that the situation improves. And for all the VFX artists out there, I just wanna say that you guys are my heros, please continue creating masterpieces!
To violet rapture:
This site is the most honest blog about the state of things from the artists’ point of view in the vfx industry. For years before this site was created, all we would do is talk amongst ourselves about the struggles and challenges we face just trying to survive doing what we love to do. Thanks to VFX Soldier, we have a forum to share common ground and hopefully through one another. come up with ideas to better the situation.
From the time I started in vfx in 2003 the industry has gone through many changes and is still in flux; outsourcing, studios shutting down, compressed delivery schedules, more students entering the workforce, etc.
I admire your passion and thats a good thing to have. Its what has kept us going as well. Your lecturer did a good thing by pointing you and your classmates to this site. It was not to scare you but to make sure you guys know what you’re getting into.
Today its even worse. A number of former co-workers have left the industry or am now contemplating leaving vfx altogether. For me, its the length of the gaps in work between projects…they seem to be getting longer. Not having to worry about how long can I survive without work until the next project starts is a luxury nowadays. I have suffered during these gaps which lasted between several weeks and 6 months. It can be a brutal cycle and to be honest I don’t know how much longer I can put up with this. Being a senior level artist is no guarantee for steady work but for now, I’m still in it.
Good luck with your career goals and thanks for the good words.
[...] The Mission [...]
So, what are we gonna do now?
[...] The Mission [...]
[...] The Mission [...]
[...] Jeff Heusser’s tweet tries to tell us, the identity of VFX Soldier isn’t important, his message is. Jeff also understands that in order for the industry to stop using artists as a means to speed [...]
Hi whoever may read this. I feel compelled to chime in here.
I am on my 15th year in the industry. I have worked in SF, LA, UK and Vancouver so I have a pretty good feel for the wages and the working environments. I agree with much of the sentiment that is going on here but there is a vital piece missing.
We chose to enter this industry and love it because it is one of the few that allow us to express artistically. but look around you; If you are working in any country you will be a veteran at 30. At over 40 I am an old dog. My point is simple. We are workers for hire. The companies we work for are for hire. Compare it to acting. You can try and change the industry, by unionizing for example, or just realize what it is. This is a young person’s game and not thinking about what the future holds as you get older and you do not want to work the hours is an issue you will have to deal with. My professional swimming days are over, I do not care to do another Ironman, but that does not mean I cannot do more with my life. You are talking like VFX is all you have to offer this world. Union’s would have stifled my ability to move around, to get paid well for what I did and to rise to Supervisor within my first 5 years of working. I loved it and my lawyer and doctor friends pulled more hours than me by far. The obvious difference is their job security but they lack the problem solving and creative adaptation I learned as I jumped from set to set, movie to movie. So at the end of my VFX career I am working on life B and C and D… all of which I started at 35 when I realized I would have to move again to go anywhere with my career and this was not something I predicted I would like to do. So plan a life. Start developing something if you do not want to be a worker for hire at 40. Union, no Union, SF LA or Australia/Canada, the fundamentals of the VFX industry are the same.
So I am sorry to contradict some of the thoughts that are on this site as I am guaranteed to have worked with some of you at the larger facilities… who I respect tremendously. But you have to take charge of your own life in the world. I am not saying do not fight subsidies or fight for what you believe in at all. I am just saying live in the real world a little too.
VFX Sup
This topic & these perspectives are very interesting to me. I’ve been freelancing as a Flame artist for 15 years and have been a member of IATSE/Art Directors Guild for about 10. It’s baffling why I get all the protections and benefits of a good union while I’m working at one of the big studios, but when I work right up the street somewhere else, doing the same thing, it’s not even an option. My non-union clients are a mix of employee pay & 1099. Neither arrangement comes close to the studio deals through the union. I used to be very skeptical of unions in theory and only reticently joined in order to work on the lots — but it turned out to be one of the best things I ever did.
Not living as much in the film vfx world, maybe I just don’t understand the situation — but *why* hasn’t a union already been formed, and what is standing in the way? I mean this is southern California — even hotel housecleaners have a union — and I hazard to say that they’re generally more easily replaceable than experienced vfx artists.
Perhaps its simply that the vfx industry is relatively new, and new industries do take time to grow out of the awkward phase and mature into organized, responsible entities. Maybe we’re seeing the seeds of that now. But the gaming industry is about 15 years older than vfx (I took a little part in that as well), and I’m not aware of unions there either.
Or is it something else?