VFX Artist Protest Hollywood

[The Squirrel]

Ugh, one of my political, bandwagon friends on facebook now has a green picture on his profile.

 

[dude stannis]

Yeah, that's pretty annoying, when they did those here's Life of Pi with out Rhythm & Hues, I just thought "Why didn't they just go film on a real island?".

 

[dude stannis]

..but I don't think Sam has an agenda but he handled it poorly and p*ssed off RDJ.

I'd love to see a public blow out between Jackson and RDJ. With RDJ being a smarmy *****e and Jackson going over the top crazy calling him an MFer.

 

[danoyse]

That's probably it. And most likely it. I've never seen anyone looked down upon in Hollywood, yet have always seen the family atmosphere.

 

[vanson]

I kinda get what they saying and ang lee´s comment is pretty ridiculous but I think its ok to cut the guy off when he was starting the part with the situation of the business.. he could have started with that and it would've been hard to cut him off right after a few seconds..

personally I always hate it when these speakers make political comments on an evening like that... its not the place imo..

and speaking of getting credit.. the special effects teams basically dont get credit at all... the category is very vfx heavy since a few years...

 

[LuvSupes]

Where is the Ang Lee comment from because I think its been taken out of context. Whenever I've seen him talk about vfx work, he makes a point to call them artists not technicians. When he talks about things being expensive, hard and if things are cheaper, it's in relation to growth in 3d technology and other filmmakers being more at ease to work in the medium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq07r75eyZo

To me it's clear he is talking about the tools used rather than the people. Like any, technology, as it grows you can do more, and it is cheaper.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Unsure what the laugh is for?

Well, of course you do have struggles as with everything. But, not many directors disrespecting various departments in themselves. Being a *****e to your crew doesn't get you many places.

Also the more like a *****e you act the less people want to work with you and the worse your name gets. And when you are a *****e to the crew, there's usually someone there to stand up to you.

For example, Ben Stiller on 'Tropic Thunder' tried refusing his crew a break to have lunch. And Robert Downey Jr told him that he refuses to work until he showed better respect for all the crew on board. That's just one story.

We've all seen how Shia practically fell off the map - it's no mystery why that is. The dude talked bad about his mentor who got him where he was, he left premieres for his films, among other things. He can say he's gone total indie all he wants - but, there's a reason why his name doesn't come up as often as it did in the past. He shot himself in the foot.

I've also been in meetings about certain actresses where the producers came right out and said they'd refuse to work with them because of reports of their childishness on set.

That's just one of my first-hand experiences.

Some people get away with being a *****e to people off the set. But on it, if you're causing troubles for the studio, your actors, your director or so on? Chances are - like in any other business - word will get around and you'll find it increasingly harder to find work. I'm not talking about "bad days" here, but actual *****e-baggery all the time. Everyone's got that zany "shut the hell up!" uncle -- but if he steps a tad too far, you know the family's just going to start ignoring him because he rubs everyone the wrong way and you'll never get any work done as a result. And that is what usually happens. And I've heard this happen from first-hand sources a lot and have seen it for myself first-hand as well.

So as I said, yeah - it really does feel like a family. You have a couple of hiccups, but when those happen - if those continue to happen - the cause of such will usually get the boot in some way, shape, or form. And I know we can all name people who've "disappeared" from once being high profile. Why do you think that happens? You need a conductive set. Everyone has a bad day, but if you have repeated bad days? Prepare to get black listed because for that intensive work environment you need to feel comfortable and like you can rely on the person you're dealing with.

 

[Wolfwood]

OMG...it was right there and we didn't even see it. Nobody saw it and it was right there!

Did you notice that Sam Jack at the Oscars completely skipped over dialog, honoring the VFX artists, which prompted fellow Avengers Ruffalo and Downey to correct Jackson. Then Jackson was overly abrasive about it.

Watch the clip at 3:18

What a *****e:

[YT]3oZSsFa4LBo[/YT]

That was horribly awkward. Maybe it was a bit, but if it was it fell super flat. It was like one of those "Oh mommy and daddy are yelling, I'm just gonna look down at the floor and disappear in my head" moments. I'd like to hear more about that.

 

[The Guard]

You'd be surprised how many old people don't know what a green screen is.

And this matters because...

 

[dark_b]

Rhythm & Hues: a brief history of animal CGI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LhmJ21kD0U&feature=player_embedded

 

[Motown Marvel]

i agree with you Motown on some examples. with sets. i would like bigger sets and not greenscreen 1 meter away from an actors face.

but where would you use practical effects for fantasy characters or animals?

People seem to think advancements in practical effects stopped with the advent of CGI. That thinking is a mistake.

 

[redhawk23]

Especially with the number of uses for 3d printing technology and advances in animatronics.

 

[Dragon_316ca]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118066638/

Possible cyber-attacks on VFx companies imminent?

 

[BestGirl]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118066638/

Possible cyber-attacks on VFx companies imminent?

Please don't let the company working on Man of Steel be attacked.

 

[dude stannis]

Please don't let the company working on Man of Steel be attacked.

MoS is complete save for the 3D post conversion. If anything they should attack, so we get an exclusively 2D release.

 

[BestGirl]

MoS is complete save for the 3D post conversion. If anything they should attack, so we get an exclusively 2D release.

And drive MOS's potential profit down?

 

[Ultimatehero]

Dude, if you don't like 3D? Go see 2D. Seriously, these 3D complainers I never get because theaters always give you two options with just as many show times. You don't want 3D - don't see it in 3D - no one has a gun to your head forcing you to see it that way.

 

[dude stannis]

I don't necessarily think that's the case anymore.

 

[dude stannis]

Dude, if you don't like 3D? Go see 2D. Seriously, these 3D complainers I never get because theaters always give you two options with just as many show times. You don't want 3D - don't see it in 3D - no one has a gun to your head forcing you to see it that way.

Maybe wherever you live, but in Australia it's a pain in the arse.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Then don't decry the means, decry your ****** ass theaters. I've lived in many places and have always had it split down and this is middle suburbia. It's your theaters you should be angry at rather than anything else.

 

[dude stannis]

Well the means is pretty **** too. I suppose I'm always an 'aim for the head' kind of guy.

 

[Ultimatehero]

I'm the intelligently settling things across the board so everybody wins kind of guy. And the simplest and most knowledgable answer that benefits everyone is complaining to your theater.

 

[dude stannis]

Hey, I love being a jaded drunk *******.

 

[Pickle-El]

I think this is potentially a case of angry effects artists making more of this than it is.

Companies go out of business, and people get laid off all the time. Sometimes it happens because companies are tightening up their belts. It doesn't mean there's a vendetta in any industry against a certain type of job.

http://www.authorityfx.com/rhythm_and_blues_the_erosion_of_the_visual_effects_industry/

Fixed-Rate, Rock Bottom VFX Contracts

Lack of respect and lack of appreciation aside, the major issue with the visual effects industry is the dismal labor requirements and working conditions. The root cause from which these issues stem is the fixed-rate, rock-bottom contracts under which visual effects studios are working. Producers and production companies are continually demanding cheaper prices. Studios bid against each other and are often forced to take projects at a loss. Not only is this happening among the biggest studios in the industry, it’s happening to the small shops as well. Authority FX continually battles this conundrum. Every film we have ever worked on has been a fixed-rate deal. When bidding on a film we factor in all available information including the anticipation of a reasonable number of revisions. From there, we lower our bid to something the producer won’t scoff at. Next, we are chipped down bit by bit until we’re left with a minuscule profit margin if any at all. Then comes the actual production – which never goes as planned. Our directions on set are often ignored adding countless hours of needless work. Senseless revisions are often requested. Looming deadlines are moved up to please distributors. We’ve even had clients refuse to pay on-set expenses, nor make payments according to the predetermined payment schedule – forcing us to rely heavily on our line of credit to make payroll. We’ve recently focused on television projects which we find to be marginally better.

Read up. And see if it's just a case of petulant artists making it more than it is.

 

[The Guard]

I read a couple of the linked pieces.

It sounds a lot like they don't like their industry. But beyond that, it sounds like they face a lot of the same issues other workers do. That is, their work isn't the dream job they'd hoped it would be. They're victims of the corporate approach, because they work for corporations, in an economy where workers are somewhat interchangeable and replaceable, and money is the bottom line. It's not ideal, but it's also not something that's unique to that industry.