Of the top 50 highest grossing films of all time, 49 rely on visual effects to tell their stories. It’s the work of thousands of talented VFX artists that help these films and countless others break box office records.  

Just this year, it was reported that visual effects regularly account from one-fifth to half of the total production budget. The budget parallels the rising quality in visual effects technology, which improved throughout the last 20 years as well as the rising demand by an audience to see these effects-heavy blockbusters. 

As the major studios continue to make massive profits, the VFX workers that make up the very foundation of their products are being forced into submission. They must embrace a hellish, constantly-moving work environment, a borderline illegal system of labor where months of overtime are allowed to go unpaid. Even when compensated, the pay is minute compared to the film’s profit. 

Despite the massive budgets, this almost never translates into higher profits for the VFX companies and the artists. VFX artists are abused by an industry that has become entirely dependent on their services, who are working countless hours of overtime, being paid at incredibly thin margins, and often going without retirement funds, benefits or health insurance.  

Shaina Holmes, an assistant professor in the television, radio, and film department at Syracuse University, has worked as a visual effects artist and said that work in this field can be very time-consuming. She has worked on films such as “Chicago,” “Tropic Thunder” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”  

“Work-life balance doesn’t exist … it’s really like fighting to survive when you’re at work and fighting to figure out what the next move is after that,” Holmes said. She added that working up to 16-hour days, seven days a week is normal.  

A 2015 study examined the overtime and lack of labor standards that have become normalized within the VFX industry. Exceeding the labor limit in most countries, 38% of the workers had worked 100 hours a week. And, more than 90% of visual effects workers in the United Kingdom, France, India and other locations were not paid for the entirety of hours worked. 

Holmes said a union wouldn’t be successful in bargaining against the monumental leverage the major studios hold over VFX Vendors. She said that VFX is a global industry where technology advanced too quickly, but the industry isn’t organized even though it so dependent on VFX. 

She added that she thinks change starts with the government and these movie studios.   

“If the people who make all the money are willing to change what their goals are and work with domestic (VFX) companies to make them survive and thrive instead of being dismantled and dispersed all over the world,” she said, “then I think we’ll have more of a chance.” 

Amy Nakamura | Co-Digital Editor

Holmes said that action was taken to the government following the 2013 outcry over VFX exploitation in “Life of Pi.” 

VFX workers formed a group to lobby to change the tax laws that govern services shipped out of the country, she said. Due to lack of organization and availability of VFX workers spread across the globe, the group did not receive enough funding from the community they were trying to save, Holmes also said. 

“Without the financial support, there really wasn’t anything else to do besides go back to work and the bigger fight has laid stagnant since,” Holmes said.  

The flawed business model of the VFX industry works in several different ways to enforce the tight margins, lack of profit and intense deadlines that create the nightmare environment for the average VFX worker. 

Another issue to this problem is freelance artists. These artists may not have the skills and efficiency needed for the job that can ask for a high day rate which exploits the VFX companies who are desperate for artists. 

The VFX industry is competitive with many VFX vendors given fixed bids for their work, which means the artists are paid directly by overhead cost, and not from the film’s profit. It’s a deceitful tactic of abuse that VFX vendors have no way of combating, being unprotected from the leverage these big companies have.  

Another glaring issue in the business model is the abundance of outsourcing of VFX workers to other countries. This means that VFX vendors in the United States are forced to bid at even lower prices or move out of the country.  

VFX companies, all vying for work from six major motion picture studios, have all the leverage in this arrangement. Since VFX workers and VFX companies have no protections against this type of exploitation, they are forced to constantly chase tax subsidies around the globe.   

Despite all these issues, Holmes said she feels optimistic for the future of her students.  

“I feel an obligation to tell my students about the real struggles occurring in the industry today,” Holmes said. “They are the generation that are entering the industry and they are the ones who can make change.” 

Every year, more and more visual effects companies go under and VFX artists continue to be put under grueling conditions with little labor protections. It’s clear there’s a lot wrong with the business model, and there seems to be no easy solution in sight, but one thing is for sure: The visual effects industry needs to change.  

Published on October 28, 2019 at 11:14 pm