discussion VFX Union brewing in Hollywood, artists detail gruelling work with Marvel

[mystery]

Vulture: Inside the VFX Union Brewing in Hollywood
 

The dozens of workers I spoke with claim that while Marvel’s tendency to compensate contractual employees on a weekly basis (no matter how many hours worked) is common practice across the industry, it pays upward of 20 percent less than other studios when doing so. One visual-effects worker currently employed by the studio on a feature project estimates that they are completing approximately four times the amount of work they are being paid for.
 

Patch says he was surprised to discover that Alonso and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige insisted on personally approving shots that require visual-effects work. Everybody’s giving their opinion, and sometimes they’re giving multiple notes on the same frames. Worse yet, VFX workers say that Marvel’s heads often choose to alter endings during the final stages of postproduction. This animator recalled a whole portion of an action sequence that hadn’t been storyboarded before postproduction. “It was just, ‘This hero avoids many things for this amount of time.’ Everything was blank. 

In 2022 alone, Marvel released four series, two stand-alone streaming specials and no fewer than three major films. That staggering output is unrivaled in the Hollywood studio system and, according to VFX workers, allows Marvel to operate as the industry’s biggest “bully,” threatening to cut off consistent work to those who run afoul of its expectations. The workers I spoke with said they fear the existence of a blacklist allegedly perpetuated by Marvel executives. “The blacklist is very talked about,” a Georgia-based VFX worker says. “I don’t know anyone that’s seen it for real. But it’s a common thing that comes up whenever effects people talk together. ‘If you do X, Y, or Z, Marvel will blacklist you and you won’t be working for them again. The biggest way to get on the blacklist is to leave a show early for any reason.”

In January 2022, around 300 VFX production workers organized on a Slack channel under the name VFX Production Group and initiated a year-end poll comparing the salaries paid by various studios. The results revealed that a visual-effects coordinator can earn as little as $1,300 a week — $18.57 an hour on the lowest end. And almost instantly, there was an email that went out to producers and executives at Marvel that asked, ‘Where is this coming from? How do we stop it? Because we can’t have people talking about rates.’”
 

A second Georgia-based VFX worker who read the email while employed on a Marvel sequel recalls producers and studio executives “getting all up in arms” about the poll. “My producer told me to find out who from my team was involved and to bring that information to my bosses,” says the VFX worker. “We’ve basically been told to shut up about our rates and not to talk about it to each other — which is illegal. I told them I didn’t know anything.” (Marvel declined to comment on its staffing processes.)

Edited July 28, 2023 by mystery

[Hephaestus]

Oooh messy 

[BadX]

aren't a lot of the execution being outsourced to developing countries though

[Cloudy]

Please just end Marvel once and for all. It's time for this superhero thing tobe over

[Young Volcanoes]

6 minutes ago, Cloudy said:

Please just end Marvel once and for all. It's time for this superhero thing tobe over

this

[Jormungand]

8 minutes ago, BadX said:

aren't a lot of the execution being outsourced to developing countries though

I noticed that outsourcing is happening heavily in the gaming industry as well. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Jormungand

[Iceland]

Lock Kevin feige up!!

[TaylorNation]

Marvel’s ARTPOP era

[Obsession]

 

2 hours ago, Cloudy said:

Please just end Marvel once and for all. It's time for this superhero thing tobe over

I agree. The only movie post-Endgame that has been worth it to me was BP2. 

 

They had a good run but now things are sloppy and people and the industry are being harmed to put out this slop. Wrap it up. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Obsession

[Arcadius]

The MCU making more bank than every other film IP and paying the least. 

[kandicha]

How are they making more money than every other studio yet paying 20% less? Just greedy. 

 

take them down!

[D_Man3379]

Shameful

[Anye]

Greedy bastards

[Gui Blackout]

Special effects is the only noteworthy thing about these movies and they treat the artists like sweatshop workers

 

TRASH

[Gorjesspazze9]

Good, they should unionize. Disney is literally a monopoly. So Don’t know why y’all acting surprise. Every major studio in Hollywood does this as well. And I do think more Union need to be established in the industry to change this power and financial dynamic.