Overworked and Underpaid, VFX Workers Vote to Unionize at Marvel
On Monday, a group of more than 50 on-set employees filed a petition for an election to be represented by IATSE.
On Monday, a group of more than 50 on-set employees filed a petition for an election to be represented by IATSE. #HotUnionSummer #UnionStrong
What blows my mind is that they weren't AITSE before??
Like so many positions in film are union, crazy that these key people were in the blind-spot
VFX unionization has been suppressed for decades through a consistent level of FUD and a constant race to the bottom-style system that has been fully supported, encouraged and enforced by the big studio clients.
It’s barely even worth linking that “life after pi” docu-short about Rhythm&Hues at this point, as the same thing has happened again and again since then.
It would be nice if this marks some kind of sea change, but I wouldn’t hold my breath just yet.
Especially working for Disney. Well, better late than never!
I'm a VFX artist who's been waiting for the tides to turn on this for well over a decade.
It's difficult, highly skilled work, the hours are terrible, there's zero job security, and artists often don't even get their names in the credits. Marvel is one of the most notorious clients out there for last-second changes, unreasonable asks, and a lack of clear and consistent direction.
This push was a long time coming and I hope other studios follow suit. The IATSE has been trying for as long as I can remember and I'm really excited they finally made an inroad.