The VFX Rebellion Begins

Life Of Pi

Lets talk about the tension building in Hollywood VFX facilities. California VFX artists are angry. How angry? Variety reported Thursday the threat of extremists launching a cyber attack on a major California VFX facility in retaliation for declining business due to out of state subsidies and incentives. Phew, that was a mouthful. The amusing mental image of tech nerds up in arms aside, some in the industry perceive the threat to be very real and very dangerous. What it breaks down to is California is no longer financially plausible for VFX facilities to function. By itself, the issue seems dull. Another financially strapped industry struggling to stay afloat in a harsh economic climate. When El Segundo, Calif. based VFX beacon Rhythm & Hues announced it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early February, the visual effects industry was shaken but Hollywood was mostly unfazed. Universal and 20th Century Fox jumped in days later with a court approved $17 million loan and that was that. Not so. As the 2013 Hollywood awards season hit full speed, unforeseen events in the wake of Rhythm & Hues turned the bankruptcy into a catalyst for a deeper rooted problem: visual artists want respect. Hollywood has never been shy it does not consider the hard working artists behind studio tentpoles such as "Jack And The Giant Slayer" or the latest Rhythm & Hues creation, "Life Of Pi", to be the same caliber as A-list actors and directors. Following the Oscar day Hollywood and Highland protest staged by aggrieved artists, the ceremony itself added fuel to the fire, transforming a business issue into a fully heated flame of emotion. Slights were reported post-Oscar of "The Avengers" cast supposedly scripted gaff butchering the intro before the presentation of the Best Visual Effects award. Best Director winner Ang Lee was accused of glancing over any mention of visual effects or Rhythm & Hues during his acceptance speech despite Life Of Pi's reliance on CG technology (though he is quoted as thanking "all 3000" who worked on the film). And most noteworthy, the play off of lead VFX supervisor for Life Of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, during the Best Visual Effects award acceptance speech, by no less than the theme to Jaws. This struck a chord among many who watched it happen due to the strict 44 second time allotted to the VFX artist when some speeches clocked in at over a minute. Westenhofer's mic was turned off right as he was brining attention to the struggles of Rhythm & Hues. Westenhofer is reported as proclaiming backstage, "The visual effects business is definitely in a challenging position right now. We're not technicians, were artists. And I'm concerned if we don't find a new business model, were going to lose some of the artistry." And now were here, at this point in the present, sitting on the precipice between continued tongue biting and fully fledged rebellion. VFX artists feel victimized by Hollywood studios. They spend hundreds of hours creating, in some cases, entire movies that yield large profits in the long run but do not receive health care coverage, retirement plans or job security. Not even a pat on the back, as the Oscar ceremony debacle proves. But as in any David and Goliath situation, good and bad are not as clearly defined as a drama junkie might want. With the prospect of a VFX cyber attack looming, others in the industry have called the move detrimental. It is believed (and accurately so) that attacking a VFX facility only further dents the industry and leaves the studios without any real consequence. It is entirely evident that change is coming. But unlike a guild strike or inner studio rumblings, VFX artists are displaced as outside of the immediate film industry. Their awards are almost entirely separated as "Technical Awards," their work is being pushed outside of California and their needs are considered low priority and low interest. The VFX industry is in need of change and the big, bad Hollywood studios are in need of some sympathy for what are now their joint partners in creating movies. There really is no distinct good and evil in this situation, despite my overt characterization. Business is business. But there is a distinct necessity for understanding. Business is also understanding. Understanding the economic environment. Understanding what and who is necessary to survive. And understanding that making Hollywood into a bigger, sexier, bitchier version of high school is good for tabloids, and bad for business.