Overworked and underpaid, VFX workers vote to unionize at Marvel
The article doesn't do a good job of explaining the core problem, but this video about the VFX studio that created Life After Pi and then collapsed at the same time that the movie got an Oscar has better info: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lcB9u-9mVE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lcB9u-9mVE</a><p>The core issue is that the studio's decision-makers negotiate a fixed cost contract and then keep making changes that require the VFX studio to work extra hours without getting extra money. This is in contrast with other people in movies who get paid per day of labor when shooting the film. So the director has an incentive to make the shooting of the film as efficient as possible and then they just "fix it in post" because there is no marginal cost to them to cram more work onto the VFX shop.<p>In theory, the union will probably get the VFX people fair wages. In practice, I'm betting that studios will invest heavily into generative AI. Either way, the recent Hollywood union actions will end the exploration of VFX professionals.