VFX workers have been. trying to unisize for what it seems to be for years now! To hear the horror stories from those in the industry, was one of the reasons that I chose to work for defense companies.
I was interviewed at Rhythm & Hues and was offered the (what I was told) standard apprenticeship job at $10/hr. I thought that after going through university that slugging my way through being a grunt worker, then someone offered me a salary position at TI at $40K. Back in the late 90's that was allot of money for me! Over double the money I had ever got working at a Disney Theme Park.
Now, I'm not going to try to exploit the moment here and say that Hollywood lost out on a great talent, but working for the DOD has had it's great moments. I also would say that some of the media material that I created may have saved some airmen's lives to this day and has proven to be helpful in some of our current conflicts, but that is another unsung story for another time!
What the manning of all of this is If I had chosen to work at R&H what would have been my fate! I don't necessarily think it would have turned out as good! Unfortunately, building tools of war has been lucrative to the point that I've made a living out of it for the past 20 years!
I have the same skills, use the same tools and have the same talents that my VFX brethren has, but I use it to develop tools to train the warfighter. But in war, there is always a price to be paid! For me it will always be: What if I could have made a child happy? or What if I could create that cool effect that many would have talked about for years? For Me, that dream will be lost in time!
I was hanging in Toronto last week with a Canadian screenwriter friend and he said all the work is just being done now by Canadian writers who are cheaper anyway and give the same quality.
Finding Hope During the Strike(s)
VFX workers have been. trying to unisize for what it seems to be for years now! To hear the horror stories from those in the industry, was one of the reasons that I chose to work for defense companies.
I was interviewed at Rhythm & Hues and was offered the (what I was told) standard apprenticeship job at $10/hr. I thought that after going through university that slugging my way through being a grunt worker, then someone offered me a salary position at TI at $40K. Back in the late 90's that was allot of money for me! Over double the money I had ever got working at a Disney Theme Park.
Now, I'm not going to try to exploit the moment here and say that Hollywood lost out on a great talent, but working for the DOD has had it's great moments. I also would say that some of the media material that I created may have saved some airmen's lives to this day and has proven to be helpful in some of our current conflicts, but that is another unsung story for another time!
What the manning of all of this is If I had chosen to work at R&H what would have been my fate! I don't necessarily think it would have turned out as good! Unfortunately, building tools of war has been lucrative to the point that I've made a living out of it for the past 20 years!
I have the same skills, use the same tools and have the same talents that my VFX brethren has, but I use it to develop tools to train the warfighter. But in war, there is always a price to be paid! For me it will always be: What if I could have made a child happy? or What if I could create that cool effect that many would have talked about for years? For Me, that dream will be lost in time!
VFX Unionize!
I was hanging in Toronto last week with a Canadian screenwriter friend and he said all the work is just being done now by Canadian writers who are cheaper anyway and give the same quality.