VFX artists prepare to be unionized in the USA

This year the film industry went through an extremely interesting moment that we had not seen before, and that is that the writers union got together and went on strike demanding better negotiations and status for their work. Seeing this happen, we then saw the actors act in the same way and for more than 4 months the industry came to a complete halt, since there were no writers or actors, so the industry was completely stopped, to the extent that major productions were affected: There were movies that were postponed and even jobs that had been canceled, since the times did not match what they had planned and the losses were millions. Now, another group of people is about to unionize and without them, we won’t see action movies for a long time.

VFX artists prepare to be unionized.

Every time we see a movie, there are many moments that are made by computer, but that computer is controlled by an artist who studied many years to make digital art and with that, effects in movies that look incredibly real, to the extent that sometimes we don’t know what is real and what is not.

As IATSE noted in the press release, the Lightstorm artists are the first team of VFX workers on the vendor side to go before the NLRB. The artists who have decided to take the unionized side are artists behind films like Avatar.

“the benefits, more equitable pay and respect that those other departments have earned through collective initiatives. bargaining.”

It is known, that many times the work of VFX artists has been exploited, so being part of a union will make their working conditions much better than they thought, all with the intention that their work is valued

“We are on the cusp of a new era in the VFX industry”, every worker is valued, their contributions are recognized and their rights fiercely protected. This moment is a beacon for the entire industry.” added IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb.

What do you think about it? Do you think artists should join a union in order to have more demands?