2023-08-08 19:05:44
Until now, special effects artists were an exception, whereas most workers in other sectors of the entertainment industry have already come together in a workers’ alliance.
United in one fight. In the wake of the writers’ and actors’ strike in Hollywood, Marvel employees specializing in VFX – special effects – have petitioned for the creation of a union. According to the American media Vulture, 50 employees voted on Monday for internal elections to be represented in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE, International Alliance of Stage, Theater and Film Employees), the equivalent of one union under the National Labor Relations Board. A first.
Special effects artists were the exception until then, while most workers in other sectors of the entertainment industry have already grouped together under the leadership of a union, as the cultural media points out. The IATSE already brings together no less than 170,000 craftsmen, technicians, machinists and other workers in the film, TV and theater sectors in the United States but also in Canada.
“For nearly half a century, workers in the visual effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits enjoyed by their colleagues and crew since the early days of the Hollywood motion picture industry,” he said. VFX organizer for IATSE Mark Patch in a statement referring to “a historic first step”. Elections are set to take place by August 21 with the challenge of “demanding the same rights, wage protections and professional oversight.”
Like the rest of the industry, special effects artists are overworked, with wages not keeping up with the increasing pace of work. 90% of films released in theaters today feature visual effects, Vulture points out, noting that a series like Stranger Things can even have up to 4,400 visual effects shots in a single season.
Working conditions within Marvel Studios (and by extension its parent company Disney) have been particularly denounced this past year. A special effects artist testified at the end of July on condition of anonymity in a column published by Vulture : “When I was working on a film, it was almost six months of daily overtime. I worked seven days a week, averaging 64 hours a week in good weeks. Marvel really makes you work really hard. I saw colleagues sit next to me, break down and start crying. I’ve seen people have panic attacks.”
Not part of the IATSE alliance, VFX professionals were unable to claim overtime pay or other benefits to access health care. Bella Huffman, VFX coordinator at Marvel, insists to the American media: “Visual effects must become a sustainable and safe department for all those who have suffered for too long and for all newcomers who need to know that they will not be exploited.”
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