Many of you will have noticed a proliferation of green Facebook profile images. Why have so many profile pictures gone green? It represents the green screen that so many movies are now shot on, prior to the hard work and dedication of thousands of visual effects artists bringing the movie to life. Sadly, the working conditions and pay for vfx artists has been drilled to the floor as have the profit margins of the vfx companies with the result that Rhythm & Hues, the company that delivered the bulk of the effects for Life of Pi and brought Richard Parker to life, filed for bankruptcy as the movie itself passed the billion dollar mark in global ticket sales.
Whilst the Hollywood production companies and studios walk away with profits, artists who dedicate their lives to their craft get short changed on salary, over-time and eventually job security. What has happened to Rhythm & Hues, Digital Domain, Asylum FX, Cinesite Hollywood and Cafe FX is looming for Pixomondo, Electronic Arts and Disney Interactive, to name but a few.
At this year’s OSCAR award ceremony members of the VFX community demonstrated outside the Dolby Theatre, whilst inside, Bill Westenhofer had his mic muted as he picked up the gong for best VFX on behalf of the now bankrupt Rhythm and Hues. He was given less time on stage than the gurning goons of the Avengers cast that led-up to the award announcement and to add insult to injury he was then played-off to the Jaws theme music. Meanwhile, some have taken umbrage that neither of the other two main OSCAR winners for Life of Pi, Director and Cinematographer mentioned the work of the VFX artists.
Ang Lee likes his recognition; How Life of Pi looked before and after VFX; A Protestor outside the OSCARS
Should Ang Lee and Claudio Miranda be vilified for not recognising the work of the VFX artists in Life of Pi? Certainly, given the circumstances and the demonstrators Miranda had passed on his way into the building, it would have been a nice show of recognition, if not solidarity, had he done so. But *should* he have done? Do VFX and post folk go out of their way to thank the DoPs for making their lives easier by shooting high quality green screen and sumptuous plates? Not generally.
Lee is another matter. For a film so reliant on VFX work and therefore for Lee to be so much in the debt of the artists to realise his vision, he really *should* have thanked them, even without going so far as to highlight their plight. It was disingenuous and downright ignorant not to do so. But worse, he has actually come out and said that VFX should be cheaper! Life of Pi was my favourite movie of last year but as I think of the many VFX Artists, of which I once numbered, around the world who now work in sweatshop conditions, of the very people who created Life of Pi, laid off, unemployed and owed weeks of pay it now simply leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
Miguel Ferros
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