I like the idea, but I don't want to make a fuss - do I really have to join?
Firstly, remember that no one’s asking you to stick your neck out personally, as BECTU’s membership is completely confidential. Talks with the VFX companies are handled by experienced BECTU negotiators – not by individual VFX artists.Secondly, there’s no middle ground here – either you join us or you don’t. Unfortunately, sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing is effectively the same as saying that you’re happy with things as they are.Individuals have been trying to get the VFX studios to fix excessive overtime for years now. The VFX studios have had many opportunities to tackle the problem, but their efforts have been superficial at best, and non-existent at worst. At the end of the day, every VFX company is a business and is trying to make money – and overtime is “free money” in the form of work that they don’t have to pay for. It’s unrealistic to expect the VFX companies to change their behaviour unless something gives them a decent financial reason to do so. This is our one chance to do exactly that – but only if we choose to.To get union recognition, all we need to do is to show the CAC that a certain percentage of a company or a department supports us and wants to see overtime reduced. If we get the number of members we need, we can fix things in that company or department. If we don’t, we can’t.If you disagree with us for some reason, then we can respect that (although we’d love to know why – please consider leaving a comment on this site or getting in touch!). But if you do support us, even privately, then please sign up. It takes just a few minutes, and costs very little compared for the potential reward of getting normal working hours in the VFX industry. If our bid for recognition doesn’t work then you can always cancel your membership. But remember – doing nothing and waiting for others to sort it out is the same as saying you’re happy with things as they are. This is our best and only shot at this.
What are your evenings and weekends worth to you?
From the vfxforum.org Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don't work much VFX overtime?
Then you’re very lucky! However, remember that this is issue is not just about you – it’s about your friends and colleagues too.How many of them have you seen regularly working late without pay? How often do you see them queueing up for the company dinner in your office each evening, especially around a deadline? Do you feel comfortable about that? Try asking some of them about the comments from the MPC Variety article or the VFX overtime survey – how many of them are genuinely happy about working conditions in the VFX industry right now?You don’t need to be working excessive VFX overtime yourself to agree with us that the industry needs to change.
See also:
- http://effectscorner.blogspot.ca/2015/03/visual-effects-and-overtime.html
- http://variety.com/2014/film/news/moving-picture-co-finds-valuing-artists-is-the-best-effect-1201346561/
From the vfxforum.org Frequently Asked Questions
New game. New rules.
Welcome to the Brave New World of Visual Effects! The compositing department at MPC has unionised and the global response has been amazing! The Hollywood Reporter covered the story and now fxguide has a post up on their website as well. Twitter has gone bananas on the subject and Reddit is doing that thing that Reddit does!But this is not just about the comp department at MPC. This is about ALL the departments at MPC. This is about ALL the Visual Effects facilities in London. This is about the whole of the Visual Effects Industry around the world!So many people in vfx tell me that they'd like to have a union, but they're waiting for something to happen. Well, guess what? Something's happening!You know that train you've been waiting for? It's pulling out of the station right now! Jump on board!To all VFX Union members: you need to start talking to your coworkers around you and get them to join and you need to get started now! No one else is going to do this for us. Stop sitting around waiting for someone to do something. YOU need to do something! We ALL need to take action now to make this happen! How do members get non members at work to join the vfx union?Simple. Stop and chat with your fellow vfx workers. Talk with them one on one.Ask them if they've heard about the union. Ask them if they've thought about joining. Most of your coworkers will say yes to both of those questions. They might even tell you they're already a member! Result! Now you've got someone to help recruit more members!It's all about talking and connecting with people. It's so easy to get a bit isolated in this industry and lost in our own little worlds, but I've found almost everyone will really open up when the subject of the vfx union is raised. It's something people in vfx like talking about.Engage with them on the subject. Tell them about vfxforum.org and our terrific set of FAQ's where they'll find an answer to almost any question they can think of. Tell them your opinions on the industry and unionisation but more importantly, listen to theirs. You will almost always find that they agree to join in that first conversation, but don't stop there - this is just the beginning of the process!Go back to them the next day and ask them if they've signed up. Most likely they didn't but don't despair and don't give up. Answer any questions they might have or just pick up the chat where you left off yesterday. Do it again the next day. Repeat these visits until they tell you they have signed up. Usually no fewer than 3-4 return chats in my experience. Often many more. Seriously... Don't give up.Don't get frustrated. Everybody WANTS to join, but there is a journey from wanting to join to actually joining that you need to guide them on. Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) are very real in our industry and for many, it is not a trivial thing to break away from it. Short term contracts, demands for overtime, constantly moving from one facility to the next - even moving countries to chase the work has left most of us feeling vulnerable and insecure about our livelihood. Everybody has bills, families, mortgages to worry about and nobody want to put that at risk. It shouldn't be, but joining the union can be a scary prospect for many of us. For people in our industry, the FUD is a very, very real thing. Everybody who hesitates joining will give may different reasons, but it all boils down to FUD. The good news is, virtually everyone agrees with the idea of a union and nobody wants FUD to rule their lives. Perseverance. That's what it takes. They won't come to you, so you must go to them and in time, they will eventually sign up. They always do because it's what they want. They told you that in your first conversation with them!Good luck everyone!
Unionisation at MPC!
BREAKING NEWS! The VFX branch of BECTU has given formal notice to MPC's management that the Compositing Department at MPC are unionising, and will be applying for union recognition.Yesterday (2nd Dec. 2015), MPC responded to this, and called the entire comp department (over 130 people) into a short meeting. They announced that the company had received a petition from BECTU for recognition of the union for the comp department. They announced that they will begin negotiations with BECTU, and that they intend to fight this bid for union recognition. They took no questions, and made no attempt to justify the excessive unpaid overtime in the VFX industry, or other issues that have made this recognition bid necessary.What does this mean? It means IT’S ON! Yes – this is really happening!Whilst MPC's announcement that they intend to dispute the bid is somewhat disappointing, it's no surprise either, and we were prepared for this. It came across as more of a delaying tactic than as a legitimate issue. We’ve got a fight ahead of us – but it’s a fight the union has fought before, and can win again. In gathering so many VFX workers and making this something that the VFX companies can no longer ignore, we've already achieved a major victory!We need you! To all VFX workers here in London that have been quietly hoping for something to happen, well… THIS IS IT! Now is the time to get on board! This is our best and only chance at finally getting the change our industry so badly needs.We've been overwhelmed with hundreds of responses to our VFX petition, from every corner of the UK VFX industry. Now is the time to act.We would like to invite all VFX workers in all departments at MPC and other VFX companies in London to get on board. If you want to see change in our industry and you're interested in getting something going at your company or your department, then get in touch - we'd love to help.This is our moment! This is what we’ve all been working for! Join now and help finally change the industry for the better.
Come to the Thursday VFX Lunchtime Meetup today, 1:00-2:00 in the food court at The Plaza, Oxford Street to find out more! We've got lots to talk about! Look for the green flag!
Watch this space and @VFXUnionUK on Twitter for all the latest updates on this exciting and rapidly developing situation!
Thursday VFX Lunch Meet - We have lift off!
Have you been sitting the whole vfx union thing out until you can see something happening?, Well, the wait is over! Incredibly exciting, paradigm shifting things are happening here in London's VFX Industry! Come to the Thursday VFX Lunch Meet to find out all about it and how YOU can become a part of it!
The VFX Lunch Meet
every Thursday @
The Plaza 120 Oxford Street, W1D 1LT
in the food court from 1:00-2:00!
Visual effects BECTU members and people who work in visual effect are meeting up every Thursday to talk about the union and issues that are interesting to people who work in the VFX here in London. This is a chance to change our industry from the ground up by connecting with like minded people and creating our own grassroots movement.
Please come and join us every Thursday from 1:00-2:00. All are welcome.
Look for the green flag!
Yes indeed... It's all kicking off!
UK VFX Union exploding (in a good way)
The Thursday VFX Lunch Meet is going stronger than ever! If you haven't been to one yet, you're missing out! Since we started doing this every week, more and more people are coming along and membership in BECTU is exploding!
Now that the summer weather has well and truly left us, we needed to move the weekly meet up from the Jurassic Church to an indoor venue, and we think we've found the perfect place!
Come join us for lunch and a chat every Thursday from 1:00-2:00
the food court @
The Plaza
Oxford Street
We've been trying out the meeting at the Plaza for a month now and it's turned out to be a great place to do this. It's central. It's free. There's lots of room. There's food there if you want to buy something or you can bring your own if you like. Easy peasy!
The Thursday VFX Lunch Meet is a terrific opportunity to network every week with BECTU members and other vfx people curious to know more about the union. This meet up is for absolutely everybody interested in improving the Visual Effects Industry for the better
One reason the Visual Effects Union has been slow to take off in the past is because we never had an opportunity to get together to meet and talk to each other regularly.
The Thursday VFX Lunch Meet has changed all that! This is really working! Lots of people show up every week to talk about what's happening in our industry (and there's a lot happening right now!). Interested? Come by this Thursday and say hello. Bring a friend.
Look for the green flag!
Thursday VFX Lunch Meet
It's the VFX Lunch Meet every Thursday at The Plaza 120 Oxford Street, W1D 1LT in the food court from 1:00-2:00!
Visual effects BECTU members and people who work in visual effect are meeting up every Thursday to talk about the union and issues that are interesting to people who work in the VFX here in London. This is a chance to change our industry from the ground up by connecting with like minded people and creating our own grassroots movement.
Please come and join us every Thursday from 1:00-2:00. All are welcome.
Look for the green flag!
London VFX house closing shop?
News has it that Method London is undergoing a huge restructuring which will result in the loss of many jobs during a huge shrinkage. Method currently has around 70 employees, so if true this would be a substantial loss of jobs. Only a few years ago on April 30, 2013 Method gave news on an expansion from a shared existence at its Deluxe Office to a new facility on Meard Street and they were looking forward to a continued growth through 2013.Just over two years later it looks like Method is reversing trends perhaps to refocus on its global operations? Their website also appears to be currently available at this time.This just on the back of Double Negative's announcement last week of its reduction in employees in both London (40 staff) and Singapore (80 staff) while annoucing the opening of a new Mumbai expansion in June of this year. Not to mention the contracts that would be up for renewal in its London office, which one can only assume will either not be renewed or will be encouraged to move abroad. To Vancouver, perhaps?If you are a Bectu member and are affected by these changes either at Method or Double Negative, please get into contact with the VFX Bectu representative, Paul Evans, who can be of service to you in this time of London redundancies and closures. Bectu can help clear up any questions you have about UK Laws and make sure you are aware of your employee rights as well as be your advocate in these situations. That's one of the great benefits of being part of the union.If you are not yet in the union, it's not too late join. Join Here
VFX Lunchtime Meetup @ The Plaza, Oxford Street
Today is a rainy day.Today we will be meeting in the food court at The Plaza 120 Oxford Street, W1D 1LT in the food court from 1:00-2:00. Look for the green flag!That is all.
Jurassic Church - Thurs 1:00pm
Every Thursday from 1:00-2:00 we gather in the courtyard of St. Anne’s Church (a.k.a. “Jurassic Church” on Wardour Street nr. Shaftesbury Avenue) for an informal vfx lunchtime meetup. Visual effects BECTU members and people who just work in visual effect are meeting up to talk about the union and issues that are interesting to people who work in the visual effects industry here in London. All are welcome!
1:00-2:00pm Thursday at
The Jurassic Church
(St. Anne's, Wardour Street)
Look for the green flag!
We are going to be here this Thursday and every Thursday to help connect and motivate people who work in London visual effects!
See you there! Bring along a friend! Make new friends! Take away some leaflets!
TECHNICOLOR makes deal to buy THE MILL for €259 MILLION
The Mill has been bought.. 
More companies merging it looks like in visual effects. The Mill has been acquired by Technicolor for €259 million. I hope this doesn't mean lay offs for any of the crew. Technicolor already has well known visual effects companies like MPC, Mr. X and Mikros Image. Mikros Image, based in Paris, has only just been acquired itself in April 2015. I guess it's not surprise the acquired a top notch advertising facility to put into their portfolio, especially since advertising can turn more revenue sometimes than films. Two acquisitions in 6 months though, does that seem like a lot? What do you think?http://www.technicolor.com/en/who-we-are/press-news-center/press-releases/technicolor-acquires-visual-effects-leader-in-advertising-the-mill
VFX Lunchtime forecast for today: Warm and Sunny!
It's going to be a pretty nice day today - why not pop down to the VFX Lunchtime Meetup in Soho to take advantage of the last few gasps of the British summer? Grab yourself a sandwich, some sushi or whatever you fancy and find out for yourself what people in London's VFX community have been talking about!
Every Thursday from 1:00-2:00 we gather in the courtyard of St. Anne’s Church (a.k.a. “Jurassic Church” on Wardour Street nr. Shaftesbury Avenue) for an informal vfx lunchtime meetup. Visual effects BECTU members and people who just work in visual effect are meeting up to talk about the union and issues that are interesting to people who work in the visual effects industry here in London. All are welcome!
1:00-2:00pm Thursday at
The Jurassic Church
(St. Anne's, Wardour Street)
Look for the green flag!
We are going to be here this Thursday and every Thursday to help connect and motivate people who work in London visual effects!
See you there! Bring along a friend! Make new friends! Take away some leaflets!
What's new in VFX?
A new article is out from Cinefex that asks some visual effects experts what's new in Visual Effects. I'm sure a lot of it is stuff we've experienced ourselves at work. Most notably was a lot of talk about VR and interactive experiences.
Here is the article: What's New in VFX Cinefex
What do you guys think?
VFX Lunches in the Park
Just a reminder that we will be continuing our lunch time meet-ups in St. Anne's Churchyard. The forecast for tomorrow says chance of rain. If it does rain we will move into the Plaza Food Court Area on Oxford St. We will make the call 30 mins before hand if it looks like rain and I will tweet the move to the Plaza. Fingers crossed for the to sun win out. Our original initiator of the meetings is away, so instead of a green flag please look for someone in a green jumper and a big smile!Come on out and meet up to discuss the latest industry news and meet other BECTU members. We will also have more flyers if you'd like more to distribute or haven't gotten a chance to see one yet.
1:00-2:00pm Thursday at
The Jurassic Church
(St. Anne’s Church Courtyard, Wardour Street)
Hope to see you there!
Thursday Lunchtime VFX Meetup!
1:00-2:00 Thursday at The Jurassic Church
(St. Anne's, Wardour Street, nr. Shaftesbury Ave.)
No doubt about it, the weather sucked last Thursday. Right around 1:00pm, the heavens opened and the downpour came to dampen our lunchtime meetup. D'oh! We had leaflets and everything!But all was not lost. One of our gang had the brilliant idea of moving at the last minute to The Plaza on Oxford Street and a quick Tweet later, the now legendary Thursday Lunchtime VFX Meetup went ahead unabated in new and dry surroundings!Some regulars were there and some new people came by to pick up a leaflet or two (hundred) and it all was quite nice having real chairs to sit on and everything. We've decided from now on that if the weather sucks, we move to The Plaza foodcourt. Always good to have a meetup-backup plan!So this week the weather is looking better and the Thursday Lunchtime Meetup is on track for another good turnout. This is the place for all you VFX BECTU members and people who work in visual effects to get together and talk about the industry and what difference you think a union might make. Will you join us?What the hell? Come by and check out what all the fuss is about! Grab something to eat and and pop 'round to meet up with fellow VFX people at...
1:00-2:00pm Thursday at
The Jurassic Church
(St. Anne's, Wardour Street)
Look for the green flag!
We are going to be here this Thursday and every Thursday to help connect and motivate people who work in London visual effects!
See you there! Bring along a friend! Make new friends! Take away some leaflets!
This Thursday... Leaflets!
Thanks to everyone who came last week to the Thursday VFX lunchtime meet up!Wow - This is really taking off! There were some terrific regulars who showed up and a whole lot of new faces too! Great to meet new vfx people who care about the issues that we all think are important to the visual effects industry here in London and all over the world.Unpaid overtime is still the number one talking point for everybody at the meetup, so this Thursday, be sure to show up because we'll be passing out some leaflets about this big issue. Everybody who comes along for the Thursday lunchtime meetup can take away a stack of these leaflets to pass out to friends and colleagues. And THAT my friend, is what's called action!
So why not grab some grub and shoot the breeze this Thursday with some other vfx people who want to change things for the better!Thursday 1:00-2:00pmSt. Anne's ChurchyardWardour Street (nr. Shaftesbury Avenue)Look for the green flag!Slowly but surely, visual effects people here in London are beginning to realise that this ain't gonna happen all by itself. We ALL need to get involved and make a difference or we will never move forward.Spread the word... bring a friend...See you there!Follow us on Twitter @VFXUnionUK
Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't)
Maybe the reason lots of people say visual effects are ruining film is because they can only see the bad ones!
Prod Coord Life
Just another day in the VFX studio
See more here: Prod Coord Life
Soho VFX lunchtime meetup
Something’s been happening in Soho for the last month or so. Every Thursday from 1:00-2:00 we gather in the courtyard of St. Anne’s Church (a.k.a. “Jurassic Church” on Wardour Street nr. Shaftesbury Avenue) for an informal vfx lunchtime meetup.
Visual effects BECTU members and people who just work in visual effect are meeting up every Thursday to talk about the union and issues that are interesting to people who work in the visual effects industry here in London.
It started small with just four of us about a month ago. There’s dozens of us now and more people join us every week. Come along and help us keep the momentum going!
Let’s face it… because we are organising quietly at the moment, the visual effects union movement looks (to non-members) like it has stalled out. Everybody is waiting around for something to happen and it ain’t happening. The problem is that the visual effects union is like a secret society that’s so secret, even the members don’t know who’s in it or what’s going on. This is a chance to change that from the ground up by connecting with like minded people and creating a grassroots movement ourselves.
It’s already happening. Please come and join us every Thursday from 1:00-2:00. Bring a sandwich or some sushi and just have a chat. All are welcome.
Look for the green flag.