Aledged MPC exodus as employees seek studios with better working conditions after RAG system annoucement

The AVU has heard reports of a large number of employees seeking alternative employment (or some simply just resigning) after news broke the other week of MPC’s new RAG system (pictured below), a traffic light-based protocol that forces their employees to work in-studio for at least 3-days-a-week to a maximum of 5-days-per-week (not including weekend work). These reports have come from a variety of sources, from those working in MPC, those who know people working at MPC, and various other studios.

Official infographic from MPC on their new RAG system.

Other VFX and Animation Studios announced their open positions on LinkedIn last week for those who might be looking to jump ship from MPC’s tougher stance on flexible working, with many of those studios critising commenting that flexible working was here to stay for them and forcing people to work in-studio isn’t the answer if a project is falling behind (or that artists should be punished if a show is behind too).

Blue Zoo Studio’s stance on remote and flexible working

Cinesite priding themselves with their new way of working.

This is a clear example of those who’ve simply had enough voting with their feet. We support everyone affected and remind you that the AVU is here for all. If you’re discriminated against by MPC’s new ruling then please get in touch with us via the various communication channels. We are available by email (animvfxunion@gmail.com), LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Would you like to know more?

Got questions about what the Animation & Visual Effects Union is? Want to know more about what we do and how we operate? Fancy talking to us face-to-face? Head on down to our AGM on August 24th 2022. This is your opporunity to get to know your union commitee a little closer and get a bit more involved. We elect our new committee for 2022/23 at the AGM, so if you’re interested in getting involved as a committee member then this is your chance! We are actively recruiting for the committee!

The location is still to be decided (it will be in person and not online). Please visit our events page before attending to make sure you know where to go!

MPC controversial RAG system ignites ANGER in industry - Studios extend hiring olive branch

MPC’s decision to introduce their new RAG rules, a traffic-light system deciding if an employee must work 3 to 5 days in-studio, has sparked rage in the visual effects & animation industry, not only in the UK but around the world. Hundreds, if not thousands, took to social media, such as Reddit, LinkedIn, and Twitter, to express their opinions on the new system with a sheer majority of the feedback being against the system.

At MPC and had enough? Links to new roles at the end of this article.

MPC’s RAG system announced on August 14th at an internal Town Hall meeting

MPC’s reasoning for the introduction of this system is down to “projects having some/serious issues” and, essentially, it’s the fault of those on the project and you now need to come in physically to get it back on track.

This finger-pointing attitude was the straw that broke the camel’s back, sparking anger in many around the industry. People also questioned the reasoning behind MPC’s decision when so many other studios are performing extremely well when it comes to flexible working, whether it is fully remote, hybrid or optional in-studio working.

Other news website report on MPC’s action such as Cartoon Brew

Has MPC dug a hole for themselves?

It’s very obvious to say, in the age of flexible working, most people aren’t happy with how MPC has treated those who make their moving pictures happen. Sparking debate across the industry if the age of flexible working is coming to an end?

Luckily, many other studios around the UK sprung into action! Restoring faith in the flexible-working dream and that it is far from just a memory. Companies such as Cinesite, Trixter, Framestore, DNEG, Territory, Industrial Light, and Magic have all reached out on social media such as LinkedIn saying they are hiring and support flexible working. This isn't a recommendation/endorsement of the listed companies as we understand some of them have their own ethical issues.

Recruiters offer an olive branch to MPC workers

At MPC? Not happy about the RAG? Find a new role below:

Working from home and loving it? Enjoying spending more time with your family? Only coming in a couple of days a week and want it to stay that way? These studios below are offering flexible working and are ACTIVELY HIRING!

Cinesite Careers

Trixter

Framestore

Goodbye Kansas

Industrial Light & Magic

DNEG - (PAID OT)

Keep an eye out on LinkedIn for other recruiters reaching out.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORK TO THE END OF YOUR CONTRACT. YOU CAN HAND IN YOUR NOTICE AND ONLY WORK YOUR CONTRACTUAL NOTICE PERIOD. READ YOUR CONTRACT AS TO HOW LONG THIS IS.

AVU launches new Ethical Animation and VFX Charter

AVU launches new Ethical Animation and VFX Charter

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: https://bectu.org.uk/news/avu-launches-new-ethical-animation-and-vfx-charter/

29 March 2021

The Animation and VFX Union (AVU) – powered by BECTU – are excited to announce the launch of their Ethical Animation & VFX Charter.

Close to 12 months ago, our sector faced extraordinary upheaval when Animation and VFX employers cut through their workforce behind the smokescreen of Covid-19.

Since then, the AVU has created an Ethical Animation and VFX Charter to outline the issues that need addressing to improve our industry. The aim is to get employers and other industry bodies to sign up to the goals in the charter. These goals cover fair pay, social justice and sustainability, respect and protections for workers in this industry.

Joe Pavlo, the Chair of the AVU Branch of Bectu said:

“The VFX and Animation industries are full of creative, tech-savvy professionals, who love their craft. It is an exciting, fast-moving industry, but – sometimes – it also has features that are not found in industries that are sustainable and fair towards their workers.

“This Charter outlines our goals as a union and what we feel needs addressing. We want to work with employers to improve our industry. We believe that there is nothing in here that any good employer would not sign up to, and it is something that the majority of workers in our industry can get behind.”

The AVU will work with employers and other industry bodies to sign up to this basic charter. Where necessary, our union will encourage workers in the industry to stick together to achieve these aims.

For further enquiries, please contact animvfxunion@gmail.com

Download the Charter.

The PACT Agreement for Major Motion Pictures

A new agreement covering major motion pictures production was decisively voted for by BECTU members in November 2017. It is the first of its kind in the UK and was implemented on 2 April 2018. The agreement has been welcomed across the industry and is the result of a successful partnership between union reps, producers and employers' associations.Below are some of the highlights. The full agreement is available for download from the BECTU website.Please note that the agreement only applies to workers employed directly by the production companies, therefore not employees of VFX facilities, although this can change if enough VFX workers join the union and ask for it.…1.2 This Agreement will apply to all crew members engaged on Major Motion Pictures that commence principal photography after Monday 2 April 2018.1.3 For the purposes of this Agreement, a Major Motion Picture shall mean a feature film intended for initial cinematic exhibition with a production budget equal to or in excess of £30,000,000 (Thirty Million Pounds Sterling) (the Major Picture Threshold).2. The Working Day and the Working Week2.1 The Standard Working WeekThe Standard Working Week is a 55 hour 5 day work week. This can be varied by the producer upon payment of overtime and other premiums as set out in this Agreement, with the understanding that all overtime is voluntary.2.2  The Working Day – All crew during pre-production and non-shooting crew during principal photography 
Outside the period of principal photography and/or for non-shooting crew members, the standard working day comprises 11 hours worked with 1 hour for lunch (the Standard Working Day or SWD).(b) Post Production Crew: Post Production crew members will follow the Standard Working Week and the Standard Working Day applicable to non-shooting crew and will be entitled to Non-Camera Overtime, if applicable, in accordance with Section 3.3(a)(ii), but shall not be entitled to Camera Overtime. Start times will be the times at which each crew member starts work, which will not necessarily be the same as Unit Call times for the Post Production Department.Lunch breaks may be ‘staggered’ under the direction of the 1st Assistant Editor or Post Production Supervisor in co-ordination with production, and post-production crew members will be expected to manage their own time in order to take their breaks. Lunch break penalties shall not apply.3. Working Outside the Normal Working Day - Overtime3.2 Prep and Wrap(a) Specific Departments: For the following departments, the crew member’s rate is deemed to include, in addition to the 55 hours worked, up to 30 minutes at the beginning and 30 minutes at the end of each day, if required and in accordance with current working practices, without any overtime being due:- ADs- Accounts- Costume- Hair and Make-up- Locations- Production- Script Supervisor- VFX3.3 Overtime Rates(a) For the purposes of calculating overtime, the crew member’s hourly rate is deemed to be his/her contractual weekly rate divided by 55 (Hourly Rate), or for daily crew members, his/her contractual daily rate divided by 11 (save for Rigging Electricians whose rates are as per clause 2.2(a)). Overtime will be calculated at either the Hourly Rate multiplied by 1.5 (1.5T) or the Hourly Rate multiplied by 2 (2T), depending on whether overtime comprises Camera Overtime or Non Camera Overtime (see subsections 3.3(a)(i) and (ii) below). The attached Appendix details examples of overtime rates.(ii) Non-Camera Overtime including pre calls and de-rigs is paid at 1.5T for any overtime, payable in 30 minutes increments (and pro-rated accordingly for partial hours) and subject always to the Maximum Overtime Rate and the prep and wrap provisions of clause 3.2.(c) For all crew members, the overtime rate may be no more than £81.82 per hour (Maximum Overtime Rate). For the avoidance of doubt the Maximum Overtime Rate shall apply to all hourly rates uplifted hereunder including in relation to 6th and 7th days, Bank Holidays and Broken Turnaround.4. Working Outside the Normal Working Week - 6th and 7th Days4.1 6th Days(a) Any 6th consecutive day or night worked will be paid at 1.5T for actual hours worked, with a minimum guarantee of 6 hours for non-shooting crew and 8 hours for shooting crew.4.2 7th Days(a) Any 7th consecutive day worked will be paid at 2T for actual hours worked, with a minimum guarantee of 6 hours for non-shooting crew and 8 hours for shooting crew.4.3 For the avoidance of doubt:(a) Saturdays and Sundays shall not be paid as a premium day unless they are consecutive 6th or 7th days worked; and(b) all hourly rates for 6th and 7th days are subject to the Minimum Camera Overtime Rate and capped at the Maximum Overtime Rate.5.3 Broken TurnaroundsProducers should endeavour to give crew members eleven hours’ turnaround between the individual crew member’s wrap to his/her call (Turnaround Period). In the event of any shorter period of turnaround:(a) the producer should wherever possible allow the crew member to take an equivalent period of compensatory rest, and shall in any event afford the crew member such protection as may be appropriate in order to safeguard the crew member’s health and safety; and(b) in the event that a crew member is required to work during the Turnaround Period (Broken Turnaround) the crew member should be paid at 1.5T for any such time, which payment should accrue in 30 minute increments (and shall be pro-rated accordingly), subject to an overall cap of £45 per hour (or £22.50 per 30 minute increment).5.4 Meal Breaks(a) Standard Working Day (SWD): During principal photography crew members should be generally entitled to take their lunch break no later than 6 hours after unit call.If non-shooting crew are asked by the producers to shorten their lunch break from one hour, then infringed time will be paid in 30 minute increments at 1.5T.For the avoidance of doubt the Head of Department for non-shooting crew should manage their department so that crew members are able to take their lunch break (save as where requested above). In the event that such Head of Department wishes to curtail or delay the lunch break of crew members, prior approval must be sought from the Unit Production Manager, and the penalties above will apply.5.6 Bank Holidays(a) Where a crew member is contracted by the producer to work over a period which includes a United Kingdom official public holiday or foreign official public holiday where work takes place abroad (Bank Holiday), but the crew member is not actually required to work on that Bank Holiday, the crew member will be entitled to receive his/her daily fee for that Bank Holiday.(b) If a crew member is required to work on a Bank Holiday, the crew member will be entitled to be paid at 2T during such Bank Holiday, whether the crew member is working on a weekly or longer term basis or is engaged as a daily.…

Overworked and Underpaid? London's VFX Industry

On Tuesday 29th May, Channel 5 News Ran a special report on the economic and health realities of people working in London's VFX Industry (Dominic Reynolds reporting)https://youtu.be/aZMWjxLmtuE

VFX Gender Pay Gap in the UK

Why is it that women in VFX with equal qualifications, skills and experience are paid less than men?

After last summer's BBC report sparked an uproar on gender pay gap there has be a new surge on finding out what really is the gap. But that's the BBC, surely the Visual Effects Industry is nothing like that, right?!Unfortunately that is not the case. These are the official reports: 

Double Negative

"Women’s mean* hourly rate is 19.8% lower than men’swhen comparing mean hourly rates, women earn 80p for every £1 that men earn.Women’s median** hourly rate is 22.8% lower than men’swhen comparing median hourly rates, women earn 77p for every £1 that men earn." 

Framestore

"Women’s mean hourly rate is 14% lower than men’swhen comparing mean hourly rates, women earn 86p for every £1 that men earn.Women’s median hourly rate is 16.4% lower than men’swhen comparing median hourly rates, women earn 84p for every £1 that men earn."

Industrial Light & Magic

"Women’s mean hourly rate is 25.5% lower than men’swhen comparing mean hourly rates, women earn 74p for every £1 that men earn.Women’s median hourly rate is 29.2% lower than men’swhen comparing median hourly rates, women earn 71p for every £1 that men earn."

Moving Picture Company

"Women’s mean hourly rate is 23.8% lower than men’swhen comparing mean hourly rates, women earn 76p for every £1 that men earn.Women’s median hourly rate is 28.3% lower than men’swhen comparing median hourly rates, women earn 72p for every £1 that men earn."

These were the large VFX companies in the UK that provided the data (all companies in the UK with 250 employees or more are required by law to provide gender pay gap data) - smaller studios were not required by law to provide this data. In their reports, each of the four companies above - except ILM - made pledges of bridging the gap by taking different steps such us diversity promotion and supporting women - yet none of them addressed the real issue - why are women in VFX getting paid less than men?After all these reports and pledges, will companies act on that and start paying their female staff equally? Will they address the underlying problems in VFX that make this disparity possible? We will have to wait until the next report for hard evidence of their intentions. In the meantime, it is time to face up to facts in the visual effects industry and for us all to keep up the pressure for facilities to do something about their gender pay gap problem. BECTU, the VFX Union is committed to equality in the workplace. By joining the union you can support this cause and help make the VFX industry a stronger and more ethical industry.Need inspiration? Here's a couple of things to pump you up! Take a few minutes to watch Stacey Smith's TED talk in 2016 and Frances McDormand's 2018 Oscar acceptance speech which taught the world a new phrase: inclusion rider***.

Can the UK VFX facilities come up with an "inclusion rider" of their own? The VFX Union wants to see men and women paid equally based on their skills and experience and not their gender. By organising together, we can make this happen!

*The mean hourly rate is the average hourly wage across the entire organization so the mean gender pay gap is a measure of the differencebetween women’s mean hourly wage and men’s mean hourly wage.**The median hourly rate is calculated by ranking all employees from the highest paid to the lowest paid,and taking the hourly wage of the person in the middle; so the median gender pay gap is the differencebetween women’s median hourly wage (the middle paid woman) and men’s median hourly wage (the middle paid man).*** "An “inclusion rider” is a clause that an actor can insist be inserted in their contract that requires cast and crew on a film to meet a certain level of diversity. " (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/05/what-is-an-inclusion-rider-frances-mcdormand-oscars-2018)

Resources:Official goverment website:https://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/DNeghttps://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/viewing/employer-details?e=xrdzedeG52P3mfCmvaBqlA%21%21ILMhttps://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/viewing/employer-details?e=FIy5v1XTqqQ2F676WWpOSA%21%21Moving Picture Companyhttps://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/viewing/employer-details?e=Cc0NmCM8lWxaU2jm99ChnA%21%21Framestorehttps://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/viewing/employer-details?e=Hrcq2dhRWi7ID_u7z62LxQ%21%21

VFX News

this is it!

THE  BIG VFX MEETING

7:00pm WEDNESDAY, 22ND JUNE

REGENT HALL, 275 OXFORD STREET, LONDON, W1C 2DJ

click here for more info

 VFX Union members and non members alike are invited for an opportunity to hear about all our work over the past year, to discuss and to give feedback, and to have your say on where the VFX branch should focus its efforts next.We're in the middle of a Visual Effects Industry Revolution! Our membership has exploded by over 500% in the last year and we need you to keep pushing this amazing momentum forward. If you're not a member, come along and find out what the visual effects union is all about! If you're already a member, bring a friend or two!We'll be talking about all the work that the VFX Branch has done over the past year, and what the coming year might hold. There'll be an opportunity for questions and feedback from the floor. This will be followed by a talk about the EU Referendum and the likely effects on the vfx industry in the case of a “leave” vote.Non members can join the union on the night and there will be a special members only voting session at the end of the event to elect branch officers and decide our priorities for 2016-17. Sign up to attend here:VFX Union Mass Meeting

Visual Effects News and Stories from Around the Web

Pressure on VFX firms to locate in tax havens

Ant-Man Visual effects firms are under continuing pressure from production companies and studios to locate in parts of the world that offer the best tax ...

Oscars 2017: Which movies are contenders so far?

The consensus: "It is a lock for visual effects," AwardsCircuit's Davis says. "However, with science-fiction films coming out this year like Story of Your ...

Afternoon Delight: 'Every Best Visual Effects Winner. Ever.'

There aren't any hot trending videos that are doing it for me at the moment, so I'll pull out this one that I came across not long ago. If you're a real film ...

China's First CGI Film: LORD It Looks Bad

In response to the barrage of online criticism, a visual effects technician from Original Force, the biggest animation production company in Asia — and ...

SIGGRAPH 2016 Production Sessions To Host "Making Of" Hit Motion Pictures, Games, VR Films ...

Juried and curated content includes outstanding achievements in time-based art, scientific visualization, visual effects, games, real-time graphics, ...

VFX News

Visual Effects News and Stories from Around the Web

Pressure on VFX firms to locate in tax havens

Visual effects firms are under continuing pressure from production companies and studios to locate in parts of the world that offer the best tax credits, according to a panel discussion at last week’s Media Production Show in London.

The Worst Movie Effects Ever Compilation

Cringeworthy fun video! Apologies in advance if some of your work appears on it!

Here's What Cast and Crew Really Earn on a $200 Million Blockbuster Budget

In the video below, Vanity Fair estimates the breakdown of a $200 million blockbuster. Unsurprisingly, above-the-line talent scores the biggest paycheck; Lead Actors 1, 2, and 3 comprise 9% of the film's entire budget. But the director, producers, editor, DP, and lead writers don't fare too badly, either, each earning $1 million or above.

Movie Review: 'Warcraft' Will Transport You With Masterful Visual Effects

'Warcraft' Movie Review by, Pamela Price - LATF USA From 'Resident Evil' to 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,' video game franchises have seen their fair ...

Here's how the new 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' movie looks without visual effects

Visual effects were used to bring the turtles to life. Paramount Pictures released a featurette Tuesday afternoon showing off exactly how the quad looks ...

Will CGI Overkill Doom 'Warcraft' at the Box Office?

But the meticulousness of the CGI—Jones created 2,000 visual effects shots and the audience gets to view the orcs' facial countenances in full ...

Stanley Kubrick's Special Effects Guy Helped Make This Indie Sci-Fi Thriller Possible

How would you describe your approach to the visual effects? I wanted to have a tactile and a visceral experience of space. I didn't want to use ...

Core California FX Companies Find Success Despite Exodus of Many Rivals

It's hard to think of visual effects without thinking of California. The rise of the modern VFX industry owes a huge debt to the talents of Golden State ...

The Women Who are Changing Animation, One of Hollywood's Most Sexist Industries 

Despite growing numbers of women studying and working in animation, creative leadership is still a man's world. Women In Animation is going to change that.

Storyboard Artist Accuses ‘Chipmunks’ Maker Bagdasarian Productions Of Unethical Behavior

Johnson said that she’d brought the issue to the attention of the Animation Guild Local 839, but because Bagdasarian Productions is not a signatory facility, the union is powerless to pursue the issue.

Blackmagic Design Announces Fusion 8.1 Update

Fusion Connect for Avid lets editors work on their own visual effects and motion graphics or, when they're on shared storage, they can collaborate with ...

This awesome visual effects breakdown shows all the crazy details that went into making 'Deadpool'

While the visual effects might not look as flashy as those in, say, “Captain America: Civil War,” it took a lot of work to bring “Deadpool” to life. Rodeo FX ...

Preparing Children With Autism For Careers in The Visual Effects & Animation Industries

Since the studio opened less than two years ago, it has completed animation or visual effects and end title projects for more than 50 productions, ...

Rising Sun Pictures Extends its Mastery Over Time in "X-Men: Apocalypse"

The visual effects studio contributed to several key sequences in the film, most notably an electrifying scene where Quicksilver (Evan Peters) uses his ...

Come along to our weekly Thursday VFX Lunchmeet

Every Thursday from 1-2pm at the Jurassic Church (St. Anne's Churchyard, Wardour Street - nr. Shatesbury Avenue) Grab a sandwich or some sushi, sit on the grass, soak up a little sunshine and chat about what's happening in the world of London VFX - look for the green flag!

1:00-2:00pm every Thursday

The Jurassic Church

(St. Anne's churchyard, Wardour Street - near Shaftesbury Avenue)

VFX News

Visual Effects News and Stories from Around the Web

Women, are you Game to Work as Animators ?

It is not just engineering that gives you a job, there are opportunities in visual effectsfor films and advertisements, 3D animation for 3D films and video ...

Here's how visual effects artists turn Jennifer Lawrence into Mystique in the 'X-Men' movies

The character's creation involves a lot of work from the visual effects team. In 2014, Digital Domain, one of the visual effects companies that worked on ...

Film Review: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'

... visual effects supervisor, Pablo Helman; visual effects producers, Crystal Dowd, Susan Greenhow; visual effects, Industrial Light & Magic, Ghost VFX ...

Creative Arts Emmy Visual Effects Contenders Wow Viewers with Mind-Bending Images

As the golden age of television continues, so does an era of spectacular visualeffects for the small screen aimed at creating a theatrical-level ...

The art of visual effects

Sloan is in town to participate in a couple of Q&A sessions as part of EffectsMTL 2016, the largest visual effects and animation conference on the East ...

Florida to get $5M back from $20M investment in failed visual effects studio

After sinking $20 million in to failed visual effects film studio Digital Domain, Florida will only get back a small portion of their investment.

Top 50 Films That Catapulted Visual Effects Into A New Era

Do visual effects in films today all look the same to you? Is there one movie in recent memory that stands out and says, “That was a visual masterpiece.

'Taking Earth': A Sci-fi film with stunning visual effects delivered on a limited budget

In an exclusive interview with International Business Times, Australia Director Grant Humphreys talked about the visual effects and other aspects of the ...

Come along to our weekly Thursday VFX Lunchmeet

Every Thursday from 1-2pm at the Jurassic Church (St. Anne's Churchyard, Wardour Street - nr. Shatesbury Avenue) Grab a sandwich or some sushi, sit on the grass, soak up a little sunshine and chat about what's happening in the world of London VFX - look for the green flag!

1:00-2:00pm every Thursday

The Jurassic Church

(St. Anne's, Wardour Street - nr. Shaftesbury Avenue)

VFX News

Visual Effects News and Stories from Around the Web

16 Directors Redefining the 21st Century Blockbuster

Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Joe and Anthony Russo, JJ Abrams, Jennifer Lee. Jon Favreau, Zack Snyder, David Yates, Matt Reeves, James Gunn, Gareth Edwards, Colin Trevorrow, Patty Jenkins, Joss Whedon, Matthew Vaughn

FXGuide fxpodcast #303: UK Union update

We discuss the latest info about UK visual effects artists who are seeking union representation. Joe Pavlo (artist) and Paul Evans (BECTU) are our guests. Unpaid overtime, fear, social media, how to organize, collusion, opting out of overtime... just a few of the things Joe and Paul discuss with our Jeff Heusser

Ray Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts

With 1963 primitive graphics technology, How was this skeleton animations fights achieved?

First Look At Spiderman Concept Art From Captain America: Civil War 

Check out a batch of concept art for Spider-Man from the Captain America: Civil War Art of the Movie book, which is now available.

Eye candy trumps plot in ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’

A trippy showcase for the latest visual effects wizardry, “Alice Through the Looking Glass” takes us on another adventure that is long on twee but short on story.

Judge Certifies Class in Animators' Anti-Poaching Scheme Lawsuit

VFX workers claim Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and others conspired to keep wages low by promising not to poach one another's employees.

'X-Men: Apocalypse': Solid premise can't uphold the franchise's ponderous weight

http://www.examiner.com/review/x-men-apocalypse-solid-premise-can-t-uphold-the-franchise-s-ponderous-weight

‘Warcraft’ Featurette Highlights The Technology Called 'Haircraft'

A featurette was released to showcase how much time and effort went into the making of this film specifically on the visual effects.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’ Clip Features Absolutely Zero Turtles

Humans: the unsung heroes of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.

Here's how the big battle from last night’s 'Game of Thrones' looks without visual effects

HBO released a visual effects breakdown of the big cave battle beyond the wall as part of its "Anatomy of a Scene" series. The seven-minute video reveals how the climactic battle, and its haunting final moment with Hodor, came to life. 

Come along to our weekly Thursday VFX Lunchmeet

Every Thursday from 1-2pm at the Jurassic Church (St. Anne's, Wardour Street - nr. Shatesbury Avenue) Grab a sandwich or some sushi, sit on the grass, soak up a little sunshine and chat about what's happening in the world of London VFX - look for the green flag!

1:00-2:00pm every Thursday

The Jurassic Church

(St. Anne's, Wardour Street - nr. Shaftesbury Avenue)

UK VFX Union featured on fxguide podcast!

Paul Evans, the BECTU national official for the vfx branch and Joe Pavlo, the vfx branch chair had a chat with Jeff Heuser from the fxguide podcast to talk about their work in the UK to establish a Visual Effects Union. A lot of ground was covered from the explosive growth of the vfx union in the UK over the last year, to some of the issues facing people working in the visual effects industry and a look ahead at the future of the union in the visual effects industry.listen to the episode here:

fxpodcast #303: UK Union update

We discuss the latest info about UK visual effects artists who are seeking union representation. Joe Pavlo (artist) and Paul Evans (BECTU) are our guests. Unpaid overtime, fear, social media, how to organize, collusion, opting out of overtime... just a few of the things Joe and Paul discuss with our Jeff Heusser

also available to download in iTunes

Inspired? Why not come along to the Thursday VFX LunchMeet every week from 1-2pm in the courtyard at St. Anne's Church, Wardour Street (nr. Shaftesbury Avenue) and find our more about the vfx union - or just cut to the chase and join the union right now!

VFX Branch wins award!

At the BECTU National Conference over the weekend, the Visual Effects Branch was honoured with the Roger Bolton Memorial Award. It's basically the unions "branch of the year" award and it was presented to members of the committee at the conference in recognition of our record breaking recruitment over the last year and our recognition campaigns at MPC and Framestore!Come along to our Thursday VFX Lunchmeet today from 1-2pm at Jurassic Church (St. Anne's, Wardour Street - nr. Shatesbury Avenue) so we can give each other high fives and pats on the back! Grab a sandwich or some sushi, sit on the grass, soak up a little sunshine and chat about what's happening in the world of London VFX!

1:00-2:00pm Thursday

The Jurassic Church

(St. Anne's, Wardour Street - nr. Shaftesbury Avenue)

Large BECTU survey points to serious concerns from MPC's visual effects workers

full article on BECTU's website here

Bare necessities missing for VFX workers at MPC

“Moving Picture Company appears to encapsulate everything that is wrong with employment in UK VFX in microcosm” says BECTU, the media and entertainment union.In a large-scale survey of people who have worked at London's Moving Picture Company (MPC), conducted in the week leading up to the UK premiere ofJungle Book, BECTU has found a workforce, both past and present, that has serious concerns about the company's coercive working culture, with widespread complaints from world-class VFX artists about pressures to work excessive unpaid overtime.In late 2015, BECTU started actively recruiting at MPC, which provided VFX services on Jungle Book.  In campaigning for union recognition, members were taken aback by management's hostility to this move; recruitment literature was removed and discussion about the union was banned in staff forums. Thankfully, part of the company's attempts to keep the union out resulted in small improvements to management attitudes towards their staff, but - as BECTU's survey shows - significant concerns remain.In particular, members were conscious of unfair pressure resulting from the company's culture of short-term contracts. MPC has an employee-profile that dramatically contradicts UK Screen's claims that "91% of the UK VFX workforce have a permanent contract."

Short term contracts increase workplace pressures

Instead, MPC appears to have an overwhelming preference for short-term contracts, with a surprising number of individual respondents (in free-text comments) making a direct link between this and the climate of pressure from managers, particularly on unpaid overtime.Significant numbers of staff were prepared to say that:

• MPC is not interested in a fair dialogue with independently-minded employees
• they have little faith in the 'Crew Forum' as a means of resolving problems fairly (current employees were significantly sceptical)
• work-life balance for VFX artists at MPC is often very bad.

There were widespread fears around:

• refusing to work unpaid overtime
• raising legitimate grievances with management
• management finding out about individuals' BECTU membership.

There was a significant number of respondents who complained of "unwelcome pressure" or feeling harassed by colleagues / management, and an even larger number of respondents who said that they knew of colleagues who had experienced such pressure. A very clear majority of the respondents who knew about unwelcome pressure believed that reporting such behaviour would be frowned upon (in many cases because management were the ones behaving badly).Paul Evans, BECTU national official, supporting VFX workers said:"These results are very disturbing and we hope that MPC will agree to work with us on a full independent survey on this subject so that it can be dealt with properly. The VFX sector is now a central part of the UK film industry. It is astonishing that most survey respondents were frightened that MPC would find out that they are members of a trade union, and that there was a widespread fear of raising concerns, reporting unwelcome pressure and asking for a responsive management."MPC appears to encapsulate everything that is wrong with employment in UK VFX in microcosm – particularly the way the business is structured to pressure people into working long hours without being paid for overtime. In a few clear cases, respondents reported direct bullying and intimidation from managers."If the UK VFX industry is to retain the talent that it needs to survive and grow, it needs to be a race to the top, and not to the bottom. We need London to lose its reputation for excessive unpaid overtime, and this forms part of BECTU’s wider campaign to ensure that everyone in the film industry is paid for all of the hours that they work." BECTU is the media and entertainment union for the UKread the full article on BECTU's website here 

This Thursday and every Thursday, union members and other vfx people get together at our weekly lunch meet where we chat about things that are important to people in the vfx industry.

We will be meeting this Thursday April 14th  1:00 – 2:00 pm  @ Kingley Ct, Carnaby St. 

Look for the green flag!

JOIN THE DISCUSSION! Sick Pay: Part 2

How does your sick pay stack-up?

On our previous blog post we talked about sick pay, but do you ever wonder how your sick pay might stack up comparably? How it might stack up to other unionized sick pay?The VFX BECTU Union Branch welcomes any company's decision to give employees entitlement to some sick pay and it’s great to see employees speaking up and having serious dialogue about sick pay with some employers, but in reality offering 0.5 days per completed month, up to a maximum of 5.5 days within the first year of employment is peanuts in comparison to other employers in the media and entertainment industries. The fact that so many employees in VFX are on short-term contracts means that even this paltry offer rarely ever matures into anything that would cover more than a couple of days paid sickness leave. Especially when we as workers can feel guilty about using those days during crunch and having our colleagues pick-up the slack when we’re all a team and under the gun together. Not to mention that it seems more and more these days we are in shorter deadlines and crunchtime with more work to do than ever. Those sick days are of course used or lost and do not accumulate and when you change jobs, you must reenter another qualifying period even if you are returning to a company whom you’ve been employed with before. Although something is better than nothing, not every visual effects company has had this policy. In fact, while not London based, Rhythm and Hues actually offered cumulative employment periods. That mean that returning contract employees didn’t have to re-enter a qualifying period if rehired. Their previous time employed, even with breaks, was counted overall for qualifying for extra holidays, sick days and medical.We are aware that the VFX companies have a joint HR working group that is hosted by UK Screen and establishing something like this as a cross-sector arrangement would be a welcome development for the companies to offer fairly standard sickness terms to their owns staff and could help freelancers carry days with them to new companies. We also think that a cross sector arrangement might be beneficial helping visual effects companies come up to par with similar employers in the media and entertainment industries.BECTU has seen comparative surveys of London-based media companies holiday offerings and the BBC turns out to have the lowest sick-pay provision - and even they pay up to four weeks sick pay for each illness, and up to 13 weeks for all absences to all staff who have worked less than two years in the company (the entitlement doubles after two years). There is no qualifying period on this.If anything, because so many staff are on short-term contracts, we would expect an employer like this to offer much more generous terms. In the West End Theatres, while there are qualifying periods for earning more than Statutory Sick Pay, the industry has recognised that short-term contracts are a problem and the employers who are members of the Society of West End Theatres often use 'continuous employment in The West End' rather than continuous employment with individual employers as the qualifying measure for terms and conditions that vary based on length of service. This makes sense to us on at the VFX BECTU Branch, after all, many times it’s not the employees or the company’s fault when there are gaps in projects. We fully understand that things get pushed, deadlines change, and sequences get cut on the editing room floor. However, we must admit that this is felt most by those who have contributed so much to the success of countless Hollywood Blockbuster that make millions who inturn then must deal with uncertainty and gaps in employment. While the gaps may be unavoidable, surely starting over and over at the same companies and reentering qualifying periods is something we can change.  As shown above this would be completely achievable and is already done by the West End Theatres and indeed was even implemented by another visual effects company. This small change could make a world of difference for visual effects employees. It could even be broadened into a shared pension scheme, so workers don’t have to continuously roll individual pensions from one company to the next as they switch jobs and instead work through a “continuous employment in London Visual Effects” as the qualifying measure for terms and conditions that vary based on the length of service.

This Thursday and every Thursday, union members and other vfx people get together at our weekly lunch meet where we chat about things that are important to people in the vfx industry.

We will be meeting this Thursday March 24  1:00 – 2:00 pm  @ Kingley Ct, Carnaby St. 

Look for the green flag

MPC Rethinks Its Sickness Policy

Yesterday MPC announced a U-turn to the company's sickness policy which had already been officially updated less than six months ago.With MPC's management perhaps feeling pressure from the the wave of VFX unionisation sweeping the industry, freelancers on 1 year or less contracts are now entitled to up to 5.5 days of sick pay per year. This is a huge improvement as up until now employees had 0.0 days of sick pay during their first year of employment.This simply would not have happened if artists in the MPC comp department had not previously joined BECTU in big numbers and asked the Union to formally put forward a recognition bid on their behalf.It's only by joining the Union and following a legal and democratic path established by the government that companies such as MPC will ever listen to its workforce.MPC keeps being openly hostile to the idea of a Union, depicting it as a "third party" who wants to dictate policies, while not realising that the Union is nothing but their own employees, who are unhappy about how they are being treated and who are asking for change.BECTU will keep pushing for recognition at all London VFX facilities in the months and years to come, and you can be sure to see more results like this happening.We hope you will join us. No more fear!

JOIN THE DISCUSSION! This week’s topic: Union Recognition Under Short Term Contracts

Union Recognition in an Industry with Precarious Short Term Contracts

One of the biggest obstacles to achieving union recognition for many workers in the film business is the rolling project based contract. As the majority of the main workforce for visual effects are not a full time employees, but on project based freelance contracts, it is normal to see VFX house grow and shrink with demand based needs. This usually means that Visual Effects personal change jobs far more frequently than other industries and thus union workers numbers shift between different visual effects companies. While initially it may seem more challenging to achieve union recognition with workers constantly being released and rehired; ultimately being in a union would actually be far more helpful in this situation than you might think. With union negotiations it would be more likely that contracts would be more consistent. For instance sick pay might be regulated for all union contracts no matter where the union employee works. That means company A can’t you make you wait a year to qualify for sick pay, while company B allows for sick pay after 3 months. The union could also negotiate for consecutive benefits, which means if company A doesn’t have work for 3 months and an employee goes to company B during the down time and then returns to company A as a rehire, that employee shouldn’t have to start from scratch to elect benefits and undergo another 3 month probationary period. So how would the union achieve this? Well obviously the end goal would be similar to other Hollywood Unions and have the majority of the work force unionised, so it wouldn’t matter where an employee works, their union contracts and benefits could go with them.  The most important thing is to stay in the union even if you change jobs. Even for non union shops, the union is beneficial to it’s members right away (see last week’s blog post). At union shops, even nonmembers receive better working conditions and pay than non union shops. Secondly is to open the discussion with other industry professionals about what improvements they’d like to see and how they could have a voice.  At the end of the day it’s the membership that will decide what progress is most beneficial and would lead them to have more fulfilling job satisfaction and working conditions. Thirdly is to be aware that BECTU has a good sized membership already that work at nearly every company in London. At the major studios and a lot of the smaller ones, members are not alone in their membership and it just might surprise you how many other members there are.  That said, this exactly why BECTU has to approach recognition at the right time to achieve the best results on their bids. Even if BECTU has the numbers, there has been precedent from other bids where-in companies unethically release enough workers through ending contracts in bid squashing attempts. As the majority of us are on short-term contracts this is something we must look out for and draw attention to when companies take this bullying tactic. Remember, we stand together. BECTU wants to make sure we achieve the best results for everyone, including working symbiotically with the VFX companies.Are you worried about union recognition on short term contracts? Want to have your say? Please come to our weekly lunch meet-up where we will be discussing this topic this week. Also please take our new poll below! We want to hear from you.

We will be meeting this Thursday March 3  1:00 – 2:00 pm  @ Kingley Ct, Carnaby St. 

Look for the green flag

JOIN THE DISCUSSION! This week’s topic: BAFTA WINNERS AND NOMINEES!

CONGRATULATIONS BAFTA WINNERS AND NOMINEES!

This past Sunday was the 69th British Academy Film Awards.The union members at BECTU would like to congratulate this year’s winners and runner ups. It was a brilliant year for British Visual Effects where many of our colleagues have had the pleasure to work on the nominated films.Special Congratulations to Industrial Light and Magic, who was the winner of this year’s “Best Special Visual Effects” with STAR WARS: The Force Awakens.The Force Awakens had 2,100 visual effects shots created with more  than 1,000 artists around the world. It has grossed over $2 Billion worldwide and now is the third highest grossing film of all time (adjusted for inflation.)This week we would like you to join us to have a chat about the latest BAFTA nominations and winner and what you especially liked from a visual effects standpoint. We also hope to have a fair few of those who contributed to these films to discuss what it was like from an inside perspective.

Come and join the discussion!

We will be meeting this Thursday 17 February  1:00 – 2:00 pm  @ Kingley Ct, Carnaby St. 

Look for the green flag

What Kind of Contract Do You Have?

JOIN THE DISCUSSION!

What if I don't work much VFX overtime?

Not everyone has the same issues or problems while working in visual effects. There has been a lot of discussion on the topic of overtime, but what if you don't work a lot of overtime? What can the union do for you, you might ask. While we have answered this topic on our FAQ page, there are still many things that union can do for you.

• When you join, you get access to lawyers and the experience of BECTU. They can help answer contract questions and generally advise you in all areas of UK working laws and employee rights.
• If you have issues at work, BECTU can come and help represent you with your employer as your advocate.
• You'll also be part of a growing network of UK colleagues who come together to discuss issues and talk about related VFX topics.
• The union could negotiate to ensure our members receive credits on films, as other unions have organized for their members.
• Furthermore there are a lot other benefits that collective bargaining can achieve beyond OT issues including better sick/holiday/flex-time benefits and redundancy packages in case of layoffs or better contractual notice (a topic we have recently posted about.) and lots of other changes that can improve your work conditions and strengthen the industry as a whole.
• There are even some great discounts and offers that you as a member receive, including an Apple Store discount. See BECTU's website for details.

This is still something you can contribute on. Please come to our weekly lunch and discuss with your vfx colleagues what you'd like to see come out of an agreement between workers and visual effects companies. You are the union - get involved! Also, please Take our latest poll on contracts!

LOCATION CHANGE:

We will be meeting this Thursday 11 February  1:00 – 2:00 pm  @ Kingley Ct, Carnaby St. 

Look for the green flag

What Kind of Contract Do You Have?

From our FAQ Page:

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/