This morning we fielded a lot of questions from ImageMovers employees who wondered:
1) What happens with health insurance?
2) What happens with pensions?
3) What happens with separation in general?
We told folks that A) Health coverage will continue for most employees for six to twelve months after layoff, B) 401(k) contributions are owned by the employees, C) The Individual Account Plan Pension is vested for IM Digital employees who have worked 400 or more hours in a calendar year, and D) the Defined Benefit pension is takes five qualified pension years to vest, but there's a five year window to reach to goal.
We put this information and more into a letter that goes out to IM Digital employees tomorrow.
When conglomerates hand out mass pink slips, it's always crappy. (There's no other way to describe it.)
We're going to do what we can to backstop IMD staffers. More than one told me about Zemeckis's visit to the studio on Friday, how there were tears and emotional talks, and employees were in shock.
There is still a picture to complete, so everyone is going to keep working awhile. (Even though people must be kind of numb.)
Our condolences to all the employees at IM Digital. They deserved better.
Add On: This article from last week's NY Times describes the situation succinctly:
Disney Cost-Cutting Fells Zemeckis Company ...
The Mouse is in major retrenchment mode. Divisions that don't produce healthy cash flows get whacked.
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18 comments:
And Zemeckis deserves worse. He's worked so hard to destroy animation since he dipped his big toe in with Roger Rabbit. Some nice animation in that, but a bad movie. And his motion capture debacles are a travesty--and I"m not anti-motion capture. Just anti BAD motion capture, which his "films" most certainly were. Where's WETA when you need them?
I feel bad for the employees, who are obviously professional. I mean, how else could all that incredible talent stand to put so much of Zemeckis' and Chaing's bad taste up on the screen and not complain too loudly about it?
Roger Rabbit was a good movie. A milestone, and maybe the best he was ever to do in the movie making biz. I dont care much for the direction his contribution has gone since, but he started out with a bang. And that may be giving him more credit than deserved....there was Spielberg and the creative input of Disney and WB talent and not to mention Richard Williams.
That's complete b.s. Hell, even CONTACT was better. Roger Rabbit is a muddled mess of a script, and poorly directed. The animation is servicable, but certainly not very great. Like a bunch of mushy water balloons. Let's hope they let Eric Goldberg direct the animation should there be a sequel (and get a better director than Zemeckis).
Zemeckis is a visionary director and filmaker and has found worldwide audiences for many years . His recent mo-cap pictures are unfortunately just way too pricey and the performances too sterilized by his capture and cleanup process to have life and be able to compete in the marketplace. I was surprised Disney signed him to such a contract as the price tag to make Polar Express and Beowulf were very high and the BO returns were not what they needed to be.
Anonymous #1. Had you ever worked for Zemeckis you would have a different opinion. Feel free to enjoys Cameron's mocap while he publicly disrespects animators.
Yes, I've worked for Zemeckis. For a number of years. He doesn't understand animation.
And I praise WETA highly for their Mo-Cap, and am glad you agree with me about Cameron's disrespect of animators.
The majority of Avatar's mocap was done in Los Angeles with Giant. Weta shot a few live-action + mocap "simulcam" scenes.
zemeckis creepy mocap has never been good. the best shot at it was a funny script with monster house and creepy doll people but never really appealing.
Anonymous 9:34
I'm surprised someone of your insight and character would work for him. why didn't you just leave and go find a director who's worthy of your time?
I know why.
You needed the job. Maybe the benefits. Which actually was the topic. I would ask what you think about union benefits, but I imagine you'll just complain ineffectually.
Make him like Roger Rabbit. Roger Rabbit was a good movie. How could somebody NOT like Roger Rabbit????
Since they're still making Mars Needs Moms & at least claiming to move forward with Yellow Submarine, it doesn't seem as much of a rejection of zemeckis or his films, as of a fixed studio in Novato
If the mocap was done at Giant - which saves ageing old Bob a long commute - then Disney can just as easily get the movie done anywhere (including weta or France or Vancouver with the tax credits) for considerably less risk and let someone else bleed on the fixed costs and overcapacity.
That's what I picked up from their statement anyway.
Roger Rabbit is not a good movie. It's not dated well, and wasn't very good to begin with. I watched it again recently and couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was about. The animation is all over the map, mostly bad, but there is some great stuff in there, too. No one judges a film based only on the quality of the animation.
You have to pay attention in order to know what a movie is about. Even if you've watched it a hundred times and still dont get it. It's about the impending doom of Toontown in the clutches of Judge Doom. Until he gets dipped, and then is found out that he himself was a toon. Its a take on hypocrasy, kinda like what happens in politics and religion, separately and hand in hand of course. Now. Go watch the wabbit. The wabbit kicked the bucket......the bucket..... the bucket kicked the wabbit....the wabbit....
Wow. Then Zemeckis truly IS a bad director. That should be made clear in the film. It is not.
You'd like to think so. They'll throw a monkey wrench in the works at the most opportune moment. You bet, the insurance industry, the pharmecutical industry and helathcare industry shall undermine the effort any way the can. If not tie it up in the courts. Still, when all is said and done, Roger Rabbit is still a good movie. I wouldn't change a cel.
Agreed.
I'd start from scratch with the roger rabbit script, hire a competent director, and get Eric Goldberg to supervise the animation.
I agree. Roger Rabbit is a confused film. I understand why most people (especially animators) are more intrigued by it than actually "like" it. The animation looks like bad Disney vhs covers from the ealry '80's, and moves very weirdly, with little weight or personality. Hoskins is the best thing in the film. Too bad they didn't give him much to do. And no one is ever allowed to CARE about anything or anyone in the film. Zemeckis at his most wonked.
You should have HEARD Jeffery Kaztenburg railing about h is hatred for the film after the previews. I've got a very degraded audiotape of that stored away. It's hilarious!
wow, i can't believe I'm reading troll posts on the union blog. Antagonistic troll posts that show incredible disrespect for the 450 people, some with families who just found out that their 10 year contract is cut short, and are trying to understand how to protect themselves and move forward. IMD was an excellent place to work. Great people, benefits, location, and Doug was right there in the trenches with us, at our desks for drive bys, and in dailies. We as employees and artists were treated with respect by Bob and felt included in the process. Please pause before you gleefully dance on our misfortune, and use it as a platform to spew your opinion.
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