VFX Town Hall on IATSE

Since the announcement of the Rhythm and Hues bankruptcy filing, the global visual effects community has undergone an upheaval geared toward awareness and change. After the Oscar Day protest, a series of Town Hall meetings have discussed the current state of affairs for vfx artists and vfx shops in the face of pressures from the production entities and the forced use of entertainment tax subsidies.

The latest in these discussions focuses on the unionization of the vfx artist workforce and the benefits of representation through the IATSE. There are three physical locations where those interested can gather: IATSE Local 80 Sound Stage in Burbank, PAL Theater in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and 3210 Studios in San Rafel, California. As has been the standard with these meetings, it will also be available through Google Hangout and a live stream will be on the vfxtownall website.

The speakers in Los Angeles will include representatives from the Editors Guild (Local 700), the Art Directors Guild (Local 800), as well as members and yours truly from the Animation Guild. Vancouver has slated representatives from the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600 and Local 669), Art Directors Guild (Local 800) and Local 891 as well as artists from the community. The Vancouver meeting starts at 7pm, an hour before in order to facilitate a local conversation beforehand.

We encourage all who can, to attend at one of these locations and participate in the discussion. The visual effects industry faces the same pressures and is experiencing the same struggle animation did close to seventy years past. The time to use the leverage inherent in the skills of the artists to set conditions and standards that dictate a sustainable and viable industry is here. This organizer looks forward to sharing that message and hopefully empowering those attending to help make that change.