Boutique VFXs

As visual effects have become more cost effective ... and dressing sets increasingly expensive ... the solution has been to use computer magic to make even modestly budgeted shows look more "big budget." For example:



The Man in the High Castle, produced in Canada, is a Streaming Video on Demand (i.e. "New Media") production that's underwritten by Amazon. So dollars are limited.

The same goes for a lot of broadcast and cable shows. They all need to be done for a cost, but they can't look chintzy. A lot of the work is done in the provinces to the north because of the Free Money sloshing around, but a chunk of this lower-budget VFX work has rolled back to Southern California. (It's not lost on producers that California ALSO has a tax subsidy for visual effects).

The result: more jobs at more small facilities, specializing in television and lower budgeted feature work.