Well Chris you brought up a good one... I am in Mexico and here the movies industry is just a tiny fraction of what Hollywood is. Not many chances to do VFX Hollywood style. Most of the VFX are done for TV commercials and I can say VFX guys here are as underrated as Hollywood. Most producers, directors and creative guys at agencies think that by simply pushing a button on your keyboard, the job is done. There is belief that VFX is all about software and plugins and not about the artist pulling the strings.
True is that computers and software have made a major breakthrough last years and getting a system to work with is cheaper now than it was 20 years ago. I remember paying $17,000 USD for my first TDZ-300 bundled with Softimage 3D. Thanks for Microsoft and Intergraph to pulling out Softimage from Silicon workstations. If not that same system would cost me around $50,000 USD on an Indigo. Now I have a system much more powerful with Softimage for $7,000. Less than half the price and I can pull out 10 times a job faster than before. But then, what is happening? 20 years ago for a simple flying logo in 3D, 5 seconds duration, the few studios that can afford to have one of those machines can charge the client around $12,000 USD. Besides the workstation you will need a frame buffer and a VTR controller card to record each frame to a Betacam SP or some other frame accurate recording VTR after a single frame was rendered. And you will not see the final result of the animation until it was finished and playback your tape. Now you deliver on Quicktime in a multifunction workstation where you can edit, animate, compose, color grade, etc and deliver. And that is the perception IMHO of the clients. Not to mention that now a single guy with a cheap computer and cracked software starts a "studio" and with that he starts pulling down his pants to get his first contract. So what is the response of small size to mid studios? Lower the price to stay alive. Not to mention the cash flow. Where before if you don't have an advance in you pocket you will not move a single finger, now the clients sit on the money for 3 to 6 months after you deliver. 15 years ago, here in Mexico we tried to join forces. And I remember our very first meeting. We were six animation and VFX studios sitting on the table. And we started talking about this days. We talked about having same fares, contract and payment policies, etc. And then one guy said: "If to win the contract I need to lower my fares, I will do it" That guy studio's is gone now. And instead of six studios, this days each day a new one pops out. Just yesterday a client asked me if I know whatever studio and I said no. Digging a bit more it was a couple of kids in the cellar of their house with two computers doing animation, charging 35% to 50% less than us. So what's left? Perhaps those kids are good, perhpas they suck, I don't know. But what I know is that they are doing "business" while we, with a well stablished facility are not. People to put money on advertising or movies are now looking for lower production and post production fares. So they can make more money. While we each day charge less for our job in order to stay in "business", the movie tickets and consumer products are not lowering their prices. Each day you need to give more to recieve less. Acknowledge of our job? That sounds nice but that doesn't bring food on the table. You don't need to have an engineer title or PHD to do VFX. And clients don't care if you have one. All they want is something that looks like a Ferrari, runs as fast as a Ferrari, sounds like a Ferrari but at the price of a Beetle. And there are guys outhere trying to breakthrough that are giving this Ferrari-Beetle to the clients. 2013/2/26 Chris Covelli <kylevar...@gmail.com> > Here's a point I raised on my facebook profile amid posting and re-posting > things to generate awareness that I think is worth thinking about: > > "So apparently, among others at the Oscars last night, Nicole Kidman was > seen mouthing the words 'poor things' as the VFX crew for Life of Pi were > shuffled off stage for taking too long with their acceptance speech ( or > because they were trying to let everyone know about the protest going on > outside ). Id be willing to bet our efforts to protest, boycott and raise > awareness about our crippled industry would find a lot of support among > Hollywood actors. They are artists too and a lot of them understand what > could have happened to them if it weren't for the many guilds and unions > protecting them. I say the ring leaders in this movement try to contact the > biggest names they can, especially those movie stars that already have a > predilection towards activism. Could generate a lot of momentum." > > Also, its great that we are raising awareness and everything by posting to > social media, but are there things we can actually do to change the way the > system works? Some say we can make petitions, but who would we be > petitioning to and what wold we be asking for? Obviously we want fair pay, > benefits and job security but those phrases are not specific enough to put > into a plan of action. We hear talk about subsidies but does anyone here > understand the inner workings of the business end to really specifically > state what needs to be changed? Im asking because I really dont. I know > that many governments offer Hollywood studios subsidies ( read cash back? ) > to hire vfx shops in their countries. I dont think the US political > climate and economy will allow our government to offer competing subsidies, > but the US could discourage Hollywood from accepting offers like this with > tax penalties for outsourcing, but dont we do this already? Is it enough? > Does anyone know the actual numbers? > > I'd also like to hear what people from outside the US think. I know this > is an multinational forum. Do you guys really feel like you are reaping > the benefits of our loses or are you guys also feeling underemployed and > unappreciated? As much as we in the US can gain ground for ourselves, Im > sure we dont want that to kill the growing industries in your countries at > the same time. There should be enough to go around for everyone. > > > > > > > > Chris Covelli > http://www.polygonpusherinc.com/ > > > On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 9:17 AM, Chris Covelli <kylevar...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> Resistanzia!!!!! >> >> >> Chris Covelli >> http://www.polygonpusherinc.com/ >> >> >> On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 4:01 AM, Rob Chapman <tekano....@gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> Drunk hulk smash! :) >>> >>> >>> On 26 February 2013 04:22, Raffaele Fragapane < >>> raffsxsil...@googlemail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I hear that reasoning a lot. >>>> On one end, it's agreeable. Sure, if your passion is CG, go ahead, find >>>> new venues. >>>> Some of us, however, do this because we're into creature work of a >>>> certain profile, or film in general, or both. For that demographic, looking >>>> at venues such as mobile app graphics, or slot machine graphics, or >>>> med-viz, or what else have you, is simply not an option. >>>> The next gen of consoles might open up one more venue, but insofar the >>>> gaming industry hasn't exactly turned out to be a safe haven either. >>>> >>>> I'm not dismissing the argument, it's a sensible one to make and some >>>> should consider it, but it's narrowly applied short sight in a way to think >>>> everybody is in it to push buttons in Maya or Soft, and is willing to >>>> transfer their skills, if they even were in first place. >>>> >>>> Personally I'm in it to blow shit up and make stuff like dragons, hot >>>> chicks dual wielding katanas, zombies with arse-mounted machine guns and >>>> the such. Applying my software development skills to a successful 100000 >>>> downloads 0.99$ calendar app, even if I tick all the boxes required to make >>>> one, isn't my idea of a job I'd like :) >>>> >>>> >>>> On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 2:00 PM, Meng-Yang Lu <ntmon...@gmail.com>wrote: >>>> >>>>> You have to look at it a different way. There's actually a ton of >>>>> applications we can use CG for. It's just that we like to kiss >>>>> Hollywood's >>>>> glittery ass that gets us in trouble. There's a lot of avenues we can all >>>>> pursue. Just like iPhone and iPads opened up new doors for us to leverage >>>>> our talents, so will things like 3D printing in the future. The reality >>>>> is >>>>> that we have a lot of options if we are willing to set aside our egos and >>>>> pursue other meaningful work that provides value. It may not be >>>>> as glamorous as film, but film work is no longer glamorous either with >>>>> layoffs, bankruptcy, and abuse. Consider we clearly don't get any >>>>> recognition as artists, why do we still beg for a seat at a table that >>>>> unwelcomes us, but gladly fleece us of our talents? >>>>> >>>>> We have to start asking what we value as a workforce, starting with >>>>> ourselves. A new model needs to be built out of the ashes that is the >>>>> current VFX industry. Kids on youtube doing vlogs make more money than >>>>> some fulltime vfx artists. Don't watch the Oscars if it makes your blood >>>>> boil. You pop an artery and that's a lot of problems you have to deal >>>>> with. And no, RDJ will not rescue you in his Iron Man suit because >>>>> without >>>>> us, he doesn't even exist. >>>>> >>>>> -Lu >>>>> >>>>> >>> >> > --
