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Marvel VFX Workers Vote To Unionize At Disney, Setting Industry-Changing Precedent-TGN

Summary

  • Marvel VFX workers are voting to unionize due to overwork and unrealistic deadlines, highlighting the need for improved working conditions in the industry.

  • Their unionization could spark a wider movement, with more artists demanding better treatment and pushing back against studio demands.

  • This development reflects the ongoing labor strikes in Hollywood as different groups fight for improved working deals, signaling a need for change in the industry as a whole.

VFX workers who have opened up about their experience in working on Marvel Cinematic Universe productions are voting in favor of unionizing. Over the past year, Marvel Studios has come under much scrutiny for the quality of its VFX in various projects. At the same time, numerous VFX artists have come forward with stories about their problematic MCU experiences where they were overworked and pushed to meet impossible deadlines. This comes as Hollywood is currently going through not one, but two major labor strikes as the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are fighting for better working deals.

Now, Vulture reports that VFX workers who have worked on Marvel Studios productions are looking to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). A group of “more than 50 on-set employees” filed a petition to have IATSE host an election as early as August 21; this would allow the artists to be represented by the labor union with the National Labor Relations Board. Mark Patch, who is the VFX organizer for IATSE, said the following about the “historic first step for VFX workers”:

For almost half a century, workers in the visual-effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their coworkers and crewmates have relied upon since the beginning of the Hollywood film industry. This is a historic first step for VFX workers coming together with a collective voice demanding respect for what we do.

How Marvel VFX Workers Unionizing Would Change The Filmmaking Industry

If the VFX workers unionize, it marks the beginning of yet another wake-up call for Hollywood executives, confirming that the working conditions need to improve drastically for everyone who is working on various TV shows and movies. The stories about how VFX artists have had to work extremely long hours for some recent MCU productions have resulted in the final product shown on screen being received with mixed responses. While the global COVID-19 pandemic was a major factor back in 2020, the problems that are happening now have been because of poor organization behind the scenes, which affects the post-production teams.

Related: Ant-Man: Quantumania’s VFX Issues Are A Bad Sign For MCU Phase 5 & 6

If the Marvel VFX workers are able to get their demands met, it could lead to even more artists unionizing and pushing back against the demands imposed by studios. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have likely played a role in making this historic moment happen, as this becomes an even bigger battle for the future of Hollywood. It shouldn’t be a problem in 2023 for artists who spend hundreds of hours creating these visual worlds to have to deal with unreasonable working environments.

Time will tell after August 21 how the VFX artists unionizing will affect Marvel Studios’ Phases 5 and 6 projects, with many of them not having even started filming yet. Without a doubt, though, this is the direction that Hollywood needs to go in, as the working standards have been problematic for far too long. For now, the world will have to wait and see what becomes of the MCU VFX workers properly unionizing.

Source: Vulture

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