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In a landmark move that could reshape the landscape of the visual effects (VFX) industry, the VFX crew at Walt Disney Studios has recently announced their historic plans to unionize. This decision, made by the courageous visual effects workers, has the potential to bring about significant changes to the way entertainment workers in this field are treated in the United States.
Credit: Walt Disney Studios
Hollywood’s Summer of Change Continues With VFX Announcement
Unionization has long been a contentious issue in Hollywood, with different guilds and unions representing various interests in the entertainment industry. The Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild are just a few examples of the unions that have fought for the rights of workers in the motion picture and television production industry. Right now, these two unions are on strike to fight for better treatment for their writers and actors.
As these strikes continue one, another job force, VFX, looks to start a union of their own.
Earlier this month, the visual effects crews over at Walt Disney Studios made history with the announcement that they were looking to unionize. On August 21, voting began at Marvel Studios, and the results of that will be revealed on September 12. Over at Walt Disney Studios, over 80% of in-house VFX employees expressed their want to unionize.
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Credit: Marvel Studios
IATSE VFX organizer, Mark Patch, says;
“Today, courageous Visual Effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures overcame the fear and silence that have kept our community from having a voice on the job for decades. With an overwhelming supermajority of these crews demanding an end to ‘the way VFX has always been,’ this is a clear sign that our campaign is not about one studio or corporation. It’s about VFX workers across the industry using the tools at our disposal to uplift ourselves and forge a better path forward.”
A Change for the Industry
Since the art of VHX was created back in the 70’s, these crew members have never been part of a union. Now, all of that could be about to change.
Credit: Disney and Lucasfilm
These highly skilled professionals play a crucial role in bringing fantastical worlds and stunning visual effects to life in movies such as Star Wars and Marvel blockbusters. They often work long hours while frequently being denied the recognition and protections afforded to other workers in the industry. The VFX workers at Walt Disney Studios hope that the shift to being unionized will change this for good and start a ripple effect throughout the entire VFX industry.
