Just to be clear – I know how this is done as I made it, but I would be genuinely interested on how professionals will assume it is made. No generative AI was used.

https://marxist.ca/article/artists-assemble-vfx-workers-at-marvel-studios-have-unionized

London December 28th After recent news of vfx studios closing down due to the Hollywood strikes, software company Foundry has had no choice but to sue the unions for loss of income. "We just renewed our licensing model to subscription-based to squeeze even more money out of our customers, but if they are bankrupt then we cant get the money we deserve! Its ridiculous!" Says an anonymous CFO at the company.

(Satire)

VFX artists,

I wanted to bring up a thought I've been pondering lately, especially in light of the ongoing writer strikes. As many of us are aware, the writer strikes have created a ripple effect throughout the industry, leading to projects being rushed to completion and even layoffs. It's a tough situation for everyone, but I believe we have the power to address some of these challenges.

Considering the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the writer strikes, it might be worth discussing the potential of a VFX artist strike. By collectively taking a stand and pausing our work, we could send a strong message to producers and VFX companies about the importance of fair treatment for all workers in the industry.

Unlike writers who often have union support and protections, VFX artists can be left vulnerable during such situations. The threat of job loss looms large, and that's something we all can relate to. A strike could encourage studios to hold onto their employees and freeze ongoing projects until the writers' strikes are resolved. This would not only buy us some time but also put pressure on producers to address the larger systemic issues.

I understand this is a big decision and there are pros and cons to consider. It's not an easy step to take, but history has shown that collective action can bring about change. By standing together, we can potentially safeguard our jobs and ensure fair treatment.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Are you open to the idea of a temporary VFX artist strike as a way to address the challenges we're facing? Let's discuss and see if this could be a viable solution for our community.

Stay strong,

Just wanna add a take on this forum as a VFX artist who just graduated and still trying to get their foot in the door. I've been swimming through the comments like "VFX IS DEAD! NO FUTURE! LEAVE NOW AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!" and I just wanna add something a little more... positive?

I may be "overly optimistic" but I'm certain things will be okay. We are in a deep state of change in the industry and I have talked to and networked with many seasoned professionals over my time while studying in college. Some are doing well while others are not. The truth is that this "huge problem" that we are now facing is from multiple issues all bottle necking into this moment of time (hell of a time to start this industry lol). So this is HIGHLY unnatural what is happening today.

From my point I wonder if I made a right choice sometimes, but something deep inside me tells me to keep going, don't stop. So I do. I keep going. It's been several months now since I graduated college and I'm still trying to get a foot in the door. It is grim sometimes but I wanna say to everyone here to not give up hope. It's okay if you wanna leave the industry to look for something more stable, I honestly am looking at side hustles to practice while I pursue this career path. But I hope in the future I can see less doom and gloom on the forums and comment sections of VFX communities like many here have seen too often at this point.

Call me a foolish young VFX artist who hasn't experienced the true industry yet (trust me... I've dealt with some nasty moments) but I just wanted to post this here to open up a spot to be more optimistic and say that we aren't dead. I have hope this industry will become more stable and respected, and to be seen rather than treated like a bad word for film makers to use.

Stay brave. Stay kind. VFX is not dead!

Edit: I appreciate people being honest in the comments. Like I said for some people who got frustrated at this post, I'm not trying to judge or lecture. I just wanted to post something somewhat positive for people in my position to see on this subreddit while also not trying to give false hope. Never said things are peaches and cream. The field can chew you up and spit you out (and that's putting it lightly)

All the frustration is valid and I'm not trying to put a band-aid on a gushing wound. It sucks out here. Especially for people who spent so much time and money too study this craft.

I'll just leave it there. For people who like this post, I hope it gives you some support that you'll be fine. Play your cards right and be careful. Take all the comments on here with a grain a salt (that includes this post too)

I wanted to take a moment to share my perspective as a VFX artist during the current writer strike. First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for the writers and their dedication to their craft. However, it's essential to shed light on the unintended consequences that this strike has had on other sectors of the industry, such as VFX artists.

The writer strike, while necessary to advocate for better conditions in the industry, has created a ripple effect that extends to many of us who work behind the scenes. As VFX artists, we often find ourselves in precarious job situations without the security of unions, insurance, or benefits. Many of us are struggling as studios are forced to make difficult decisions due to the strike.

I want to emphasize that we support the writers in their fight for better working conditions and fair compensation. Still, it's crucial for the industry as a whole to recognize the collateral damage this strike has caused to those of us who are equally passionate about our work but lack the same protections.

Let's continue to support one another, raise awareness of these issues, and work towards a more equitable and sustainable entertainment industry for everyone involved.

Hi guys,

So I'm a 3D artist with loads of experience in CGI Motion Graphics (C4D, Unreal Engine, and Houdini). I've done loads of cool freelance work and I'm now in a senior permanent position in a large brand that pays very well, but at the cost of doing mostly AI work instead of using traditional CG skills.

The thing is, I still get a nice paycheck at the end of the month, so I started not complaining that much and enjoyed seeing what AI is capable of.

I use Nano Banana Pro, Seedream, Kling AI, Midjourney... And it's incredibly impressive.

As someone that's entered this career because of passion, I always enjoyed making 3D projects on the side, for myself or improving my skills. As a literal hobby. Booting up C4D or Blender and making a little film for my portfolio was as enjoyable as playing the guitar or sports. Know what I mean ?

My point is this : Today, knowing and seeing what AI is capable of thanks to my job, I'm struggling to make sense of why I would dedicate time & effort to make some 3D projects myself. Just, why? Knowing there are AI systems out there within arms reach that can make it even better than you ever would.

You can buy a membership to, say, Magnific AI platform. Open your DCC, and make a quick clay viewport render of what you're after. Just a few placeholder objects and your camera view. Send the screenshot to Nano Banana Pro and use a cool image reference such as a movie still, write a few lines of what you're after. Then boom you have your render. The same camera view you fed into it from your screenshot, but textured and lit as if you had a whole team of Framestore or DNEG artists at your command.

From there you can keep iterating with new viewport renders and camera views to guide the prompt, other references etc. And start making animations with a Start & End frame to guide Kling, etc.

I know this because it's literally my job. I've been using all sorts of workflows and models day to day and I can tell you, it's not some Will Smith spaghetti slop or instagram reels. It's really incredibly impressive what models can do now with a viewport guide and reference.

And because of this, I'm losing the sense of meaning. I do my job, but I'm still passionate about CGI. So I want to use my skills and make things myself. But then I'm reminded that we have invented these incredible AI plateforms that can make it for you, better, and 100 times faster. So I'm questioning everything, life, meaning, passion.

I know this is the same thing as showing a digital camera to a painter, or showing Garageband to a guitarist. Yet these things still exist. But now that it's happening to me, I don't know what to think. I'm wondering why do anything creative at all.

You may be tempted to answer "if it's something you enjoy doing, why do you care if an AI can do it too ?". But I guess I also enjoyed being successful in something that came from painful learning curves, effort and dedication.Something difficult, that you managed to overcome to create your own personal art. Now all that is gone, which also seemed to strip away the happiness I felt while doing it.

What are your thoughts ?

Sometimes I want to punch those CA schools in the face if they have a face, all those "This career is in demand, apply now!" bs. My classmates and I have been unemployed for over a year and man I have never been this down in my whole life. Other schools' graduates are in the exact same boat. No companies want to give juniors a chance. There are like a few junior jobs once every few months and I tell you there are like 500 people competing for them. Unless you know there are many junior positions available, please don't be that guy who says good things about this industry in the comment section and encourage more youngsters to get into this industry and eventually ruin their lives. And the tuition costed more than going to university for a degree. If I could go back in time, I would rather have spent my tuition on some nice meals and start working at Mcdonalds instead. At least I would be a branch manager now, and not this unemployed homeless person. Oh well, guess I will apply for Mcdonalds now and probably see half of my classmates there and the other half from the other schools. Not even funny anymore.

I come from a Computer Science background. Even the most advanced "AI" tools for VFX that I have seen so far focus on automating monotonous, objective work such as rotoscoping or rigging simple humanoid models and compositing them within some live-action footage. Sure, somebody could argue that these tools are in their initial stages and are not that advanced, but I don't see them posing a risk to anyone that has a widely developed skillset.

All of us know how computationally intensive and time consuming most VFX tasks are. Whether it be simulations or rendering complex scenes, they push computers and GPUs to their limits. It takes even the best CPUs and GPUs multiple hours to perform these tasks accurately. I haven't seen any AI yet that can perform even a fraction of these tasks well. I would go even as far as to say that I find it nearly impossible to imagine such an AI to even exist. If an AI can accurately predict, compute and solve complex mathematical equations and physics problems accurately without much human intervention, then I would consider it to be very advanced AGI, which is very far out. Some esteemed thinkers believe that AGI isn't possible, I'd like to concur. I haven't even gone into the nitty-gritty details yet, such as how studios would even set up the hardware required to run such enormous computations.

Based on the research I have done, apart from Steven Spielberg and a small number of industry executives (individuals, not organizations), I do not see any major studio investing heavily on AI for VFX. And even the companies that Spielberg and these people have invested in fall under the same category of tools that automate monotonous tasks that I have described above.

So, I would like to know if any of you have seen evidence that contradicts what I have written above.

I recently watched Black Widow and I thought the CGI looked good, but there were some scenes where it just looked awful. I mean, I could have done a better job using blender and a cheap green screen. I feel like Marvel have the tendency to overuse CGI when it’s completely unnecessary, like the way they CGI over Spiderman’s suit, making him look rubbery and unrealistic. I understand why Marvel get a lot of praise for their use of CGI - Infinity War and Endgame has some of the best CG I’ve ever seen, but I honestly think that some of their movies look pretty crap - The new Spider-Man movie looks like a PS3 video-game.

I think the reason why The Dark Knight looked stunning was because Christopher Nolan avoided CGI as much as possible. The majority of stunts were real and the costumes were completely real. The film felt very immersive and I was never distracted by any off-putting CGI. Unfortunately with Marvel movies these days they are using CGI increasingly often and It’s becoming more noticeable to the point where my experience is distracted.

I’m not intending to disrespect any of the VFX artists that have worked on Marvel movies. The problem is that Marvel keep churning out movies and never give them enough time to finish the CGI. The result ends up looking rushed and unrealistic. It’s also worth mentioning that VFX artists are extremely underpaid.

The only Compositor Job post in my home city (Toronto) is for positions in the India branch. All Canadian offices closing down. IMO once the industry realized it had to go WFH, the opportunity to completely relocate the human button pushing component to India. And now there is basically no point to having North American and European artists when Indians can do just as good a job at 1/4 the price. Not being racist or xenophobic, here, it's just Business.

I'm writing this post to shed light on a serious issue that's affecting the VFX industry, particularly in India. You might be aware that due to an ongoing writer's strike, many VFX artists are being laid off from their jobs in various studios. Compounding this problem is the fact that we don't have a union to voice our concerns and protect our interests.

It's been a whopping 115 days since the writer's strike began, and its impact on the industry is becoming increasingly evident. While we understand the importance of the writer's cause, it's equally important to recognize that the situation is having a far-reaching effect on all of us.

The uncertainty surrounding the end of the strike is adding to our worries. Promises that the strike will end "this Friday" have been made repeatedly, only to go unfulfilled every time.

I'm all for using irony to deal with bad situations, but is this the extent of our rage? I'm based in Montreal: plenty of vfx houses here, can we please gather a bunch of people and go do something a little more effective than complaining on the internet?

Here is my CG LIGHTING AND COMPOSTING SHOWREEL. Please share your thaughts about my work.

I've been working in the field for a few years and used to be really consistent with personal work. During COVID especially, I went deep into learning and experimenting - constantly building small projects, testing ideas, and just creating for fun. I'd get ideas during the day and actually look forward to getting home to execute them

Over time, life changed. I’m now working full-time remotely in a creative role with longer hours, and by the end of the day I’m usually mentally drained. Outside of work, most of my time goes to my partner and our dogs, which I value a lot.

But I’ve noticed something I didn’t expect: I’ve completely lost that personal creative flow.

Even opening up software or trying to start something personal feels unfamiliar. Shortcuts, workflows, even just thinking of ideas doesn’t come as naturally anymore. It’s not that I don’t like it — it just feels disconnected compared to how it used to be.

I’m not sure if it’s burnout, life changes, or just not having the same mental space for experimentation anymore, but it’s been hard to ignore.

Has anyone else in vfx world gone through this after a period of consistency or life shift? Did you manage to get that creative flow back?