A strike at Marvel soon? Special effects artists want to improve their working conditions

Visual effects staff at Marvel Studios are trying to create the entertainment industry’s first VFX connection. Indeed, as IGN reports, more than 50 Marvel VFX workers have come together to petition the US National Labor Relations Board for union elections. The group is represented by IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees).

“For nearly half a century, workers in the visual effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits that their colleagues and teammates have relied on since the inception of the Hollywood film industry.” said Mark Patch, IATSE VFX organizer and former WandaVision coordinator. “This is a historic first step for visual effects workers to come together with a collective voice and demand respect for our work.“

Mark Patch goes on to say that the nature of their demand is more than reasonable as companies make billions off their work. Among their demands: have access to the same health care, the same pensions and the same basic protections as their counterparts. “We think this is one of the most reasonable requests anyone could ever make.“, he added.

The struggles of VFX workers have been well documented over the past few years. The impact of strikes in the entertainment industry on these artists is such that they face an uncertain future as Hollywood is shut down. As such, several VFX workers pointed to the absence of a union to represent them during this difficult time.

“The WGA strike is just a stark reminder that VFX doesn’t have a union– said the former producer of visual effects. “Seeing the collective fight for better pay, better support and better hours is a stark reminder that the visual effects industry has never been able to come together to form its own union.“

What about MARVEL?

Specific complaints have also been filed in recent years regarding the treatment of Marvel’s VFX workers. An artist who worked on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania said that “human greed” caused visual effects problems on Marvel projects, while another unnamed employee told IGN last year that Marvel projects were delayed until the last minute. resulting in long hours and extremely stressful working conditions.

“You don’t have time to work on these things”, the VFX artist said at the time. “I had a plan that I worked on and finished at 9 o’clock in the morning, and they had a preview in London that night. The version I worked on was the version they were going to see at the premiere. It depends, and I’m not saying all movies are like that, but it happens.“

Mark Patch, meanwhile, decried the lack of manpower for such projects: “There is an attempt to be with as few people as possible and wait for the panic and say: “We are not sleeping anymore. We have not seen our family. We work every weekend. So when they say, “Oh, well, we’ll hire more people—sometimes.”“

This new unionization initiative by VFX workers comes as the entertainment industry grinds to a halt. The screenwriters and Hollywood studios met this week for the first time since the strike began in May, but no agreement was reached. And with the actors on strike, it could continue.