‘It’s a Toxic Relationship’: Former Marvel Vfx Artist Lashes Out at Marvel Studios, Fans Convinced Marvel Underpays Their Employees
Marvel Studios might be looking at a simmering mutiny or maybe not, considering the existing job market. VFX artists have started breaking their silence regarding the entertainment Goliath’s hellish work conditions. Many of these troubled artists claim that they don’t wish to work with Marvel ever again. From unworkable deadlines to immense pressure and subpar unsatisfactory products – the whole lifestyle spells out STRESS. And these artists don’t want that stressful life anymore.
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VFX artists took to Reddit to share their terrible experience working with Marvel Studios
This discourse sparked off on the subreddit r/VFX. Artists from across the industry nodded in unison as each of them shared their atrocious experiences. There was hardly any user who had anything remotely positive to add to the ongoing discussion. Nothing is worth that stress-ridden way of living, not even the glamour of working with celebs or the money.
A Reddit user, Independent-Ad419 took to a thread titled “I am quite frankly sick and tired of working on Marvel shows”, to share his views on the studios’ approach: “Marvel has probably the worst methodology of production and VFX management out there… They can never fix the look for the show before more than half the allocated time for the show is over. The artists working on Marvel shows are definitely not paid equivalent to the amount of work they put in.”
Another user, samvfx2015 also agreed: “On Thor, they ask for a complete mini-sequence 2 or 3 weeks before the deadline”.
A plethora of similar accounts were shared in the thread. Mickeym00m00 wrote: “I request to not work on [Marvel] movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, they’re becoming our biggest client. They expect a smorgasbord of options so they can change their mind three more times.”
Also Read: She-Hulk: VFX Artists Explains CGI Problems In The Show
The ill-treatment of artists has been going on for a long time
In a separate thread from three months ago, one would find a whole lot more horrendous accounts of the Marvel work experience. This particular grief-sharing discourse started off when a certain VFX artist shared his lament on missing out on an opportunity to work with Marvel. The people who had had the experience were quick to comfort the person, reassuring them that it was actually a blessing.
A user, RANDVR wrote: “I am on my third Marvel project in a row and literally just woke up 5:30 am on a Saturday with stress going ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’… It’s 6 am now and I am making a reel to apply someplace that has projects other than Marvel because I can’t do this anymore.”
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VFX artists claim that the work has messed up their personal lives
I'm so sorry man…this shouldn't be happening. And all of you deserve better!
— Shreyas Srivastava (@ssrivastav0494) July 10, 2022
VFX artists should unionize!
There’s just no way the She-Hulk show’s VFX will be ready by mid August, that team needs an additional 6 weeks at the bare minimum!
— Isaac Clarke 🥥🌴 (@SwitchSATX) July 10, 2022
That's how the job market has been functioning. Burn out the fresh hires. And now we have places desperate for workers. Wonder what happened
— Josh 🔥 @matrixman124.hellthread.vet (@matrixman124) July 10, 2022
I am so sorry that you had to go through such awful stuff with Marvel Studios. How can we ensure that the studio does better for its workers outside of boycotting?
— Blue Superhero Stan Foster 🇵🇸 (@beastboylawson) July 10, 2022
Obviously the quality of their work is going to suffer if they're not given enough time to do it well.
If you're given a task that would normally take you 2 hours to complete, and you're only given 30 minutes, is the end result of your work going to be particularly great?— Eeeerickh (@EricSmurph) July 11, 2022
With the discontent and accounts of terrible work conditions going viral on the internet, maybe Marvel would pay some heed and try to improve. Only time will tell…
Source: The Gamer