The Big Picture

The VFX professionals attached to Marvel Studios have voted to unionize their sector due to years of overworking and underpaying workers. This is the first time that visual effects professionals have united to ask for wage protections, equal rights, and overall fair treatment. The VFX professionals want an election for their representative to be held by August 21.

2023 has already made history in the entertainment business with the double WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike happening for the first time in 60 years, but we’re about to witness even more historical manifestations in the days and weeks to come. In a surprising (but not exactly shocking) move, VFX professionals attached to Marvel Studios voted to unionize their sector, as Vulture reports. The motive is not hard to imagine: The Avengers’ house has been systematically overworking and underpaying workers in this category for years.

The announcement comes after a group of over 50 employees banded together to file a petition for an election to start being represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) – an entity that represents and protects workers in sectors such as artisans, technicians and craftspeople in general in film, television and the theater. This is the first time that visual effects professionals have united to ask for wage protections, equal rights, and overall fair treatment that other sectors enjoy.

In an official statement, VFX organizer for IATSE Mark Patch made it clear that VFX professionals have tolerated precarious working conditions for far too long, and it’s way past time they put their foot down:

“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.”

VFX Workers’ Revolt Is Long Due

The visual effects professionals’ patience is also at its very limit: They want an election for their representative to be held no later than August 21. VFX professionals are famously known for pulling all-nighters and have huge amounts of rework to do with little regard to how much time and effort must be put into a single shot. When you consider that almost 100% of the movies and TV series produced today have some level of visual effects, you start to get a sense of the scope of work that the sector is buried under every year – in blockbusters alone, it’s common that almost every scene features VFX work.

Marvel Studios – and Disney by extension – is considered one of the most challenging work environments when it comes to VFX professionals since the company has new content with complex special effects to put out every year. The decline of quality in visual effects hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans, who have repeatedly called out the superhero house (and blockbuster movies in general) for not dedicating the necessary timeframe to deliver a quality product. Due to the poor quality of visual effects of some titles like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, VFX companies often take the blame for what we see onscreen when in reality they are flooded with work that they’re likely being under-compensated for.

VFX Coordinator Bella Huffman underscored the dire situation of her category: She listed several instances of what makes a good working environment that simply don’t apply to VFX professionals, including turnaround times, pay equity, and protected hours. Huffman added that “visual effects must become a sustainable and safe department for everyone who’s suffered far too long and for all newcomers who need to know they won’t be exploited.”

So far, Marvel Studios and Disney haven’t made an official statement regarding VFX professionals’ demands. Stick with Collider to know about developments as soon as they are announced.