Momentum grows to demand recognition for VFX artists

Ang Lee - ungrateful?

VFX Solidarity International's campaign for recognition for VFX artists is gaining momentum, finding its way into the mainstream press. The Guardian ran a piece yesterday saying that director Ang Lee was "under fire from visual effects artists over Life of Pi speech". Many of the artists who worked on the hugely successful film have been laid off without pay, following the bankruptcy of Rhythm and Hues.

According to vfx artist Bruce Branit, Lee thanked "the crew, the actors, his agent, his lawyer and the entire country of Taiwan right down to the team that built the wave-pool on the soundstage where Pi was shot. But [Lee] failed to mention 100s of artists who made not only the main character of the tiger, but replaced that pool, making it look like a real ocean for 80% of his movie."

Meanwhile, half of my Facebook contacts have gone green in sympathy with the R&H artists whose incredible work was rewarded with a pinkslip.

---Alex 

(Editor's Note: You can see why we're going green here, read FLIP's review of Life of Pi here, and read more about the wonderful VFX studio that was Rhythm and Hues here. And, don't miss our September 2012 piece on the sad end of Digital Domain... )