June VFX News..

<~ Note: The VFXTippingPoint Twitter Feed will be more up to date with articles, bits of news, & discussions...

I felt it was imporant to keep this post at the top of this months news, it's a sobering piece of journalism by fxguide's Jeff Heusser that came out amid the vfx town hall event and other industry related news offerings.

VFX in Los Angeles – 100 hour weeks & homeless (fxguide.com) - June 10, 2013  

Next Event: Tuesday, June 25th, 8pm PDT Facebook | vfxtownhall.org

June 25th

• VFX Town Hall: Unionization or Pacification? (pedrams.me) - June 25, 2013 @ 6:31 pm
• Another departure for Warner Bros., Legendary leaving lot (bizjournals.com) - June 25, 2013 @ 11:19 am
• Marvel announces 3 unknown new films for 2016 & 2017! What are they going to be? (uk.movies.yahoo.com) - June 25, 2013 @ 8 am
• L.A. TV Pilot Production Nearing All-Time Low (thewrap.com) - June 25, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
• TV pilot production rebounds, but L.A. still losing business (latimes.com) - June 25, 2013 @ 12 pm
• L.A.'s mayor-elect aims to put Hollywood center stage (latimes.com) - June 25, 2013 @ 5 am

June 24th

BECTU's VFX Feature: 8147Kb PDF

Living on the Edge: VFX feature: Living on the Edge, discusses the state of the UK VFX sector and BECTU's campaign in support of the workforce. (published in Stage Screen and Radio, June-July 2013). 24 June 2013 | 8147Kb PDF

• Scott Ross interview extract (moviescopemag.com) - June 24, 2013
• VFX Townhall – IATSE (vfxsoldier.wordpress.com) - June 24, 2013 @ 10:20 pm
• Emeryville, CA, Athena Studios Names Brice Parker Producer (shootonline.com) - June 24, 2013 @ 12:30 am
• BridgingFactor Provides a $6,250,000 Tax Credit Facility to Film Production Company  (online.wsj.com) - June 24, 2013 @ 6:08 am
• The view from the MPA: Sue McHugh, director of Carbon Digital  (manchestereveningnews.co.uk) Our move to MediaCityUK has been a solid goal in our business plan for some time now and we are delighted to be here. - June 24, 2013
• VFX Uncovered: BECTU is campaigning to support VFX workers in the UK.  (bectu.org) - June 24, 2013

June 23rd

• 4 Ways Hollywood Is Completely Imploding (cracked.com) - June 23, 2013

Ending film tax credits an efficient way to lose jobs ?http://t.co/pnpkLpTlXR Our debate was edited, I fixed it http://t.co/wJZcKiiBi6
— Dave Rand (@daverandcom) June 23, 2013

June 22nd

• The state of the nation: Freelancing in SA's visual effects and animation industry  (bizcommunity.com) - June 22, 2013 @ 11:52

Will you be attending the #VFX town hall meeting about the union? It's this coming Tuesday. learn more at: http://t.co/5oGnPTAp5r #IATSE
— vfxunion (@vfxunion) June 22, 2013

Attention Vancouver Artists: VFX Town Hall on IATSE - Vancouver Edition http://t.co/xR9uGee287 #vfxtownhall #vfxunion #iatse
— IATSE891VFX (@IATSE891VFX) June 23, 2013

June 21rst

• Tag Blog: VFX Town Hall on IATSE (animationguildblog.blogspot.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 2:26 pm
• Wisconsin state budget eliminates film credits (globalpost.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 1:07 CDT
• Korea's CG technology, close to Hollywood level: director (globalpost.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 10:21
  
• Small Vfx Shops Rewrite Rules (variety.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 11 am
• Seven animation firms land tax credits (broadcastnow.co.uk) - June 21, 2013 @ 9 am 
• VFX Firm Prime Focus Gets $53 Million Investment (hollywoodreporter.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 8:02 am
  Global VFX Firm Prime Focus Gets $53M Equity Infusion; Acquisitions On Horizon (deadline.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 14:34 UK
• Prime Focus to open China office (screendaily.com) - June 21, 2013
• Macquarie to buy stake in Prime Focus' arm; shares soar 3% (moneycontrol.com) - June 21, 2013 @ 12:49 pm IST

Aspiring Visual Artists Flock To Jamaica #vfx http://t.co/GZI8LBueDa
— Mariana Acuña-Acosta (@Da_VFX_Chick) June 22, 2013

June 20th

• B.C. film and game industry looks for level playing field after Toronto, Montreal poach jobs (business.financialpost.com) - June 20, 2013 @ 11:38 am

June 19th

@virtualbri @scott_squires Prime Focus was so determined to acquire R&H. Now they want out of vfx altogether?
— David S. Cohen (@Variety_DSCohen) June 19, 2013

• Indian VFX Giant Prime Focus to Open China Office (hollywoodreporter.com) - June 19, 2013 @ 4:25 am

ON 5/5, #PREVIS ARTISTS MET TO DISCUSS UNION REPRESENTATION. ON 7/10, THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES. #VFX #IATSE pic.twitter.com/MwGcKWStNE
— Previs Artists Unite (@PrevisArtists) June 18, 2013

June 18th

Latest VFX Town Hall on IATSE, this coming Tuesday, June 25, at 8pm PDT http://t.co/eoWx8KHISP #vfxtownhall #vfxunion
— VFX Town Hall (@VFXTownHall) June 18, 2013

What's the prognosis, doc? by Jesse Toves

• Digital Domain & Vancouver (vfxsoldier.wordpress.com) "a nuclear bomb is armed in BC and it’s only a matter of time until it goes off" - June 18, 2013
• NZ: All is not well in the VFX industry, Squires (thestandard.org.nz) - June 18, 2013
• ILM’s Hal Hickel sees tough times ahead for VFX sector (screendaily.com) - June 18, 2013
• More layoffs at EA - Report (gamespot.com) - June 18, 2013
• Milk VFX Replaces The Mill (kasterborous.com) milk's example work - June 18, 2013
• Heavy Hitter Panels of VFX for SIGGRAPH 2013 Unveils Riveting Final Lineup of Production Sessions (businesswire.com) - June 18, 2013 @ 3:25 am

Where is the happy ending for #VFX Artists? http://t.co/dL5YXyyxZy via @wordpressdotcom
— Scott Squires (@scott_squires) June 19, 2013

June 17th

If @dneg were to make the first steps I'd bet that the other #vfx houses in London would quickly follow suit @VFXUnionUK @VFXTippingPoint
— James Burbank (@gRiverThriller) June 17, 2013

• News Flash! Apparently late nights are involved. (animationguildblog.blogspot.com) - June 17, 2013 @ 9:41 pm
  B.C. wants truce with Ontario, Quebec on film tax credits (theglobeandmail.com) - June 17, 2013 @ 7:03 pm
• John Textor and what really happened inside Digital Domain Media Group? (fxguide.com) - June 17, 2013
• Studios: the UK's capacity crunch (screendaily.com) With a host of big budget films gearing up to shoot in the UK this summer, the country’s studios are busier than ever. But with the new TV tax credit threatening to bring in even more business, Geoffrey Macnab asks whether the UK has the capacity to cope. - June 17, 2013
• Netflix and DreamWorks have signed a multi-year deal to make the Internet TV network the premiere home of new animated content from the Glendale-based studio (animationmagazine.net) - June 17, 2013
• Collider NYC VFX Town Hall - edited version (youtube.com) - June 17, 2013
• Help shape the new Standards for the VFX industry (creativeskillset.org) - June 17, 2013
• PipelineFX Debuts Burst License Program for Education (prweb.com) - June 17, 2013
• ZYNC Visual Effects Cloud Rendering Platform Launches Commercially (marketwire.com) - June 17, 2013
• DreamWorks Animation Making 300 Hours Of Original Stuff For Netflix (bleedingcool.com) - June 17, 2013
• VFX Industry worker rights (mradionz.co.nz) Workers in the visual effects industry speak out about the long hours and lack of employee rights - and why they think the big studios are making the situation worse. World industry veteran Scott Squires, and local VFX business owner Sebastian Marino, join the programme.- June 17, 2013
• Prime Focus up on buzz PE co to buy stake in unit (m.economictimes.com) - June 17, 2013

@LyndaObst @scott_squires And as inter'l box office dwarfs US, VFX becomes more important to success , but VFX co 's are going Bankrupt !!
— Scott Ross (@DrScottRoss) June 17, 2013

June 16th

• NZ visual effects industry working long hours (mradionz.co.nz) The survey of 30 countries showed that only 3% here do a 40-hour week, with the rest doing 50 to 80 hours and up to 100 hours during busy periods.- June 16, 2013

June 15th

• Lynda Obst: Hollywood’s completely broken (salon.com) - June 15, 2013 @ 12:30 pm
• The Downfall of Digital Domain: How public’s millions vanished (mypalmbeachpost.com) - June 15, 2013 @ 12 am

June 14th

New Breed Old Tricks http://t.co/chQHENo6DM
— Dave Rand (@daverandcom) June 14, 2013

Symbols by Jesse Toves

• Trouble at Newbreed VFX Cementing Montreal’s Bad Rep (variety.com) - June 14, 2013 @ 2:27 pm
• From Germany: The Industry is Still Green | Die Branche sieht immer noch grün | DIGITAL PRODUCTION (digitalproduction.com) Translate? - June 14, 2013
• 36 reasons why you should thank a union (unionplus.org) - June 14, 2013
• Engine Room and Hollywood Center Studios Forge Production Alliance (cgw.com) - June 14, 2013
• COLLIDER Conference Town Hall Focuses on VFX (cgw.com) - June 14, 2013
• Newbreed Visual Effects Struggling, Hasn't Paid Workers in Weeks (thewrap.com) - June 14, 2013 @ 10:42 am
• Stereoscopic 3D Bootcamp coming to London July 22-26 (screendaily.biz) - June 14, 2013
• Film Industry is definitely not heading for implosion (filmindustrynetwork.biz) - June 14, 2013
• VFX: Legal Rights - A flyer highlighting key legal rights in support of the VFX campaign (bectu.org.uk) - June 13, 2013
• DD: What we know so far (occupyvfx.org) - June 13, 2013

36 reasons why you should thank a union http://t.co/b7LKWF3g6Y #VFX #Animation (via @animguild)
— Diego Rojas (@red4ward) June 14, 2013

June 13th

Update: It seams Gridwarp's twitter account has been taken down... 

Gridwarped's Twitter feed was somewhat of a live stream from a company meeting held at Digital Domain this evening, he spoke of DD's move to shift business to it's Vancouver pod, news that the Venice office will merge with Playa Vista, and that 8 people had been laid off today from the Venice facility.  When asked by VFXLaw if people were being asked to relocate at least?  Gridwarp mentioned that some people will be approached, and it was said to let your leads know if your interested in moving.  You can follow the feed here.

Venice to merge into Playa. Feature work expanding in Vancouver, LA downsizes to commercials and leader roles. @scott_squires @vfxsoldier
— gridwarped (@gridwarped) June 13, 2013

The outfit will be a collective and sets out to redress some of the negative working practices in the industry.

"We've been at the sharp end of how the vfx industry has developed over the years, and like many artists, have worked untold hours of overtime for no pay and little job security, " says Hunt. "Like so many in the industry, we've done this as we are incredibly passionate about what we deliver to the screen." ~Chris Hunt

• Special effects take over, story-based films soon to be extinct (alestlelive.com) - June 13, 2013 @ 8:10 pm
• People want more out of movies than SFX, Hollywood magic (alestlelive.com) - June 13, 2013 @ 8:10 pm
• Video from Spielberg & Lucas: Predict “Meltdown” Of Movie Biz (deadline.com) - June 13, 2013 @ 12:17 pm
• $150 movie ticket? George Lucas says it could be so (news.cnet.com) - June 13, 2013 @ 3:05 am
• U.K. Toon Biz Upbeat Thanks to Tax Credit Boost (variety.com) - June 13, 2013 @ 3:05 am
• New VFX collective launches in Bristol (televisual.com) - June 13, 2013

Artists getting the shaft in Montreal... again vfxunion.infovfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/mor… twitter.com/daverandcom/st…
— Dave Rand (@daverandcom) June 13, 2013

June 12th

Getting screwed in the Canadian #VFX industry, or:"Tales of a veteran VFX artist." http://t.co/TM2hIpMrWq #Montreal #Vancouver #Toronto
— Diego Rojas (@red4ward) June 14, 2013

"There’s a huge divergence with what’s happening in visual effects in the film world and what’s happening in the commercial world," Shipman said. "What drives a lot of the decisions in film is purely cost, whereas in the commercial world it’s not driven by those tax incentives." ~Jon Collins

• More VFX Pros Go Unpaid In Montreal Screwjob (vfxsoldier.wordpress.com) - June 12, 2013 @ 11:09 pm
• Steven Spielberg Predicts 'Implosion' of Film Industry (hollywoodreporter.com) - June 12, 2013 @ 2:55 pm
• A Brief History of Montreal (animationguildblog.blogspot.com) - June 12, 2013 @ 11:45 am
• Framestore Opens L.A. Branch Amid VFX Industry's Troubles (thewrap.com)
  The visual effects company believes there are huge opportunities for commercials work. - June 12, 2013 @ 9:35 am
• Radar Studios Welcomes Creative Director Jason Guerrero From NYC To Chicago (shootonline.com) - June 12, 2013 @ 8:24 am

Spielberg & Lucas remarks yesterday about a pending implosion may drive VFX and BTL fees lower. Cos need to get their biz act together now
— Marty Shindler (@MartyShindler) June 13, 2013

June 11th

What something to happen in #vfx industry? Should there be Code of Conduct for VFX companies? bitly.com/10LEjDILend a hand. Speak up.
— Scott Squires (@scott_squires) June 11, 2013

• Framestore has moved into a permanent studio in Culver City on National Boulevard. (culvercity.patch.com) - June 11, 2013 @ 2:46 pm
• Prime Focus up on buzz PE co to buy stake in unit (articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com) - June 11, 2013 @ 5:22 am IST
• London is stealing a win over Hollywood (telegraph.co.uk) "many special effects houses and post-production facilities have moved to London as part of a mass migration from California in pursuit of post-production incentives." - June 11, 2013 @ 8 am BST
• Taxpayers will be paying $50m in subsidies to millionaires & billionaires making movies in Michigan (michigancapitolconfidential.com) - June 11, 2013
• New law boosts Hawaii's film industry (hawaiinewsnow.com) "The business lately goes where the money is, where the tax credits are, and that's where in terms of what's happening here locally, we're very excited," said Des Jarlais.- June 11, 2013 @ 1:39 am BST

@juanluissays So True, A game of territorial leap frog where VFX houses act more like accountants finding tax shelters than #VFX vendors -JK
— VFX Tipping Point (@VFXTippingPoint) June 11, 2013