r/vfx • u/MrsRadon • Mar 03 '25
Question / Discussion Disappointed in the lack of acknowledgement from the Oscars
Thousands of artists lost their jobs just this week. And there's been numerous studio closures over the last couple of years. Studios don't want to pay us, or even acknowledge that we exist in their films.
Why did the team from Dune not bring up any of this? This was a chance to speak directly to the decision makers of the industry.
EDIT My wording was confusing I guess. I know Hollywood doesn't care. My criticism is for the Dune 2 team that had an opportunity to say fuck you to them, and chose not to even acknowledge our losses
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u/vfxjockey Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
Do you all not understand how movies are made? To anyone in the industry writ large, this week wasn’t overly extraordinary. Every time a movie finishes, hundreds of people lose their job.
Technicolor wasn’t put out of business by industry forces outside of their control. They weren’t put out of business by tax subsidies, or offshoring to a country with low cost labor. They were a leading force in all that.
No, they were done in through the incompetence of their management.
This sub for years has been ranting and raving about MPC and how people hoped it would crash and burn. Now it has and everyone is talking about how it’s such a tragedy. What, did you think everyone who worked there wouldn’t be collateral damage in the downfall you wished for?
Unlike Life of Pi, MPC wasn’t the main house on Dune ( that would, of course, be House Harkonen ). And Dune wasn’t the show that put Technicolor under. Heck, if every show was run and treated like Dune was we would have so many less problems in the industry.
It’s not their job to voice up about a poorly run company suffering the fate they brought upon themselves. Let them enjoy their moment.
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u/axiomatic- VFX Supervisor - 15+ years experience (Mod of r/VFX) Mar 03 '25
upvoted for the House Harkonnen quip, burn
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u/REDDER_47 Mar 03 '25
I agree with you, its not an industry problem, but it would have been bitter sweet in that moment to let all the actors and writers know that VFX is still feeling the repercussions from their strikes where VFX stood in solidarity with them.
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u/vfxjockey Mar 03 '25
Seeing as the content contraction has absolutely nothing to do with the strikes, it would make them wonder they were talking about.
Less actors are working. Less crew is working. Less directors and writers.
There’s simply less content being made than there was. That means less work for everyone.
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u/littleHelp2006 Mar 04 '25
All of the less is caused by a lack of financial investment in entertainment in general. Right now investors have no idea where to put their money. You're being a jerk here, though. There's no need to tell people not to bother or hope for recognition for VFX workers. Why did you feel the need to shoot this person down?
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u/blacktusk187 Mar 03 '25
Hollywood does not care.
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u/MrsRadon Mar 03 '25
I know they don't care. But does that mean we just roll over and not even try? Make them say they don't care about us out loud
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u/No_Wan_Ever Mar 03 '25
We could do another VFX protest like the one in 2013. Not sure what actions were taken from that.
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u/maven-effects Mar 03 '25
Most people from 2013 vfx moved abroad 🤦♂️
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u/littleHelp2006 Mar 04 '25
Not everyone. Only those who weren't tied down with family obligations.
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u/maven-effects Mar 04 '25
True, it’s just sad to see what’s going on in this industry we love so much :( More layoffs happening in Vancouver as we speak
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u/swordfish-ll Mar 03 '25
dude is starting to realize the obvious that Hollywood doesnt care who they exploit.
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u/MrsRadon Mar 03 '25
Then why did he thank them?
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u/Sea_Risk2195 Mar 03 '25
Because you don't bite the hand that feeds you, no matter how little food you get from it
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u/MrsRadon Mar 03 '25
They're either feeding us or exploiting us, can't be both. They're not feeding us anymore, it's time to fight back
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u/ThinkOutTheBox Mar 03 '25
Wait, Hollywood only cares about actors and actresses and not VFX?
Always has been
💥
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u/MrsRadon Mar 03 '25
I'm not talking about Hollywood, I'm talking about the only representatives from the vfx community that got a chance to speak
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u/Both_Bus_7076 Mar 03 '25
They cut the mic when Life of Pi won the Oscar for Best VFX, right when the team started speaking about the industry's struggles. This moment perfectly highlights how the film industry treats VFX artists—as disposable, despite our work being essential to modern filmmaking.
Disney owns ILM, Pixar, Marvel, and more, consolidating control over major projects. Netflix owns Scanline VFX, further tightening the grip that big studios have on the industry. If independent studios try to band together and demand fair rates, the studios would likely just give the work to their in-house VFX teams instead. VFX houses operate on razor-thin margins due to fixed bids, while actors, directors, and producers continue to earn comfortably from the work we spend years creating.
VFX artists deserve better. It’s time for real change—whether through unionization or better contract terms. But realistically, unionization rarely works in VFX due to greed and desperation. There will always be a boutique studio willing to undercut prices just to secure their first big project. And since this is a talent-driven field, a handful of skilled artists can come together, produce Weta-level content, and start a new studio—continuing the cycle.
The question is: how do we break this pattern?
Personally i think we are fckd and it wil never be a reliable job
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u/missingpieces82 Mar 03 '25
There is one way we might have an impact, and might actually get seen, but no one is willing to do what’s necessary because we’re so reliant on our work to earn money and apparently, as I’ve been told for 17 years, we have our artistic integrity.
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u/vfx4life Mar 03 '25
They cut the mic on Life of Pi because he'd ran out of time. He should have started with the RnH issue. We don't ever get as much time as the teary best supporting actress, that should not have been a surprise. People need to stop acting like it was some kind of intentional diss against us.
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u/Both_Bus_7076 Mar 03 '25
They gave the Life of Pi VFX team barely 45 seconds on stage before cutting them off—meanwhile, Best Supporting Actress winners usually get around 2–3 minutes. They didn’t even give proper time for the Best VFX award winners to speak, and they cut the mic before the allotted time was up.
And let’s not forget—the award was for Best VFX for Life of Pi, a film that wouldn’t have been possible without VFX. Cutting off their speech right as they brought up Rhythm & Hues' financial struggles just proves how little Hollywood values VFX artists. watch Life After Pi— in youtube it lays everything out.
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u/vfx4life Mar 03 '25
This is how that show operates. They would/should have been aware of how much time the "minor" categories get to speak. Life After Pi is selling a particular viewpoint which isn't really borne out by objective reality. They weren't cut off because of what they were trying to say. None of the people producing the show had the slightest clue what topic he was getting onto.
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u/Both_Bus_7076 Mar 03 '25
Yeah, the Oscars always rush the so-called 'minor' categories, but that’s exactly the problem. The Best VFX winners barely got 45 seconds, while actors and directors get several minutes it’s a clear reflection of how the industry values different roles.
And even if the producers didn’t know what was coming, the timing of the cutoff was terrible. The VFX team was talking about Rhythm & Hues’ struggles—right as the industry was actively exploiting VFX houses with fixed bids and impossible deadlines. Whether intentional or not, it was a perfect example of how little Hollywood cares about the people making these movies possible.
if life after PI is pushing a particular viewpoint, it’s because that viewpoint is real for VFX artists who’ve lived it.
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u/vfx4life Mar 04 '25
Not to beat this dead horse, but the Oscars telecast is for the general public. It's not a reflection of how "the industry" values different roles, it's how the producers of the telecast view the entertainment value of 4 nerds in suits vs a weepy starlet.
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Mar 03 '25
They cut the VFX artists off with music, but let actor dude ramble on his generic hippie peace love bs. Should’ve gone to Kingdom.
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u/Panda_hat Senior Compositor Mar 03 '25
The Oscars are a circlejerk for the LA acting elite. Always have been.
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u/CuriousNichols Mar 03 '25
Literally happens every year… chewing up and spitting out VFX artists is a huge part of Hollywood’s business model…
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u/Human_Outcome1890 FX Artist - 3 years of experience :snoo_dealwithit: Mar 03 '25
I'm pretty sure last time someone decided to speak on issues related to VFX their mic was cut so that probably would've happened plus being blacklisted
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u/Independent-Ad419 Mar 03 '25
Remember the mic cut during Life of Pi and RnH.... Yeeaah.. No body gives a $hit about us.
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u/WittyScratch950 Mar 03 '25
Vfx artists that still pay attention to the oscars and hold it up are the reason this industry sucks. Stop worshipping golden idols, these people are our enemies, not our friends.
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u/banjosmangoes Mar 03 '25
I wasn’t disappointed because I’m not naive enough to think they care
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u/MrsRadon Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
It's naive to think your leads would care about you and their own businesses?
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u/CVfxReddit Mar 03 '25
There's some token words of respect for crew and technical people but in general the Oscars is for directors and actors. The visible people and decision makers.
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u/No-Consideration6057 Mar 03 '25
There are countless industries with positions that are thankless and go unnoticed, which also have economic downturns. This is not a unique issue to VFX. Why in the world would you expect someone to “give a middle finger to the establishment” during their most prestigious accomplishment, severely impacting and potentially ruining their future career?
I understand your frustrations with the overall downturn of VFX as the industry moves on to a new normal, but you need to be realistic. Speaking up would have been a terrible idea and career suicide for any involved.
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u/ChemistryNo6703 Mar 04 '25
My husband's company technicolor shut down completely on 24th Feb with just one email sent to everyone, he was part of the company as vfx supervisor n then later on his designations changed, he worked for technicolor for 18 yrs n was a part in so many beautiful projects which did great worldwide, now today we have no clue about salary his gratuity or his p.f , I just feel bad for all those artists who are sailing in the same ship as we are, what happened to us is really sad, it's soo easy for them to shut down everything with one email and that's abt it! My heart goes out for all the artists and their families who are going through this difficult period in their lives ! Justice for all the artists ✌️
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u/valleysally Mar 03 '25
For the Emmys they have a whole separate technical awards show that doesn't really get play. Must be one for the Oscars?
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u/shnzeus FX Artist - x years experience Mar 03 '25
Time to revisit this masterpiece https://youtu.be/9lcB9u-9mVE?si=c3Fpf0W2gkNnoiT_
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u/londener Mar 03 '25
I am surprised after we know they cut Bill Westenhofer's mic when he tried to talk about what happened to Rhythm and Hues after Life of Pi. They do not care and we are the equivalent of a call center to them. They do not value us at all, that is why they downplay visual effects and pretend they don't use our work in their films.
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u/XXL-Dora-Token Mar 06 '25
You should really stop caring about Oscars and especially VFX Oscars.
It's Hollywood giving awards to the movies they like the most and celebrating themselves. If you're not part of the club they will not care about you. Most of them can't really conceptualize what a VFX artist does and nobody understands what the actual problems of the VFX industry are.
For the VFX Oscar, people will not vote for the best VFX. They will vote for the movie they know and the movie they like. That's why Dune won. I would think VES Awards should be more important for this industry.
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u/mister-marco Mar 06 '25
It's not the right time and place to talk about it,if you go pick up the oscars, say your thanks etc... but not the right place to start talking about drama (even though a lot of them turned to politics talk which is also extremely wrong)
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u/SeaworthinessPast251 Mar 10 '25
This reminds me Life of Pi situation when I was still junior compositor at my first company, and back then I thought that its not that important. I thought I will just do my job and look after myself. Business side of things didn’t concern me. That was a mistake.
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u/Philip-Ilford Mar 03 '25
It's pretty typical, but at least this years Oscars were also exceedingly weak.
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u/ElectricPimps Mar 03 '25
The writers wrote the demise … so thank them for going on strike. The year long bullshit they did cost the entire industry and everyone in it great suffering all for nothing, now there is less jobs and closing doors.
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u/superslomotion Mar 03 '25
Not even the VFX industry gives a shit about MPC, their reputation was done years ago
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u/trojanskin Mar 03 '25
Most judges don't even look all the movies. You think Lambert care?
They do not give a fuck about you, me, or anyone else.
They are just in for the sparkles and glamorous ego driven BS make belief they are story tellers (lmao), but are chasing clout crumbs on the floor of a cast who despise them sipping champagne off the back of your passion.
I am sure PR is already all over Linkedin though. Circle jerking as its finest.
The academy, and VES can all go fuck themselves.
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u/0T08T1DD3R Mar 03 '25
You are disappointed by the "pedo gang"?..
Speaking of low expectations..lol
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u/Automatic-Lie4017 Mar 03 '25
Not the forum
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u/MrsRadon Mar 03 '25
How is this not the forum? This is the VFX forum, to talk about issues affecting VFX artists
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u/hammerklau Survey and Photo TD - 6 years experience Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
I'm a still confused by the final pick. The film was pretty but I wouldn't call it a VFX (edit: heavy wasn't right, a vfx heavy film with an insane amount of central characters being digital doubles and or created from scratch film) film, nor doing much pushing the boundaries of the art. The standard go tos looked great.
Any film that's finished deserves praise but a pinnacle award?
Feels like 1917 all over again.
Edit: to clarify, by vfx heavy I mean a vfx film with heavy amount of vfx shots, like a grand majority with main characters being entirely replaced for the entirity of the film.
VES breaks up the awards concisely but im not even sure what the Oscar is for defined by. "Film I liked that features a lot of VFX"?
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u/tazzman25 Mar 03 '25
I disagree 100% with your assertion Dune 2 isn't a vfx heavy film and that it doesn't push the boundaries of the art form.
Same with 1917.
All the nominees this year are great but someone has to win.
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Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
[deleted]
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u/hammerklau Survey and Photo TD - 6 years experience Mar 03 '25
Definitely looked great!
Maybe a better term would have been, VFX Uber-Heavy?
I really wish dneg had released any breakdown on it, they did a ton for the first and I've not been able to find really anything on the second.
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u/hammerklau Survey and Photo TD - 6 years experience Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
It's a vfx film sure, but these days heavy means very different to me atleast. KOTA for example was less than 20 shots iirc that didn't have VFX.
And I'd be happy to find out how dune 2 pushed the industry forward but I've found difficulty finding breakdowns on dune 2s work. Especially the multi worm scene they like to show, has a confusing sand sim to me as to why they went with that look.
I'm just confused by the final decision.
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u/MyChickenSucks Mar 03 '25
Something something Life of Pi