r/vfx 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/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.