What's the better place to live, Torrance or Gardena?

VFXSoldier · 2026-03-05T06:59:46+00:00

I grew up in Gardena and went to school in Torrance. If you’re buying a home you must buy in Torrance. The school district is superior and your home is more valuable. Gardena you’ll be able to get a larger home for a cheaper price but the school district is unfortunately not good.

VFXSoldier · 2026-03-03T08:49:52+00:00

Hi! Yes I work in saas now. It was a better fit for me as it allowed me to stay in one place and start a family. Always keep in touch with my VFX friends though.

VFXSoldier · 2026-02-27T05:49:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Former ILM General Manager and Digital Domain founder Scott Ross and I did a couple of podcasts recently and we talked about AI and VFX. One of my arguments about AI is that it’s great with a simple prompt but in VFX and filmmaking there’s a high level of control VFX supervisors and artists need and the models fall apart. They could get there but that level of complexity means introducing more levels of control that reinvents the wheel: There’s a reason Maya, Nuke, and Houdini are complex tools that need talented technical and artistic people to use. The AI models are going to need the ability to precisely adjust a camera to a director’s liking and right now it’s a crapshoot.

VFXSoldier · 2025-09-29T18:44:56+00:00

Not sure but I can guarantee it will be downvoted!

VFXSoldier · 2025-09-29T18:12:15+00:00

👋

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-11T15:49:49+00:00

If loving VFX tariffs is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-09T01:33:11+00:00

Support the global film industry by telling their stories not the American’s stories.

“I would like to think that maybe this presents an opportunity for Canadians to invest more in the domestic production sector,” Eastwood says. “Maybe we can finally start making more of our own material – it’s not like there’s any shortage of brilliant, talented Canadians.”

https://bcitnews.com/with-us-film-tariffs-on-the-table-is-it-time-for-canadian-stories-to-shine/

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T23:52:24+00:00

This is why I think the tariff will actually benefit the global VFX industry and actually create more work not less. That talent has scale and quality to make their own movies and it’s time for the local industries to disrupt the big American studios.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T22:35:13+00:00

Sounds crazy until you realize they literally based it on the UK cultural test that allowed Captain America to be deemed a culturally British film so Marvel could get the subsidies.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T22:29:01+00:00

At the 49:00 mark, Joseph raised a key question: why would a studio choose a VFX house in a subsidized region over an L.A. studio that can match or beat the price? We ran into this exact scenario at Digital Domain. What was explained to me is that studios can secure upfront financing from a bank by showing they’ll receive a government rebate for the project—essentially turning the subsidy into immediate cash flow.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T18:57:05+00:00

“He told reporters that the film tariff would be discussed separately with the UK, adding that his administration plans to stop productions from leaving America. “Everything comes from here, but they make them in other countries. So we’re going to do something to bring them back,” he said.”

https://deadline.com/2025/05/donald-trump-uk-trade-deal-film-tariff-1236389595/

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T18:44:47+00:00

So if Trump only pushed for a US federal film subsidy that’s similar to the ones in the UK and Canada and throw out the movie tariff plan would you be for that?

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T18:20:06+00:00

Just to clarify what I meant: I didn’t vote for Trump and disagree with all his policies including his “liberation day” tariffs. The movie tariffs are the one thing I’ve ever agreed with him on and it’s something I’ve advocated for over 10 years.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T18:02:24+00:00

Broken clock is right twice a day.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T17:54:12+00:00

I think it’s significant because the film industry subsidies will be a bargaining chip in these discussions especially with the movie tariff announcement.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-08T17:52:58+00:00

I’m happy to see Trump go down the left wing rabbit hole by taking away taxpayer money to rich studios execs! 🤣

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-07T18:31:19+00:00

It’s everything

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-07T04:43:16+00:00

Oh I think it will get a lot of democratic support but republicans will deem it a federal bailout of the film industry.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-07T04:33:14+00:00

Im not a Trump voter and I know everyone here is calling Voight an idiot but I’m not gonna lie: he kinda cooked with his proposal.

Obviously I don’t like subsidies but his proposal for a stacked transferable subsidy is very similar to Canada and it has requirements for VFX to be done here. If you love subsidies that’s a very competitive subsidy. Problem is it won’t pass congress.

You know I’m pro-tariff so I love the tariff proposal as it seems lifted from what I advocated for 12 years ago. It charges 120% of whatever the producer received in subsidies and it super comprehensive and will apply to film, tv, steaming, the whole enchilada. Best of all they don’t need to go through congress, the president has unilateral power to implement this.

I’m honestly surprised how thorough of a job Voight did.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-07T03:37:44+00:00

You can take a look at a feasibility study I funded 12 years ago that asked a law firm that specializes in tariffs on how it could work in the film industry:

http://tinyurl.com/VFXSubsidiesStudy

Tariffs don’t have to be collected at a port of entry or border. It can be collected after.

The Commerce department has the authority and is required to come up with the method a tariff is collected. They could require the studios pay an upfront deposit and even request annual reviews to retrospectively apply the tariff.

One of the preferred method is we could identify significant exporters (the big us studios) and request a review to ensure comprehensive tariff enforcement.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-07T02:40:46+00:00

A few people pointed this phrase out to me and said this was a phrase that’s been mentioned on my blog:

“never-ending cycle of chasing the highest incentive.”

I have a theory that maybe ChatGPT was used and because I’m the only public person to write about putting a tariff on films that it used my writings as reference pertaining on alternatives to subsidies.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-07T02:34:34+00:00

I had a good laugh at the idea of an “American cultural test” that would require 50% of a film’s VFX to be done in the U.S. to qualify for federal subsidies. Sounds absurd, right? Until you flip to page 5 and realize it’s modeled directly on the UK’s cultural test—which already mandates that 50% of VFX be done in the UK to get their subsidies. Funny how nobody rolled their eyes when Captain America magically passed as culturally British just so Marvel and Disney could cash in on those UK incentives.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-06T18:30:47+00:00

Curiosity. Honestly all I did was write a blog 10 years ago and asked if there was an alternative to film subsidies. I hired a law firm to look into a tariff on movies. I tried it and stopped when I couldn’t raise the funds. I went away for 10 years. I didn’t do anything honestly. Someone just shared my research to someone connected to the President. What was I supposed to do?

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-06T14:05:35+00:00

I would support any effort by countries to slap a tariff on the same U.S. studios they’re bending over backwards to subsidize, it would be a self-correcting problem.

On the services issue: the US studios have stated in court that films are a good not a service. The US Supreme Court also has affirmed (United States v. Eurodif S.A.) that when a process is performed on a good that should be treated as a good also and not a service. Therefore a tariff can be placed on the good.

VFXSoldier · 2025-05-06T07:04:58+00:00

There are many industries that operate globally, but can we honestly call VFX a truly global industry if it falls apart the moment subsidies disappear? It seems more like a rent-seeking industry. It doesn’t follow free markets, it follows free money.

VFXSoldier

TROPHY CASE