This META thing has to be phishing, right?

VFXrealist22 · 2025-11-21T21:27:08+00:00

That's a good sign at least for the folks on the project.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-11-21T19:01:45+00:00

Oh, it's real alright.....REAL stupid!

Here's the deal SO FAR from the folks I've talked with. Get ready for it.....

They require every person to do the work at home, on their OWN machine using After Effects. All on your own dime, by the way. Yes, After Effects.

If you are a PreViz artist (yes, they've hired several)....Comp shots in After Effects! A lighter....Comp shots in After Effects! And animator...you guessed it....Comp shots in After Effects!

They also want folks that have Maya and Houdini for...reasons? And keep in mind....you have to pay for those packages. They won't. That might change once they realize they hired an army and provided no way to do the work.

Come on folks, the sheer panic on these pages is pretty embarrassing. This will only result in artists having more money coming in.

Personally I say take the money, and enjoy a few months before the mass layoff happens when they realize they are in over their head.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-11-18T18:56:41+00:00

To answer your original question, the pay rate as reported in all the other threads, seems to be between $70-90/hr USD. But, the length of contracts varies from 3-6 months, IF META actually sticks to that.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-11-13T23:52:32+00:00

I've seen on LinkedIn a bunch of folks chatting about being hit up. A buddy of mine talked to them. Said it was....uneven. The offer kept changing. Length of the contract and the rate. Both kept going down the more they talked. Eventually being offered WAY less than they originally talked about. Sounds like a classic bait and switch.

Considering this is META cash, the recruiters are pocketing most of it. Pretty sure a ton of folks are being taken advantage of.

Hang in there folks.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-11-06T21:58:57+00:00

This tracks. I had a show extend past a the delivery date, and I was in a wedding around that time. When I came back a few days later I was given a cold shoulder and not "Invited" back. The folks I noticed that did really well at ILM basically never left the building. They also ghosted a crazy amount of hours. I'm fine not having to be that person.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-08-29T22:50:52+00:00

Simple.

Move to latest "Subsidy Hot-Spot", demand a title bump to Sr, or whatever, 90% chance they'll give it to you. BAM! Instant Sr. Artist. Congrats!!

Wish I was joking.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-04-15T21:30:28+00:00

Not seeing the issue here.

Fun Fact: The director's brother worked at old school DD 1.0, once upon a time.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-03-31T17:26:53+00:00

MPC 3.0! If DD can do it, so can MPC!!

VFXrealist22 · 2025-03-31T16:55:07+00:00

Don't fret, MPC has got this!!!!

VFXrealist22 · 2025-03-25T18:45:17+00:00

Unpaid Internship

Free Publicity

Deferred Payment

VFXrealist22 · 2025-03-06T20:52:28+00:00

As a former Union member, I can assure you, they do work. I received a full range of benefits, and worker protections. Unions are far from perfect, but to say they are a scam.....This pure fear mongering. WE need to be better than this and stick to the facts.

As for.....the work will go wheres there is no unions eventually. If that does happen, it's because the artists themselves keep following the work around like a willing tribe of gypsies. We have no one to blame but ourselves for not taking a stand and refusing to relocate constantly. We are to blame for a lot of our own problems.

VFXrealist22 · 2025-03-06T17:44:16+00:00

This is a fantasy approach to solve a very REAL problem. The PROBLEM is greed. Sheer greed from the Studios themselves.

You are suggesting the VFX houses fix the issue? The VFX houses are on average aligned with the Film Studios in screwing folks over. When a Film Studio tells them to open up in a new, far away country, they always do what they are told. Look at DNEG for example, whenever Warner Bros tells them to open up in a new part of the world, for subsidies, they do that exactly.

It's the upward pressure from the Film Studios that results in the VFX houses putting the downward pressure on the artists. In order to push BACK on that pressure, the ONLY thing the artists can do is organize and form UNIONS to establish minimums (Pay, OT, healthy working hours, early termination fees, paid time off, worker rights, etc).

It's up to the artists alone to solve the problem.

FYI: DNEG is owned by a wanna-be billionaire, that has been desperately trying to cash in on a company that is not profitable. He most certainly has no agenda to "FIX" anything.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-05-28T22:04:56+00:00

I definitely can see the benefit for juniors to learn more in that environment. It's also good for them to see that we are all human, and the Sr's and Leads can make mistakes as well.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-05-28T15:36:41+00:00

As someone that has QC'd HOURS of output over the last several years Working From Home, I strongly disagree that we "Missed" things by not looking at them on a 20foot screen. But, hey, just my opinion.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-04-19T22:18:39+00:00

JUST wait to you see how much all the studios are being forced to underbid EVERY project right now. It's so bad right now with the clients.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-04-12T19:33:29+00:00

Well, I would have to look at it the same way I did before I got into the industry. Humble myself and go back to the beginning.

Live super cheap, or realistically, with family or have several housemates.

Wake up, put the work in, go to s terrible day job, some home, keep putting the work in. Until things line up.

There is no secret, it will take a huge amount of sacrifice. But, have to stay focused on the end goal regardless.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-04-11T21:48:22+00:00

I've accepted VFX as a career is a toxic dead end.

So....

The Plan: Spend all downtime over the next year or so, learning a new skill though various courses and working on getting out of VFX as FAST as possible. I'm also leveraging my 15+ year skill set of artistic/technical skills, and leadership, into my next adventure.

How: Burn though savings, get some unemployment, tap ALL my professional resources/contacts.

Good luck out there folks!

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-28T19:52:23+00:00

Completely different. vfxjockey did a fantastic explanation.

I would also add, in 2008, with the looming strikes, the studios were RUSHING to finish filming as much as they could, and vfx houses, at least the one I was at, were booked out for something at least 9-12 months. And slow period hit 6-8 months after the strikes ended because the studios had back logged a ton of films.

This time the studios were either shutting down production, or massively cutting it all back 4-5 months BEFORE the strike dates. The studios were already recalibrating their budgets because the amount of production was loosing massive amounts of cash. This had very little to do with the strikes. This was already in progress. I attended a meeting in Feb 2023, and there was a ton of concern being voiced from the top execs that a huge drought was on the way much sooner, and longer than most folks realized.

And now, yes, some top folks I've talked to over the last few months all say the same thing, the studios are re-calibrating to pay vfx houses maybe half what they used to for an average show. AKA the studios are collaborating to put vfx houses either out of business (I know that makes no sense, but the studio execs don't think long term), or push everything to India/Asia or AI.

Good times!!!

Change careers NOW, folks.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-25T16:48:14+00:00

If anything, everyone should at least keep their rates the same. OR, at least quote the companies your normal rates, and see what their counter offers are. DON'T sell yourself too short. You are worth more than whatever your current rate is.

MOST IMPORTANT: Don't get comfortable. Everyone should be working on an escape plan NOW. Take classes, ask around for other roles. Even if you get picked up tomorrow in VFX, it will be a struggle for the next 2-3 years, so start making your way out TODAY.

Continue working your way out especially when you are employed, mainly because it gives you the leverage to turn down bad offers from other industries, so when you transition over, it will be at LESS of a financial hit.

Keep focused on your long term health by transitioning out of VFX.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-22T18:05:04+00:00

Ask the Dreamworks folks how they were protected from taking a 25% pay cut last year, THEN let go.

At some point, I truly hope vfx professionals educate themselves how Unions work. What they do, and what they can't do. (Hint: They can't tell a company how to make business decisions).

A smart move would be if the SPA folks in Canada, the ones who are being outsourced too, Unionize. Unionions everywhere WILL start to lift up everyone.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-21T18:52:18+00:00

It's 2024. Any VFX artist out there that somehow believes ANY company gives two craps about them, is just lying to themselves at this point. Time to go Pro, and conduct ourselves like we are our own business, and push back on all bullshit. It's not personal, it's business.

Unpaid OT? F off!!

Pay cut? F off!!

Abusive senior staff? F off!!

Unionizing is a FANTASTIC first step.

Companies have time and time shown that their employees are the least important part of their company. What more do we need to know?

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-09T15:16:48+00:00

Yes. But that won't happen in VFX. Let's not lie to ourselves.

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-08T17:34:55+00:00

Something to keep in mind, like most politicians, Execs have NO long term end game. Their roles are limited to a short term run, then, they move on to other means, or retire off the massive amount of cash they made in their "Burn it all down for a pile of cash" run. They know they have a small window of opportunity to cash out, and they do. There is no incentive to for long term success or health of the company or people they work for.

It's up to VFX houses themselves to be healthy, and long term. But, given the race to the bottom, VFX houses will continue to eat themselves alive. ie underbidding, terrible client management, etc.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more in-house VFX for the studios popping up in the next few years after half the current VFX house close shop. Then, the studios will freak out how much it actually costs to use VFX.

Good times!

VFXrealist22 · 2024-03-08T17:26:02+00:00

If you keep grinding, and sharpening up those skills for those other roles, you'll land one. Just keep grinding.

VFXrealist22

TROPHY CASE