Marvel Studios is under fire for its alleged treatment of visual effects artists.
According to Dhruv Govil, a VFX artist credited with contributing to Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming, working with the production company is notoriously difficult. "Working on Marvel shows is what pushed me to leave the VFX industry," Govil wrote. "They're a horrible client, and I've seen way too many colleagues break down after being overworked, while Marvel tightens the purse strings." It's currently unknown to which MCU series the artist is referring. At the time of writing, Marvel Studios and Disney have yet to respond to Govil's statements.
Govil's tweet is in response to a Reddit thread that similarly criticizes Marvel Studios' treatment of VFX workers. Initially written by u/Independent-Ad419, the post is filled with VFX artists sharing their negative experiences regarding their contributions to the MCU's ever-growing library of productions. Many commenters still active in the field note that they specifically request not to be assigned Marvel projects due to a variety of factors such as pay that's not equivalent to the effort placed into the work and unreasonable deadlines and turnaround times.
Marvel Battles VFX
These are sentiments previously shared by Todd Sheridan Perry, a VFX artist who worked on Black Panther. Perry stated that Marvel Studios rushed the development of the film's climactic final battle, resulting in a sequence that he felt was unsatisfying. "It falls squarely on the shoulders of studios that set a release date and then work backward from there," he said. "The time isn’t enough to live up to the ambition of the project."
While the MCU is known for featuring an extensive array of VFX technology, recent entries in the sprawling franchise have been criticized by fans who have been disappointed with the CGI. Most recently, the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was blasted by enthusiasts who felt that Jennifer Walters' (Tatiana Maslany) green alter-ego looked unconvincing. Many fans felt that Walters' transformation was not extensive enough to warrant a completely CGI take on the character, with some stating that She-Hulk should have been achieved through practical effects. Others believe that the effects present in the trailer were an early draft that will be polished before the series premieres on Aug. 17.
Despite the criticisms leveled at She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, VFX artists from the beloved Corridor Crew series on YouTube recently defended the series' effects. The team, all of whom are considered to be experts in the field, praised various shots from the series' trailer while also acknowledging that certain sequences did have the main character looking like Shrek. Despite this, Corridor Crew did specify that there weren't any incidents of what they'd describe as "garbage CGI" in She-Hulk's trailer.
Source: Twitter, Reddit