Marvel Studios, known for its VFX-heavy spectacles, is losing talent as VFX workers lose patience with the studio's behind-the-scenes treatment.
Vulture interviewed several VFX workers about their experiences, many of whom told stories about refusing to sign new contracts with Marvel after working on recent films or Disney+ shows, such as visual effects technician Mark Patch, who was hired to work on an upcoming Marvel project he's not allowed to disclose. While a typical sci-fi movie usually contains around 1600 VFX shots, Marvel Studios wanted a 10-hour show to have over 3,000 feature-quality shots on a shorter timeline, according to Patch. This would mean three straight months of 18-hour workdays without any days off.
Patch explained he left the contract after learning this. "They said, ‘Okay, well, do you want a job on our next show?' And I said, 'No.'" The owner of a VFX company, who wished to remain anonymous, also stated that he's consistently turning down Marvel because of their impossible demands.
Marvel Studios' Serious VFX Issues
On top of this, Marvel Studios often pays 20 percent below the industry standard. This eventually led to multiple VFX workers turning down Marvel projects after a Slack channel, where workers shared their yearly salaries from different studios, circulated among the industry. Marvel execs and producers reportedly sent emails questioning how they could stop workers from discussing pay rates, although Marvel Studios has declined to comment on any of these claims.
This is not the first time Marvel Studios has been accused of poor treatment of VFX workers. Last year, VFX artist Dhruv Govil made a public statement about his decision to leave the industry altogether after working on films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming. He called Marvel a "poor client" and said he witnessed several of his colleagues break down after being overworked while the studio "tightens their purse strings." Another report from around the same time claimed that Avengers: Endgame VFX artists weren't told that the movie's release was moved to an earlier date.
In response to the backlash, Marvel Studios is potentially considering its own in-house VFX studio. MCU projects often include work from several different VFX companies like Weta Digital and Framestore, alongside freelance workers. An in-house special effects department would end that without addressing what caused the backlash in the first place.
Source: Vulture