Marvel VFX Workers Hope To Unionize In Historic Hollywood First

In the summer of 2022, it became widespread knowledge that Marvel Studios was playing swiftly and unfairly with its many, many visual effects teams. News spread that visual effects houses became engaged in bitter underbidding wars; various VFX vendors had to lowball Marvel in order to get the work they needed. What's more, many of Marvel's higher-ups infamously made a lot of last-minute requests of said VFX teams, leading to the coining of the phrase "being pixel-****ed." VFX artists were often asked to scrap work they had spent weeks on, only to redo everything at the last minute. This has become the accepted reason why the VFX on "Thor: Love and Thunder," and "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," had such cheap-looking visuals.

This is not unique to Marvel, either. Many VFX artists working for major studios have been pushed to their limits, fixing performances in post and doing giant amounts of work under the gun. 

According to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees website, the VFX industry hasn't been unionized since the 1970s. That, however, may soon change. According to a recent article in Vulture, on Monday, 50 members of on-set Marvel VFX teams filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for an election to be represented by IATSE. The election may be held as early as August 21, 2023. IATSE represents about 170,000 craftspeople and technicians, and the formation of a visual effects union would represent a sea change in an industry that relies embarrassingly heavily on VFX. The artists and technicians are seeking their due.

"For almost half a century, workers in the visual-effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their coworkers and crewmates have relied upon since the beginning of the Hollywood film industry," said Marvel organizer Mark Patch. "This is a historic first step for VFX workers coming together with a collective voice demanding respect for what we do."

The Vulture article noted that many film technicians, such as hair and makeup people, script supervisors, lighting technicians, and many others currently benefit from unions, are paid overtime, and are not forced to work under extreme rush conditions. Currently, VFX teams are not beholden to the same benefits. 

In recent years, Marvel has put their productions into overdrive, adding to their usual three-to-four features a year a slew of Disney+ TV shows. 2023 alone will see the release of "Secret Invasion," "Loki," "Echo," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," and "The Marvels." This has the studio pushing enormous amounts of work onto their VFX teams, leaving them overwhelmed. Marvel has been called a "bully" in this regard, pushing their workers far too hard, and then berating them for not being able to get quality work done in the tiny amount of time allotted. 

The push for a VFX union comes at a time when the WGA and SAG are both on strike, demanding better deals in regard to paltry royalties and encroaching potential replacement by AI. IATSE International president Matthew D. Loeb said, "We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of solidarity that's breaking down old barriers in the industry and proving we're all in this fight together."

The hope is that Marvel's union will inspire other VFX houses to unionize, ensuring fair treatment for overworked VFX artists everywhere.