BECTU is encouraging all VFX workers to sign the fair credits petition BECTU has today launched a campaign calling for every visual effects (VFX) artist working on motion pictures and TV dramas to receive a credit for their contribution to the work.

The union has published a petition aimed at the CEOs of the major motion picture studios, asking them to resolve the widespread problem surrounding the lack of recognition granted to VFX workers. BECTU has dubbed the treatment of VFX workers as a particularly 'cruel cut'.

Creative workers short changed

Paul Evans, BECTU assistant national secretary, explained:

“For too long now, visual effects artists and facilities have been getting short changed by the film studios on credits. Again and again, the big studios have refused to credit all the people working on the visual effects for their films.



"Talented visual effects professionals go uncredited even though they may end up working for months, or even years, on these visually stunning and astonishingly profitable films.



"This goes to the heart of the contribution creative workers make to film. Imagine the Planet of the Apes without the apes, or the Jungle Book with no jungle, and it's clear what we're talking about."



"Visual effects artists bring our favourite movies to life and their contribution gets more and more fundamental to the industry with every new blockbuster movie.”

Less than 50% credited

Often, less than half of the people who worked on the visual effects of a film will get a mention in the credits - even on many VFX blockbusters. In the past twelve months, UK VFX artists working on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Star Trek Beyond have been added to the list of workers who haven’t had their work properly recognised.

A crew of 600 worked on Fantastic Beasts at lead vendor Double Negative. However, fewer than half – 277 – were finally given a credit. Similarly, when Star Trek Beyond was released in July 2016, the vast majority of artists who worked on the film were refused a credit. A little over 300 names, split between London, Vancouver, Singapore and Mumbai, were credited, despite the fact that nearly 900 artists actually worked on the film.

Evans continued:



“This is a particularly cruel cut. VFX artists are often asked to work long hours of unpaid overtime, coming in at weekends and pulling shifts that are legally questionable – and they are persuaded to do this because they believe that having a credit for a film like Star Trek Beyond will open doors for them and look great on their CV.”

Film studios urged to step up

In this modern digital era of filmmaking, the cost of adding more names is inconsequential to the overall budget and the people in charge at the major film studios need to step up and play fair by the people who do so much to make their movies successful.



Evans added:



“When we spoke to colleagues in the US about this issue, they had a clear explanation for why VFX artists are overlooked when every other part of the film crew get prominent credits to reflect their contribution. We were told that VFX is easy to side-line because artists are less likely to be unionised than other craft areas.



"If BECTU was recognised in the UK, we would be pushing to ensure that VFX houses would be insisting on full credits for all of their workers as part of the contract that they sign with the major motion picture studios. The studios would not be refusing a credit to a sector that was unionised and we intend to fix that.



"In the meantime, we are asking every VFX artist to sign our petition to the CEOs of the major motion picture studios. If the industry is united in condemning every new refusal to give credit where it is due, we hope that it will become a reputational risk that the studios will avoid in future.”



Editors note: BECTU, the union for everyone working in visual effects is pushing for the right to a credit to be a mandatory part of new contracts. It's time for the big movie studios to give credit where credit's due and respect VFX. The petition that the union has launched can be seen here:



Sign the petition.

The petition has been addressed to the following named individuals:



• Jim Gianopulos - Chair and CEO of Paramount Pictures

• Anthony Vinciquerra - Chair and CEO of Sony Pictures

• Donna Langley - Chair of Universal Pictures

• Sean Bailey - President of Motion Picture Production, Walt Disney Pictures

• Kevin Tsujihara - Chair and CEO, Warner Bros Pictures

• Stacey Snider - Chair and CEO of 20th Century Fox.



Useful links:



• No Credit? Star Trek’s Beyond leaves two-thirds of VFX Artists off end Credits.

• Fantastic Beasts but where to find Crew Credits?



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