The global visual-effects community has been asking for better working conditions for years — even staging rallies at the 2013 and 2014 Academy Awards to raise awareness of the issue, but not resulting in an industry change.Now, U.K.-based trade union BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union) is taking formal steps to address this in Great Britain. It has been steadily growing its membership of London-based VFX artists (England’s capital is a major VFX destination) and recently reached out to Technicolor-owned VFX giant MPC, asking for trade-union recognition for the film compositing department at MPC’s London office (this would not pertain to MPC offices outside the U.K.), which is made up of an estimated 135 employees. That would mean that legally BECTU could bargain collectively on behalf of those employees on points including overtime pay.Read more
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