Just a quick post today as this is a long weekend here in Australia and I have friends down to hit the pool and the BBQ. Let that be a lesson to us all: while our jobs are great fun, drinking beer and hanging out with your friends is more conducive to a rounded lifestyle than sitting in front of a computer screen all day!
Here are a couple of links to message board threads and interviews with some senior guys in the visual effects industry on how the whole system operates. If you are not yet in the industry, then this might be a bit of an eye opener. There has been growing discontent amongst workers over pay and conditions and it found an outlet around a year ago when Meteor Studios in Canada folded after completing work on “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 3D. The problem was that they folded owing most of their workers a lot of money . . . money that they are still fighting to receive.
I will edit this post later this week with some of my thoughts, but to get you started, check out the following:
Discussion thread with Dave Rand (one of the Meteor artists) on CG Talk
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=2&t=652434&highlight=meteor+studio
Podcast interviews hosted by FX Guide with Dave Rand (Jul 30 2008) the Animation Guild (Aug 27 2008).
http://www.fxguide.com/fxpodcast.html
Screencast interview with veteran matte painter Harrison Ellenshaw hosted by FX Guide (Dec 31 2008 – WARNING – LARGE FILE SIZE!)
http://www.fxguide.com/fxguidetv.html
Tags: Compositing, Industry, Ramblings