Unpaid Artists Podcast

[neonmarg]

We have had some serious server problems the last couple days and now a problem with the Unpaid Artists podcast - we are working to resolve both issues.

[skomrowski]

I have been itching to hear this interview.

Would it be possible to let us know when things are all fixed?

It's hard to get through my day without these great podcasts.

Thanks,
Steve
fxguide fan and student of fxphd

[johnmont]

Yep -- for sure...we'll post here and the RSS feed will be updated as well. You can subscribe via RSS on the podcast page so you'll get auto notified.

Sorry about the problems, but it was a hardware failure which kept causing corruption. Once everything is definitely stable, we'll upload to the server and make the podcast live.

Thanks for your understanding.

[johnmont]

Hey everyone -- we put the Unpaid Artists podcast back up and it is live on the podcast page....

Thanks again for your patience.

[sidewalksurfing]

wow, that is just fuckin unbelievable. over the holidays as well. it really takes the "ebeneezer scrooge" fable to a whole new super scumbag type realm. shame on Canada's government as well for not acting on behalf of their own artists. all we ever hear about in the states is how great Canada is for supporting the arts (unlike the US ). my heart really goes out to those who got robbed.

i love this aspect of the fxguide website as well - reporting on the state of the industry in addition to the technical genius featured here regularly.

thanks guys - keep up the great work. i'm forwarding this to everyone i know!

tim

suspect vfx & design

[BranDJ]

Great podcast!
Dave Rand touches on a lot of issues we need to keep on top of ...
How jobs are initially bid, who gets hired, what kind of contracts we sign, etc.

Most important point he made (besides the immediate issue of the Meteor artists getting paid already!) is that the role of the director is key. Getting good feedback from the right person is can make or break a project ...

Glad you're taking on the labor issues, I'm looking forward to the next editions.

[JBullard]

That was a nice interview. Thanks for that.

[neonmarg]

The New York Post has picked up the story. This is the first "mainstream" media we have seen run with the story. Here is the link.

[Fringe_dweller]

I have been following this story on several vfx forums and the readers always sigh and say "gee that terrible, I hope someone does something about this". Well,... that is the same passive 'I don't want to get involved' attitude that will put you in the same position that these poor workers got into because the company believed that the lowly post employees would be too afraid to make a fuss, and that it had a free license to cheat them out of their hard earned pay.

Everyone should post this on their blog, email their friends and co-workers, and absoutly send an email with these links to their local TV news or entertainment news dept. The more it gets into the main stream media the greater the rallying cry and more likely something will get done about this. Spread the word, because this could happen to you!

the links:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08012008...pay_122478.htm

http://www.fxguide.com/article488.html

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.c...-business.html

[neonmarg]

NY Post Page Six ran a short followup to the story this morning:

BRENDAN Fraser is trying to help nearly 100 digital-effects artists get paid for their work on "Journey to the Center of the Earth." We reported Friday the artists are owed nearly $1 million by a bankrupt subsidiary of Discovery Communications. Fraser's rep says he has been making calls to help them get paid. "Brendan just heard about this for the first time. He's on it. He thinks what happened is awful, and he's extremely upset," said the representative.

Dave tells me he has talked with Brendan a couple of times now and as mentioned in that quote from his representative he is upset and making calls on their behalf.

Jeff