On January 14, 2011 IATSE 891 VFX in Vancouver held an event featuring Visual Effects artist David Rand. Regular listeners to the fxpodcast will recall we spoke to Rand in July of 2008 about artists in Montreal who worked on Journey to the Center of the Earth and did not get paid. In this most recent talk he provides more details on that situation as well as discussing a whole range of topics regarding the treatment of Visual Effects artists, Unions and the business side of Visual Effects. At the end of the session there was an excellent Question and Answer period with the audience of about 150 people.
Rand offers a unique perspective, having worked for five different Visual Effects companies that have closed. Prior to his career in Visual Effects he worked in both construction and the investment business. His passion for the industry as well as his first hand experience and frustration with seeing good shops close and hard working artists hurt makes for a great listen. Even though this event was organized by IATSE, Rand makes it clear that he is not a union organizer and that the unions still have to make their case to the artists.
The term “must listen” is perhaps overused but we sincerely recommend taking the time to listen to this podcast:
IATSE 891 VFX: A Conversation with Dave Rand