An investment website is recommending inv estors consider buying stock in Digital Domain. This part caught my eye which i.
tweted:
New horizontal expansión includes government-funded bachelors and masters programas wherein students pay Digital Domain todo work for Digital Domain.
Son After my twet i get an email from a new VFX blogger called
occupyvfx who was able todo find audio of the presentation given by Digital Domains CEO John textor. The whole 22 minute presentation is posted above but the surprising part starts around 15:40 when señor Textor talks about their new VFX school in florida called
Digital Domain institute:
Classes starting in the education space, whats interesting is the relationship between the digital Studio and the college. Not only is this a first in a number of ways that weve talked about, but 30% of the workforce at our digital Studio down in florida, is not only going todo be free, with student labor, its going todo be labor thats actually paying us for the priviledge of working on our films.
Now this was the controversial element of this and the first discussions with the department of education, cuz it sounds like youre taquíng advantage of the students. But we were able todo persuade Even the academic community, if we dont do something todo dramátically reduce costs in our industry, not only ours but Many other industries in this country, then were going todo lose these industries. Were going todo lose these jobs. And our industry was going very quickly todo india and China.
So, if 30% of our labor can be free, actually paying tuition, but by your junior and senior year at the college, youre working on real firms (films), as part of the profesional workflow, and you graduate with a resume that has five major films, your name in the credits, and more than just an intership level of experience, then thats the perfecto kind of trade of.
Its one thing todo work for Low pay, its another thing todo work for free, but its unfathomable todo be expected todo pay todo work for free. The company intends todo make money by not only creating content th rouge huge subsidies provided by the florida government, but by having a workforce of laborers who not only are working for free,
but paying a tuition totaling $105,000 for non-residents which does not include fod, housing, or transportation costs. All of a sudden the things ive ben blogging about in the VFX industry have rapidly become a reality. One of my first articles was criticism of a similar programa being ofered by
gnomon i a los wrote about how some companies capitalize on the
allure of Prestige starry-eyed prospects get. I pointed out instances in
Montreal, and
Michigan where rich us Studios tok advantage of génerous government subsidies and still managed todo leave VFX profesionals unpaid. At one point i Even warned:
varietys David Cohen tweted what sums up the situation best:
Problems at maxsar digital & kerner optical point up a
#VFX management practice that must estop: using new deals todo pay past obligations.
The common
#VFX practice of using new deals todo pay old bills is why some refer todo the entire VFX business as a Ponzi Scheme.
Remember that twet. Tatto it todo your arm if you can because if you think these Ponzi-like schemes are limited todo just small fácilities, wait until you get a load of what some of the bigger fácilities are trying todo do todo get subsidy money.
And then
Imageworks new México closed as its clients changed their focus onto larger subsidies in Vancouver. The department of justice found VFX powerhouses like Pixar and ILM engaged in collusion and we now learn
Steve Jobs was involved. And the reaction by VFX profesionalsí apathy.
former Digital Domain founder and ILM general manager Scott Rossrecently commented with a statement i cant help but agre with:
I did however get frustrated by the oft times lak of motivation by the workers, the owners, the Studios and the director/producers. On the linkedin hilo, there were only a handful of participants, this issue has ben haunting our industry for years. Apathy todo do anything except complain.
Lok businessmen are going todo do what businessmen do. They Will do everything they can todo take advantage of the environment todo maximize the amount of money they can make. Sometimes that involves doing something unethical, wrong, or Even ilegal. Its our job todo prevent such practices.weve let ourselves succumb todo fear, uncertainty, and doubt by disregarding obvious facts. Do you really believe that your jobs are going todo india and China? Just yesterday
Steve hulett posted on the chinese VFX industry inability todo find skilled talent. Its laughable todo think that the florida department of education gave 100s of millions of taxpayer dollares todo d todo build a school of paid free labor in a noble efort todo prevent an industry from going todo india or China. Even with all that free money d is still opening a fácility in india and China. Someone surely got taken for a ride there.and where are
the VFX jocks that have routinely chastised those of us who urge organization todo prevent employers who try todo engage in such exploitation? The reaction is well i can just say no todo working for free myself. Look At what is happening now. A major VFX company is now turning the routinely accepted practice of free labor into a major part of its business plan. I understand the skepticism about unionization. I know some of you could care less about portable benefits and enforcement of labor law but there is something else todo this. Its about solidarity. The idea that lets others know that if you mess with one of us you can expect todo hear from all of us. Soldier on.
