Given the severity of the ongoing strikes, there are other branches of entertainment that are beginning to feel the pressure. The studios responsible for creating visual effects, crafting explosions, and environments are facing some significant issues. How one of the main houses is choosing to handle this is stoking significant rage. DNEG, the VFX studio behind recent hits such as “Oppenheimer” and “Dune” is forcing employees into an impossible situation. Either take a 20-25% pay cut, or enter into a suspicious loan program. Worse still, employees have only 11 days to decide, or have their contracts terminated.
This has left DNEG workers upset and outraged, feeling unfairly coerced into a snap decision that could affect their livelihoods. The union for VFX and animation in the UK, Bectu, is meeting over an emergency Zoom call to discuss options. Bectu says it is “illegal to impose a paycut without consent.” DNEG did the same thing during the pandemic. While that was noted as responsible for “saving the company money and jobs,” this circumstance is different.
Workers Angry And Confused
One particularly disgruntled employee spoke out against the movie, stating everyone at the VFX house are “super pissed off.” “We feel like DNEG is not offering anything to compensate but are instead pushing all the weight and risk on the employee,” the person said. DNEG is being accused of exploiting their workers, with a move that can’t simply be boiled down to times being difficult.
Phillipa Childs, Head of Bectu, implies DNEG is forcing its workers to bear the brunt of their money problems; something they should take greater responsibility for without harming their workforce. She and others have encouraged “DNEG to engage with us to ensure that their employees’ concerns are heard.” Between the recent layoffs and this ultimatum, DNEG has to answer for a few things.
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