The visual effects industry, and the movie magic blockbuster films spend huge shares of their budgets on, are being lured away from California and into two of the most expensive cities in the world. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/magazine/why-hollywoods-most-thrilling-scenes-are-now-orchestrated-thousands-of-miles-away.html?mwrsm=Facebook&_r=0
NYTimes: Why Hollywoods Most Thrilling Scenes Are Now Orchestrated Overseas
Clappy3D
#2
Interesting read, especially the bit about on the nomadic nature of being a 3d artist. I have already worked in three cities doing cg and am pretty certain there will be more in the future. It is cool from a life experience standpoint, but makes it really difficult to build a life for yourself.
I feel at that if you wanted to stay in the same city long term, you will at some point have to stop caring about what projects you work on and what level of studio you work at. If the tax credit in BC or Quebec were to disappear there are still enough homegrown studios to support a base of cg artists, but it certainly would not be the high level projects most artists want to work on.
California is a great example of the aftermath which will no doubt happen in other parts of the world as well.
kelgy
#3
The Wall Street corporations are destroying Western film culture.
Saw an article today on Cannes and Netflix and not a single filmmaker listed in the article was someone from the US or Western Europe. It was Korean, African, Japanese, with one famous Spanish filmmaker. None from England or even France.
The hope I have is that film can reboot outside of the monopoly but it seems difficult unless a real stable money generating business model can be developed.
There is definitely an audience for alternatives to globalist Wall Street films, but they will seek to prevent it I am sure–by buy outs or threats or whatever.
Money is clearly not the objective since they cancelled a Tim Allen show that was a ratings hit because of his personal views. And singers were afraid to perform at a political function because it might upset the corporate owners who control music and venue performance.
Very sick times for western arts and culture.
pixelforge
#4
ABC cancelled the Tim Allen show because they don’t own it. Most of the networks profit from shows comes from the long tail - selling streaming rights, DVDs, syndication, and so on. They stand to make a lot more money from a show with lower ratings but that they own all the rights to. It’s about money, not politics. Don’t buy in to his persecution complex.
kelgy
#5
Oh come on. It’s politics. These Wall Street companies have more money than some countries. They have the power of countries in some cases.
And their media outlets routinely lie.
I shouldnt even have to say: don’t trust bankers.
It was the subject of a Carlin skit “the Big Club.”
The Allen show is one example.
How about the Dixie Chicks manager saying anyone who performed at the inauguration better get a large paycheck since it would be their last? What exactly does that mean?
They are oppressive and controlling. Pretty scary to realize. It wouldnt be so bad if there were business opportunities for an alternative but they squeeze it dry.
This is why everyone raves about Asian films–Wall Street has killed western movie business.
As Carlin said–no choice.
I know for a fact the public didnt ask that the Kardashians be talked about. The media owners chose to promote them because they have the tastes of Wall Street bankers.
pixelforge
#6
Who needs facts when conspiracy theory is so much more satisfying? This really isn’t the place for political ranting so I’ll just leave you to your tinfoil hat and faraday cage.
kelgy
#7
Oh right right. The facts.
Let’s see–ABC is owned by Disney–the same company that forced a school to remove pictures of its characters (to be replaced by ones from Hanna-Barbera). Money they got. They could buy ten production companies if they want.
Clearly they decided Allen’s show wasn’t worth the same after 6 seasons–wonder why they didn’t make the same decision 2 or 3 years ago?
The same company that pushed the hardest to get the public domain gutted (even though Disney benefits from the public domain), then gave a big FU to a Japanese company by stealing ideas for the Lion King.
The same company that had various matriarchal leader characters that just happened to coincide with a certain election, then lied and claimed it replaced the old asian guy in Doctor Strange for some nonsense reason (not to mention, they erased the country of Tibet from existence so as not to offend some opinions).
If you think Wall Street bankers are wonderful folks you are free to be so naive–and thanks for verifying my point by not explaining what the Dixie Chicks manager meant.
Being afraid to speak your mind because one of the big 6 media companies may destroy your livelihood does not sound very democratic.
George Carlin’s The Big Club: