Oscars - VFX protest

I went into the vfx industry in the late 70's right after the first Star Wars. The then very small number of us who knew how to do the magic were gods! Salaries were huge for the day. One could write one's own ticket. Then as more and more people came into it salaries gradually declined, bidding gradually became more aggressive, and so on. By the early 90's it was becoming very hard to sustain a special effects company based on profitability. By about 2000, most companies that had survived were paying of deficits incurred from the previous project with proceeds from the next.

The real killer was the democratization brought on by computer graphics, where the capital tools of the trade were within the reach of anybody. And it seems like almost everybody reached.

The same kind of democratization is now a strong force within the mainstream movie industry. Just look at these forums! For every skilled young film maker in 1978, there are now thousands! I feel a real sense of sorrow for all the young kids I see with their eyes set on cinema. It's gonna be tough, and merely possessing enormous skill and talent is no longer enough in its own right. Too many skilled people reduces everybody to migrant worker status. It's the "Grapes of Wrath" scenario. The movie industry will never again be anything like it was just a couple decades ago. The cinematic idyll has been loved to death. If you want to make a splash in the Movies, you're gonna have to completely reinvent the industry with a whole new paradigm. Or go into providing hard-to-make tools, which about the only place in filmdom where you can significant money right now.

PS, the guy didn't get cut off because of some evil plot. He went overtime. Unless you're best director, or best actor, or best picture, you get cut off when the big clock dial facing you from the audience goes past 40 seconds. The Academy goes to great lengths to brief people on this, including numerous letters and even a "how-to" luncheon, but sometimes it just doesn't take.
 
Bill T. said:
For every skilled young film maker in 1978, there are now thousands!
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I've been on these (and other) forums awhile. I don't think there are thousands of skilled makers. Just thousands that label themselves as that. It makes me sad that the Writing / Directing / Cinematography sections are practically vacant on this site compared to the DSLR sections.

Since I went through film school and have heavily researched / networked online and at other schools... I can honestly say - as rude as it sounds - there are only a handful of young people doing it right.

Bill T. said:
I feel a real sense of sorrow for all the young kids I see with their eyes set on cinema. It's gonna be tough, and merely possessing enormous skill and talent is no longer enough in its own right. Too many skilled people reduces everybody to migrant worker status. It's the "Grapes of Wrath" scenario.
Click to expand...
Don't feel sorry for us! I have relatives complaining about how Obamacare is going to cut into the pockets of Doctors. Well, it's a shame those doctors went into their career for a paycheck instead of their own personal happiness and helping others.

Anyone who deserves to be in cinema will do it whatever the cost. We'll continue getting weekend warriors who maintain film as a hobby and churn out a feature every few years in their hometown - people who ignore the "industry route." I mean... Chris Nolan, Kevin Smith, and probably more directors than I can name did this. Do whatever you do in life for love, not money!

Bill T. said:
The movie industry will never again be anything like it was just a couple decades ago.
Click to expand...
I believe this is relevant to every industry ever. I don't mean to be rude, but I do think the extra nostalgia from elders in the film industry is because we're story tellers! Of course we'd tell stories of the golden age we grew up through!

However, I do feel that film is the superior capture format both visually and artistically... It forces you to plan and think - something that the DSLR's clearly lack.

Bill T. said:
If you want to make a splash in the Movies, you're gonna have to completely reinvent the industry with a whole new paradigm. Or go into providing hard-to-make tools, which about the only place in filmdom where you can significant money right now.
Click to expand...
This reminds me of the creator of Wikipedia. He's essentially broke. I think he meant to make a profit, but alas the concept of what he designed cannot work when he cuts a profit and the thousands who write the articles do not.

People with ($)billions or connections will create cameras or programs and I'm okay with that. I'll go back to my paper, pencil, and mind. In the end, money cannot buy creativity and story. And story is king. Beyond all technology, pixels, formats, etc. Story is what matters.

I'm sorry if my reply seems rude. I am merely expressing my opinion, of course. Yes, it's a shame I can't expect as easy of a road or one as high paying as previous filmmakers... But don't pity a young filmmaker. I don't pity a young doctor. Only pity the person who does not have a passion for their life.
 
Since I went through film school and have heavily researched / networked online and at other schools... I can honestly say - as rude as it sounds - there are only a handful of young people doing it right.
AMEN
 
Anyone who deserves to be in cinema will do it whatever the cost. We'll continue getting weekend warriors who maintain film as a hobby and churn out a feature every few years in their hometown - people who ignore the "industry route." I mean... Chris Nolan, Kevin Smith, and probably more directors than I can name did this. Do whatever you do in life for love, not money!

I believe this is relevant to every industry ever. I don't mean to be rude, but I do think the extra nostalgia from elders in the film industry is because we're story tellers! Of course we'd tell stories of the golden age we grew up through!

However, I do feel that film is the superior capture format both visually and artistically... It forces you to plan and think - something that the DSLR's clearly lack.

This reminds me of the creator of Wikipedia. He's essentially broke. I think he meant to make a profit, but alas the concept of what he designed cannot work when he cuts a profit and the thousands who write the articles do not.

People with ($)billions or connections will create cameras or programs and I'm okay with that. I'll go back to my paper, pencil, and mind. In the end, money cannot buy creativity and story. And story is king. Beyond all technology, pixels, formats, etc. Story is what matters


Wow, well said. Hats off!
 
I've seen this shift in 20 years. It's gotten so cheap that anyone can be a 'filmmaker' (of sorts). Cheap cameras, cheap computers and hacked software and voila! Just like in the commercial and wedding video production. Floods of people keep trying it.
I feel very fortunate to be alive and able during this time, though. For when I was a teen it could only be a dream because it all cost so much. Now lots of tools are available.
With less than $20,000 of software and a powerful workstation, one can create things that only major Hollywood studios could not all that long ago. Even with cheap cameras and tons of people trying to do it, you can't buy or shortcut to get talent and experience. I only meet a few people that are actually good at it.
 
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