Congratulations to all our friends at Image Engine on their Academy Award Nomination for their amazing work on District 9.  Their talent and effort is bring attention to our industry and province.  Shawn Walsh and Peter Muyzers were Global News this morning and looked awesome.  WAY TO GO!!

Congratulations to all the folks at Anthem and their Gemini Win for:

Sanctuary -"The Five"

Lee Wilson, Caleb Ashmore, Matthew Belbin, Sebastien Bergeron, Ken Lee, Lionel Lim, Mladen Miholjcic, Les Quinn, Lisa Sepp-Willson, and Philippe Thibault

As it should, the unionization of VFX in BC has generated quite some email fervor.  We do not think that emails and threads are efficient in come to solutions.  To these ends the VEA has arranged a panel discussion where you can HEAR the facts and then ASK questions about it.  Click the Read More link below for more info. on this meeting.

We present this information to better inform you of what is going on in your community.  

Please review this PDF for the specifics of union representation of Visual Effects, CGI, and New Media as laid out in this memorandum which amends the "Master Agreement" to include these "side letters".  

I.A.T.S.E. 891 VFX Local offers VFX  professionals the following . . .

1. Overtime pay:
12 hour shifts not including meals (overtime starts after the first 12 hours)
2. Meal penalty:
Lunch is exactly 6 hours after you start and lasts for ½ hour. If you are forced to work beyond the predetermined lunch break you will receive compensation. Likewise, lunches that exceed the ½ hour allotment can result in punitive action by the employer.
3. Turn around:
This ensures that you will get your 10 hours off between each shift. If you work late into the evening, say midnight, you will start the next day at 10 am and work until 10:30 pm. Over time you can end up working night shifts if each night continues to push more and more. You are not entitled to refuse the overtime; it is expected within the collective agreement.
4. Training programs:
The union has up to 80K CDN for training within each department. As most VFX training costs in the neighbourhood of 20K a year it is hard to imagine what 80K across the entire department will do.
5. Guaranteed rate of pay:
These were established by the rates given to the Battle Star Gallactica crew. Within this model an artist will start at $1100.00 per week. Given the 12 hour work day, less your 2% dues to the union, that artist will make $15.40 per hour starting out. The rates of pay are locked in until the agreement is renegotiated in 2012. The highest rate of pay listed is $1442.00 per week.
6. Benefits:
Your employers contribute for each hour worked under the collective agreement. These hours are accumulated in your Hour Bank to provide you with coverage when you meet the eligibility requirements. You are able to maintain your coverage by self-payment during periods of unemployment if your hour bank drops below the required number of hours to provide monthly coverage.

I.A.T.S.E 891 VFX will cost each member . . .

1. Dues:
   2% of your earnings to pay for training (see above) and union rep salaries.
2. Fees:
   Approximately $300.00 CDN annually (including all processing fees etc).
        These are being waved at the moment but look for them in the future.

I.A.T.S.E 891 VFX will apply to the following categories…

1. Everyone!
I.A.T.S.E has stated that they intend to represent all on set personnel, in house artists, studio artists and production personnel, independents in every VFX category, and ultimately all “new media”.

With the success of our inaugural Internship program the VEA is making preparations for the second go of this important initiative.We are looking for Facilities, Animation Houses, and In-House setups to take part and help make the program an even bigger success this time around.

Testimonial:
~ The VEA Internship Program was an excellent platform for me to experience the television production pipeline. Working in Supernatural was a blast. The crew was very warm and welcoming, the work was an enjoyable challenge, and everyone was always there to answer any question I may have. I was able to exercise my skills in Compositing and some knowledge that I only knew as theory until this internship. It is a big surprise for me that I am the first intern for this program since many students in schools all over the Lower Mainland have been waiting for an enriching opportunity such as this. I believe that this internship program will continue to be a success, and its future interns will be accelerated into their dream jobs just as I have.
Daphne de Jesus ~
(Internship Participant & Compositor)

Take part as a Training Participant and:

- Be among the first to meet up-and-coming artists in a friendly and supportive environment without risk or commitment.

- Take a part in shaping professional etiquette and proper expectations in future artists.

- Get active in the growth of our community and betterment of our work force.

- Support your Professional Association and help strengthen its voice and function.

Please contact the VEA today and take part in the future of our community. We need you to make this work.

Friends and Colleagues in Visual Effects,

We are certain that you are all interested to find out if there was any information of note from last night at the 891 “special reception”.  

First let us reiterate that the VEA was not approached or contacted to attend by the union or anyone else.  We do not accept the personally addressed emails to individuals, who happen to be members of the association or its Board of Directors, as contact with the VEA or, indeed, the community at large.  Concerned people who were in attendance did direct the union representatives present at the reception to contact the VEA officially if they wanted to arrange a meeting; where VEA representatives would be happy to discuss, at length, and in detail, the impact and disposition of VEA members and impressions from our community as a whole.  

As it is Friday and we all have VFX day jobs we regret that a fully compiled update of the many different conversations and impressions from the informal evening will not be forth coming until next week.  Rest assured that there is information, and the union does intend to represent VFX.  We hope you understand the delay and will be patient until next week.  The union representatives themselves are leaving to an “International” meeting to discuss and strategize.

As a reminder and some informative reading:

The agreement that we feared and fought so hard to get considered during its drafting was entered into the Collective Bargain without our input or point of view factored.  Both the CFTPA and AMPTP have accepted it.  The union has stated that it is going to attempt enforcement of this.  That means that anyone hired by production or setting foot on a film set for more than a day or two regarding VFX, and they mean anyone, will, at least, have to be "Permittees" of the union; at least, this is their stated intent.  There is more to this process than just being a "Done Deal" as is, and the community still has a choice; though time to have an impact on the evolution of things dwindles.  Your board of directors will sift through the information and the impressions presented to it from the social event and provide the information next week after we have had the opportunity to meet and discuss it.

The Board of Directors for the VEA, as always, is working for the best outcome to your community and will present our recommendations on the topic to our members next week.  The VEA[BC] acts according to the dictates of our membership’s majority and we encourage the rest of our community to join now, in order to take part in deciding that direction.


Yours in Trust,

VEA[BC] Board of Directors.

MORE EMMY NOMINATIONS FOR BC!!

The VEA Congratulates “Anthem” and all the local talent involved in:
Sanctuary • Sanctuary For All • Syfy • Sanctuary Productions
Lee Wilson, Visual Effects Supervisor
Lisa Wilson, Visual Effects Producer
Sebastien Bergeron, Digital Effects Supervisor
Les Quinn, CG Supervisor
Matt Belbin, Visual Effects Coordinator
Mladden Miholjcic, CG Artist
Ken Lee, CG Artist
Philippe Thibault, Compositor
Lionel Lim, Compositor

The VEA Congratulates all the local talent involved in:
Battlestar Galactica • Daybreak (Part 2) • Syfy • R&D TV in association with Universal Cable Productions
Gary Hutzel, Visual Effects Supervisor
Michael Gibson, Visual Effects Producer
Jesse Toves, CGI Artist
Sean Jackson, CGI Artist
Kyle Toucher, CGI Artist
Pierre Drolet, CGI Modeler
Greg Behrens, Visual Effects Coordinator
Heather McAuliff, Visual Effects Compositor
Dave Morton, CGI Artist

You make us all proud!!!  Great work !!  

Friends and Colleagues in Visual Effects,
 
At this time some of you may have heard about invitations from I.A.T.S.E. local 891 to attend an informal “meet-and-greet”.  This is accurate.
   
RSVP notices have gone out announcing a:
 
 “…special reception on July 16, 2009, with representatives from our local and your colleagues from the CGI VFX Community”.
 
It appears that these invitations were sent, via email, to select individuals that directly fall under the threat of the newly signed Master Agreement.
 
 
The View of the VEA:
 
We are not surprised that I.A.T.S.E. chooses to hold a “special reception” rather that a formal informative meeting.  It follows with their trends to date.  We also notice that I.A.T.S.E. local 891 is still excluding the majority.  They did not contact the community but, instead, individuals.  There are newsgroups, facebook pages, a Society and an Association but the community is still ignored.
 
The email was sent to some of your fellow VEA Members as well as some of the Members of your Board of Directors.  The VEA notes that this was done as individuals, unofficially, and not as a community or as a formal invitation to the VEA[BC].  Some of those invited, however, will attend in order to gain better insight.  

The Visual Effects Association of BC is pleased to announce the launch of our website