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

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.

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.  

As you know the "VEA[BC] Internship Program" completed its first run not long ago and we are please to announce the extent of its success.  Daphne de Jesus, our first VEA[BC] intern, has already been hired.  She is now employed at ATMOSPHERE as a junior compositor.  This if further proof that our coming together as an association has provided the contact point and support to our industry we hoped it would.  

Any Facilities, schools, members, or prospective interns, interested in taking part in future VEA[BC] Internship Programs should contact us at:
info@veabc.ca

The inaugural “VEA[BC] Internship Program” successfully finished on May 8th.   Daphne De Jesus, was select from all the applicants to take part by the Student Aid Committee.   Daphne, an Apprentice Member of the VEA[BC],  interned for three weeks, on two and a half episodes, at the In-House setup on the series “Supernatural”.

“She successfully took part in the pipeline...” and “… completed shots that went to air on time and with good nature. “

“ Daphne is a keen young woman who asked the right questions, fit in with crew and worked hard…” Daphne “…got a taste of the crazy conveyor belt of VFX Comping on a Television Show, on our final three episodes, and she survived in good spirits.”
The VEA[BC] will be looking to expand and improve upon the Internship Program in the future and we hope to continue to provide a chance to the young artists to cut their  teeth in production environment and gain experience.

Facilities and Educational Institutions interested in taking part in the Internship Program, or in helping the VEA[BC] establish a mentor program, are invited to contact the VEA[BC] is help us nu rture the future talent of our community.

http://www.DaphneDJ.com