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| Ang Lee under fire from visual effects artists over Life of Pi speech | Ang Lee under fire from visual effects artists over Life of Pi speech |
| (2 months later) | |
| Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has been attacked by members of the VFX (visual effects) industry for his failure to recognise their contribution to the success of his film Life of Pi. | Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has been attacked by members of the VFX (visual effects) industry for his failure to recognise their contribution to the success of his film Life of Pi. |
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| Lee won the Academy Award for best director for Life of Pi on Sunday, but has been criticised for omitting to acknowledge in his acceptance speech the VFX team who worked on the effects-heavy adaptation of Yann Martel's novel. | Lee won the Academy Award for best director for Life of Pi on Sunday, but has been criticised for omitting to acknowledge in his acceptance speech the VFX team who worked on the effects-heavy adaptation of Yann Martel's novel. |
| The protest has been led by Bruce Branit, a visual effects artist on a string of high-profile TV shows such as Star Trek: Voyager and Lost, who accused Lee (as well as his Oscar-winning cinematographer, Claudio Miranda) of ingratitude in a robust Facebook post. | The protest has been led by Bruce Branit, a visual effects artist on a string of high-profile TV shows such as Star Trek: Voyager and Lost, who accused Lee (as well as his Oscar-winning cinematographer, Claudio Miranda) of ingratitude in a robust Facebook post. |
"Neither Ang nor his winning cinematographer, Claudio Miranda felt they needed to thank or even mention the VFX artists who made the sky, the ocean, the ship, the island, the meerkats and oh yeah … the tiger. Ang thanked the crew, the actors, his agent, his lawyer and the entire country of Taiwan right down to the team that built the wave-pool on the soundstage where Pi was shot. But failed to mention 100s of artists who made not only the main character of the tiger, but replaced that pool, making it look like a real ocean for 80% of his movie." | "Neither Ang nor his winning cinematographer, Claudio Miranda felt they needed to thank or even mention the VFX artists who made the sky, the ocean, the ship, the island, the meerkats and oh yeah … the tiger. Ang thanked the crew, the actors, his agent, his lawyer and the entire country of Taiwan right down to the team that built the wave-pool on the soundstage where Pi was shot. But failed to mention 100s of artists who made not only the main character of the tiger, but replaced that pool, making it look like a real ocean for 80% of his movie." |
| Branit's post comes on the back of increasing restlessness in the VFX sector, which saw a 450-strong protest outside the Oscar ceremony and a plane buzz the red carpet towing the slogan "Box Office + Bankrupt = Visual Effects vfxunion.com". | Branit's post comes on the back of increasing restlessness in the VFX sector, which saw a 450-strong protest outside the Oscar ceremony and a plane buzz the red carpet towing the slogan "Box Office + Bankrupt = Visual Effects vfxunion.com". |
| Branit also pointed out that Lee in recent weeks had complained about the cost of VFX, without suggesting similar cutbacks in actor and director pay: "Ang Lee has not discussed how actors' salaries could be cheaper, or how director or producer's percentages could be limited. Yet it is valid to argue that visual effect played an equal if not greater role in making the movie Ang wanted to make." | Branit also pointed out that Lee in recent weeks had complained about the cost of VFX, without suggesting similar cutbacks in actor and director pay: "Ang Lee has not discussed how actors' salaries could be cheaper, or how director or producer's percentages could be limited. Yet it is valid to argue that visual effect played an equal if not greater role in making the movie Ang wanted to make." |
| Of particular concern is the recent Chapter 11 bankrupcty of Life of Pi's effects house Rhythm & Hues – but as evidenced in an open letter published two years ago by Eric Roth, executive director of the Visual Effects Society, resentment has been building for a considerable time in the VFX community, which unlike other areas of the film industry remains largely unregulated and non-unionised, over what it sees as unfair distribution of profits. | Of particular concern is the recent Chapter 11 bankrupcty of Life of Pi's effects house Rhythm & Hues – but as evidenced in an open letter published two years ago by Eric Roth, executive director of the Visual Effects Society, resentment has been building for a considerable time in the VFX community, which unlike other areas of the film industry remains largely unregulated and non-unionised, over what it sees as unfair distribution of profits. |
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