by k.k.
Well, things have been pretty bleak out here in LA for post-production digital FX folk. Many more facilities have been closed. More people competing for fewer jobs. The feeling is that soon the movie industry will no longer exist in LA. There is still TV but a lot of that has been outsourced too. What's left cannot begin to fill the void that has been created.
Over the years, more and more animation work has been sent to other countries such as Korea, India, China, and the Philippines. Cheap labor. Sweat shop conditions. This is now happening with digital FX work, as more workers in other countries are being trained how to use the software.
It is like global warming. Things started slow and just got worse and worse and now it's out of control and here we are the polar bears swimming and swimming looking for ice.
I have been in this industry for 20 years, plus change. I love many of my co-workers. We have gone loopy together working crazy long hours. We have worked in different facilities and in various configurations. We watched each other's backs and found each other jobs. We know things about each other no-one else knows. Or wants to know! I would die for some of these folks.We will never work together again. That hurts just as much if not more than losing the job.This is the part that is always ignored in the news. How severely people are affected.
Some are able to move out of state or out of the country to follow the work - Canada, New Zealand, etc. This contributes to the problem. It's saying: "We will do whatever you want". But others can't relocate-- they have kids, families, etc. Not a fair thing to ask of anyone, really.
A strong union or group of united unions would never have let this happen without a fight. This is what's so sad to me. That there was no fight.
Outsourcing. This has happened with so many industries in the US. This is why so many are unemployed. It's all about the corporate bottom line. This is not an economic issue. It is a moral and ethical one.
