Angry Public Responds to Digital Domain’s John Textor
There has been a flurry of discussion in the VFX industry around the recent revelation that Digital Domain CEO John Textor intends to fuel Tradition Studios, the company’s new feature animation studio in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with student labor.
The blog VFX Soldier has obtained a speech that Textor gave last November to investors in which he revealed how the company’s new animation school, Digital Domain Institute, will be integrated with the new studio. Textor told the audience:
“…what’s interesting is the relationship between the digital studio and the college. Not only is this a first in a number of ways that we’ve talked about, but 30% of the workforce at our digital studio down in Florida, is not only going to be free, with student labor, it’s going to be labor that’s actually paying us for the privilege of working on our films.
Now this was the controversial element of this and the first discussions with the Department of Education, ’cause it sounds like you’re taking advantage of the students. But we were able to persuade even the academic community, if we don’t do something to dramatically reduce costs in our industry, not only ours but many other industries in this country, then we’re going to lose these industries ... we’re going to lose these jobs. And our industry was going very quickly to India and China.”
AWN received a public reply to Textor from visual effects professional “tang1039,” that blasts the CEO for “Digital Domain’s unethical plans to turn a profit.” Read the full letter, below, and let us know what you think:
Mr. Textor, this is in response to the news that Digital Domain's new business plan is to now have up to 30% of their labor force be unpaid students.
I am a visual effects professional. I have been both an artist and a visual effects producer. I understand the economics of the visual effects industry and the extremely thin margin most visual effects studios operate on. I am empathetic to Digital Domain's situation. It has become increasingly difficult to turn a profit as costs rise and visual effects budgets are slashed.
As a visual effects producer, I cannot condone Digital Domain’s unethical plans to turn a profit. If the future of Digital Domain is students paying to work for your company, I never want to work with Digital Domain or anyone who continues to associate with Digital Domain. I will encourage every visual effects professional I meet, artist or producer, to boycott Digital Domain. And without visual effects professionals, what type of future does Digital Domain have?
Do you believe that students can create the same quality visual effects as professionals? Do you believe that our years of training, professional experience, and skill can be matched by a student? If Digital Domain follows through with this plan, then you will have to accept that untrained student work is the best you will ever get.
I will not work for you.
Those I know will not work for you.
No visual effects professional will work with you.
And do you really expect studios, directors, or producers to risk being boycotted as well for working with you?
As a lone individual, I know that I cannot damage your company. I know that I am just a cog in the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry.
Mr. Textor, when you attack all visual effects professionals’ ability to earn a living and provide for our families, you no longer have one cog to worry about, you should be worried about the entire machine crashing.
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This article should have been proof read before before being published - specifically the several missing start and end quotes in the "quoted" part of the article.
That's the first intelligence response I've seen regarding this matter thus far.
Realize that when you are calling for a boycott of a company, you are punishing the 1000 employees that are not John Textor even more than the man you dislike.
BOYCOTT DIGITAL DOMAIN, TRADITION STUDIOS.... AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FSU
"Angry public?" That's an angry VFX professional. Angry public would be when the waitress at IHOP says, "What's with that guy Textor at Digital Domain? What a jerk." Just wanted to be clear on that before we get started here. I don't disagree with tang1039. I think what John Textor is proposing is not in the interests of the industry and certainly isn't going to make it easy to maintain the quality that DD has become know for. On the other hand, if labor is free and you've got enough of them working, you keep giving them notes and have then do it over and over and over until it reaches an acceptable level. I can see a few ways to make his proposal work and maintain the quality. Or at least minimize the impact on quality. It won't be completely free and that kind of tutoring takes a toll on the Supervisors who will be overseeing the newbies, but it to could be made to work. I don't like the idea, but I understand it. Okay, get it out of you system. Call me names. Call me a sell out. FIne. Now I can get to my point. This thing about this letter that really bothers me is the signature at the bottom. Or rather lack there of. Maybe I'm out of touch. Maybe the identity of tang1039 is well known to everyone. Somehow I suspect that isn't the case. I sympathize and even agree with some of what tang says, but come on man, if you'e going to take a stand like that and call the peasants to revolt, sign your name to it. When you make statement as bald and forceful as you did and then don't sign it, your credibility isn't is really on firm ground. This is exactly why we never get anywhere when things like this happen. I could go on, but I've probably pissed off enough people. Really what it gets down to is this. John Textor's plan represents the worst that this industry can be. It's just pure corporate thinking with no room left over for love of the craft or respect for the artists. Tang1039's letter in response is also pretty typical. It's a little more forceful than most and for that I give tang1039 some credit. But until some serious players on the creative side of VFX step up and put their names out there and say, "We're not going to put up with the kind of crap," and DD finds that they can't bring in the high level VFX Sups and Animation Directors the movie Producers and Directors want to work with, the John Textor's of the world are are going to keep rolling right along.
Ouch.
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