For anyone considering visual effects as a career and for those already working in the industry- please check out this great article by Jeff Heusser at fxGuide: VFX in Los Angeles – 100 hour weeks & homeless
Puts things in perspective.
This is what our industry has come to. We who make the magic from nothing and we who generate the major profits for the studios. The studios have commoditized us and shipped jobs around the world to save pennies. Those who are experienced, talented and skilled are putting in long hours and are being forced to move to other locations around the world, away from their family and homes.
Those just starting out are being fleeced by anyone and everyone selling them on this fictional dream of fame, fortune and creative riches.
For profit schools are multiplying at an incredible rate and being funded by money machines such as Goldman Sachs to sell dreams to people, young and old. The problem is those dreams don't exist. These schools are churning out thousands of graduates to an industry without jobs. The only selection process at these types of schools is can you pay or can you sign this student loan from the government. Your aptitude and your potential talent is never evaluated. Guidance counselors never reveal the reality of the industry you're getting into or your odds. In most cases these diploma mill types of schools teach very little of value and even those that do now have cranked out so many others it doesn't matter. It's hard to stand out and even when you do it's hard to get a job. When you do get a job you will likely be working long hours and then have to move to find your next project.
All of these students are eager to go into tens of thousands of debt. They are eager to work for free or close to free. They are eager to be exploited, to lower their value and the value of everyone else in the future, to the detriment of their real future.
The student loan bubble is the next big bubble to burst with over $1 trillion in student loans here in the US.
Many coming to this website are searching for the salary of visual effects supervisors and other positions, eager to learn about making a fortune without pausing on some of the more sobering information.
Those just considering visual effects industry as a career, save yourself. Go into something with a future. Visual effects are being used more than they ever have (every film from hollywood uses vfx and most independents) and the technical and creative challenges are increasing but the business aspects and control of the industry have turned the love of what we do into a mess. It certainly pains me to write this as someone who has been doing this a long time. Visual effects companies are collapsing while others fiddle.
Many in the industry, even those with experience, are bailing as quickly as they can. And with a visual effects only skill set, there's very few places you can work. There are few other industries that can take people who do animation, lighting, rendering, modeling, compositing, etc. Make sure if you do go to school you gain a broader base of knowledge than just visual effects.
There are plenty of visual effects companies around the world that have no problems exploiting recent graduates who have already been exploited and fleeced from the schools they attended. Overtime is the norm. Companies encourage it, especially since it hides the sins of poor management, and it is now such a mantra for workers that they accept it as the norm themselves.
The visual effects companies who take on many of these new graduates do so at the expense of other, more experienced workers. And why do they do it? False economics. They think that hiring people at a lower wage is how they can save money. The truth is the experienced worker is more productive, the more likely to solve the problems, and the one who can make sure the project gets done in the compressed time schedule. New people should be brought in as needed and mentored so they have a future. In an industry where experienced people are being dumped for the cheaper, inexperienced people - what do people starting a career in this industry think will be happening to them once they become experienced? It's an endless cycle.
With so many visual effects graduates eager to be exploited and companies willing to exploit them, the visual effects industry is dissolving from the bottom while pressure and other problems are dissolving the top. The end result will be an empty hull.
Now there are thousands and thousands of film school graduates every year as well. Likely many times the number of visual effects graduates. Why isn't the rest of the film industry having these same problems? Well the studios are smart enough not to hire too many inexperienced people. They know the value of experience. And everyone else working in live action filmmaking is covered by a union. This provides the studios with the experienced people they need and also protect the crews from being exploited. Visual effects is the only group not covered by a union and thus is able to be easily exploited.
See any article on the right column under the State of the Industry
Updated 6-11-2013
I'll repeat some of the links here from the schools post since not everyone follows the links and I've added many more since there seems to be some confusion regarding this issue.
Last night was a great visual effects event. Visual Effects World Wide Town Hall - Pi Day. A great many people worked incredibly hard to pull this off in the time available. (Big thank you to all of them) We had abut 250 in Los Angeles where the event was held (Gnomon) and interconnected to New Zealand, the San Francisco Bay Area, Vancouver and Austin. I touched on this yesterday and here's the website with more info of the things going on. See vfxsoldier and links on upper right for additional info. Below is the script notes I started with for my talk. I wasn't able to cover everything in the time provided and since I was free speaking most of it, I probably lost a few things along the way. I've posted a link to the YouTube of the talks and discussions at the end. (And thanks for all the great responses and feedback. Let's keep the discussions going and lets implement some solutions ). Suggested music for reading Eye of the Tiger by Survivor Waiting on the world to change by Jon Mayer Changes by David Bowie A change is going to come by Sam Cooke
------
I’m Scott Squires, started on Close Encounters, started up and ran Dream Quest for a few years, was at ILM for 20 years and I run the Effects Corner blog.
I am a VES Board member but today I’m speaking as an individual,
This event is aimed at all VFX professional worldwide. Film, TV, Commercials, and similar art forms
Each year we as the vfx community pushes the boundaries of what we can do. We develop the art, skills and technology to do more and more. This last year we have seen incredible work. Our efforts have allowed filmmakers to tell any story. We have made the impossible, possible. We are involved in not only most Hollywood films but also almost every form of moving image content. All films that were up for best picture this year used visual effects. The studios are reaping large benefits from our talents. We should be celebrating instead we find ourselves scrambling for coins in the gutter.
We have allowed visual effects to NOT be considered for creativity, collaborative and quality. We have allowed the discussion to simply become a decision of costs.
Films do not hire the key creative’s based on how inexpensive they are.
With the bankruptcies of R&H and DD and closing of other companies I the last 6 months, it’s clear that our industry is out of balance.
Major Problems
Subsidies
These are basically government funded corporate subsidies for select industries in select areas. Politicians are controlling who wins and who loses. The evolution of companies is no longer based on creativity, collaboration, quality and efficiencies. No matter how great a company is they can’t compete with a 50% or more discount funded by the deep pockets of governments. Subsidies do not create jobs, they simply move them. VFX companies are forced to setup expensive branches in locations with subsidies. The vfx professional is now forced to move from place to place like a migrant worker. We still work in offices and the moves are only based on these politics.
The taxpayers in those areas are paying a high price. Louisiana recently discovered that they make less than 16 cents for every dollar spent, even factoring the intangibles and the multiplier effect. No unbiased report I’ve seen has shown any benefits to the taxpayers in those areas.
Building an industry based on subsidies means building it on a house of cards, ready to collapse when the subsides go away. And they will go away. The subsidies are one of the next bubbles to pop. They are temporarily. Film subsidies require constant feeding.
Another location will provide better subsidies or your subsidies will go away. The BC film industry is seeing that with work now going to Ontario and Quebec. UK companies are now setting up branches in Montreal.
If tomorrow Antarctica announced a 70% subsidy, the studios would be on the phone to all vfx companies and the vfx companies would be scrambling to setup in Antarctica and requiring many employees to pickup and move if they expect to keep working. 6 Months later a small island in the pacific will offer more and the cycle will repeat itself. This is ridiculous and as insane as it sounds. Yet this is what is happening. You can see a time lapse version playing out in the US. Michigan was top dog a short while ago. They are no longer top dog and now have shutters studios and businesses simply because they falsely believed they were building an industry.
Everyone in visual effects is affected by the subsidies.
Too much competition
The amount of visual effects in films and other entertainment has exploded in recent years. But there is still too much competition. The subsidies have caused a distortion in evolution. Companies are trying to get a small profit from the projects. The companies have no leverage due to this imbalance. Large companies, even in subsidize areas, are underbidding the actual cost of the projects. Anybody with common sense can see that doing projects in the red will end in the company going out of business.
Broken business model
The visual effects business model is a fixed bid. A fixed bid for a creative process that starts as simply vague writings and has a fixed deadline. We are the only industry in the world that operates this way for a process with so many unknowns and so many changes, large and small. Construction requires blueprints and selections. Any changes are billed and deadlines are extended. The fixed bid is an insane way to work and results in companies going out of business. And it should be pointed out that when these companies go out of business they leave a trail of unpaid workers. Because at the end of the day the workers bear the brunt of all of this. It’s not the studios or the companies.
Massive Overtime
Unions fought and won to help make a 40-hour week standard. Most countries have a maximum allowable number of hours a person can work. The Fair Trade Association that Apple, HP and other companies belong to that covers China and other countries has a cap of 60 hours. In visual effects many of us start at this number of hours and increase from there. As vfx professional we’ve already exceeded what both many countries and associations allow. In there UK they have a maximum hours of 48. But vfx workers are required to sign a waver when they start. As overtime goes up, productivity goes down. There are now health studies clearly showing the impact to workers health when worked over 50 hours. Why on earth are we working the hours we’re working.
Unpaid overtime
Many putting in these hours are doing so unpaid. Many vfx companies are breaking labor laws by misclassifying people, making workers exempt from overtime and other questionable activities. In Vancouver they are classifying people as technicians to get around overtime laws. In the UK there are no requirements for overtime rates so many are simply given a standard day pay, if anything at all.
Health Care
This is the only US centric problem I will mention. Health care here is very expensive. Each new company you work for requires 3 months before coverage. If you work shorter than that then you will have to buy your own. That is one of the reasons why all other film crewmembers are union members, including writers and directors. Because they offer continuous benefits as crewmembers move between projects.
Problem Summary
There are plenty of other problems but we need to focus on these first.
The visual effects industry is like large ship that’s burning, sinking and headed towards a waterfall. It would make a great movie but we are all on it. All of us. There are some on the ship that see no problems, some that simply want to hold on and hope for the best or hope that someone else will come to the rescue, others argue about which to fix first and of course there are plenty that just complain without solutions.
Solutions
So lets talk about the possible solutions
Subsidies Vxfsoldier has started a legal team looking at the issue of subsidies under the World Trade Organization, which technically lists these as illegal under their guidelines. But beyond this there is little we as individuals can do solve this problem due to the politics and the deep pockets of lobbyists.
Making our own content
Many have suggested that vfx companies make their own content. That this would provide an alternate revenue stream that would help cover costs. But being a content company is a different business than being a vfx service company. Some vfx companies have attempted this with varied degrees of success. It is certainly worth exploring but bare in mind large amounts of money have to be obtained and invested. It would require companies to invest large sums themselves to create the concepts, hire writers and directors as necessary. And even once this has been done there is no guarantee of success. Even the large animation studios are not always successful at doing so. If your company was successful in create such content, would you even bother being a vfx service anymore? Especially if the vfx business was still broken.
Residuals and royalties
The other notion is that vfx company’s share back ends participation. Perhaps even the workers. If you think getting more credits is hard, try to get a valid back end. There are some vfx companies that have done so with varying success. But this usually requires the vfx company to bankroll a certain amount of their own production for which they require deep pockets. And what happens if these projects are unsuccessful or make no return on investment. How deep are the pockets of the companies, especially since they work on very low profits currently.
Keep in mind people such as writers get residuals based on their union coverage. Most film crews get residuals in the form of health and benefit fund payments. When you buy a DVD a certain % goes into that fund. So again, vfx workers are the odd man out with no participation in the profits of the projects.
Working for the studios
The studios could simply employ vfx workers directly, just like they do film crews. This is the way it used to be done. There would be a direct connection between decisions the director makes and the cost, just like there is for the rest of the movie. This isn’t as far-fetched or as impossible as it sounds. There would be some benefits to workers and could be an advantage to the studios and directors as well if it were done right. But the vfx companies today offer the studios the ability to take all risks over themselves and the vfx companies also offer doing the work below costs. Hard to convince a studio to do their own when others are more eager to fund their projects and take on the risks.
Post-production supervision
A director is given so many days to shoot live action. The producer, line producer and 1st AD all encourage and guide the director to shoot their moving in the allotted time. They have to shoot so many setups a day to meet their schedule. A director is less likely to do 100 takes or change their mind after shooting a setup or ask for a lot of reshoots because they have a limited time and they have others who keep them on track. Once into post-production there is no one working with the director to keep them on track. Because the vfx is done by an outside company that may not charge for all changes and overages, the changes continue. As these changes continue workers work more overtime and the company loses more money. If the studios had a strong post-production person and treated visual effects more like live action that would stop,
Global working conditions
Just like the Fair Trade Associations and other organizations mandate a specific code of conduct for companies; there could be a code of conduct for vfx companies to adhere to if they wished. Those who do so would be clearly listed and overtime and health benefits would be clearly defined. Should a company break any of these guidelines they would be off the list. All companies on the list would be required not to subcontract to others not on the list. And the studios could not plead ignorance.
Trade association
A trade association would be made up of vfx companies. By organizing they create a unified front, with numbers comes strength and leverage. Just like a union. Companies in the trade association couldn’t agree on pricing but they could establish standards and also define their business models. The goal of a trade association is to do what’s best for the companies involved. The film studios have their own trade association for negotiating with the unions as well as take care of issues affecting all of the studios.
The VES hosted a few meetings with some companies and Scott Ross has been trying for years to get companies on board. The larger companies and those in subsidies areas have been reluctant to even discuss the possibilities. But the vfx protest that many of you were involved in has seemed to make a bit of an impression. Scott Ross will be discussing the trade association tonight.
VFX Guild
A guild and union are one and the same. As mentioned almost all others involved in the film industry are covered under guilds. Writers, directors, production designers, cinematographers, actors, etc. Please don’t stereotype unions by what you have heard 2nd hand. And please don’t bother bringing up false notions of the auto industry. The German auto industry is doing just fine with a union work force.
The union provides protection for the worker. As an individual you have very little control at your workplace. The company could drop everyone’s pay without notice. They can do things to skirt around the labor laws. A company may not pay you for a few weeks and simply say that they will pay you soon. (Dave Rand can discuss this aspect) All of this is even more possible at a time of large unemployment. You have no say over your situation. You either keep working or you quit. Those are your two options.
The guilds goal is to do what is best for workers. Workers are involved in the management of the guild and are involved in determining what is critical. The guild sets up basic working conditions and they set minimums. Everyone is still allowed to do their own negotiating higher as they choose.
And guilds are not only here in the U.S. There are in a lot of countries including Canada, UK, New Zealand and even India. China is one of the few places where unions are not allowed by law.
Solutions summary
So those are many of the potential solutions. None of these will fix all of the problems. We have different members on the panel that can discuss different aspects of some of these possible solutions. And if other have better solutions please submit them.
Workers POV
Since this is a town hall event primarily for the workers let’s take a look at the solutions they can be involved with.
From my perspective a VFX trade association would be a very good thing and help build a more sustainable business model. I would suggest to all workers to ask management if they have an interest in a trade association and would be willing to meet about one. If not, why not?
We as workers don’t control the politicians, we don’t control the studios and we don’t control the companies so lets look at the options that are left.
1. Do nothing. Hold on and simply hope you don’t end up unemployed and/or half way around the working next year.
2. Quit the business. Some have already done so and more are more making plans.
3. Unionize. We now have a large group of motivated workers around the world. We’ve changed our Facebook images but how do we put that into real results? For real change to take affect we will have to truly be organized in a contractual form.
I know some people say they want working conditions, they want to be paid the hours they work, they want collective bargaining to get continuous benefits but they don’t want a union. The problem is you’ve just described a union. Here in the US there are specific laws and regulations. To do those things you have to be a union otherwise you’re an organization that submits petitions in the hopes someone may read it.
Ideally a union would be global but given the range of laws in each country that’s not possible. The best option is a per country union that can be loosely connected.
Some say they wish to start a union from scratch. How much time will that take to get through all governmental approvals, to get acknowledgement from companies, studios and other unions? And in the end what do you have gained?
Now there will be those that say a union will be too expensive, that the companies can’t handle it. That all work tomorrow will go to China or the cheapest place this week. It does the union no good to create a large added cost to the companies, which cause the companies to fail. The unions would negotiate with the companies to develop a reasonable solution for both sides.
And remember, I’m not just talking here in the US. If you wish some protection as a worker you should consider joining a union. Canada, UK, etc all have the option to unionize as well. I think that once one area unionizes the others would be more interested in following.
Nothing signals we’re tired of this and we’re not going to simply wait around for others who may not fix the problem than people joining a union. It sends a strong signal to the vfx companies that a trade association is a good idea. We as union members would be connected to all other film crewmembers. With numbers comes the strength to do great things.
There are those who want to continue to talk about all of this for the next 2 years. I don’t know about you but I’m tired of talking. In 2 years time our ship will have burnt, sunk and gone over the waterfall.
We need to understand at the end of the day the entertainment companies need what we do. They are dependent on us.
What we need now is unity and courage by everyone. That is the only thing that is preventing us from making positive changes.
In case you haven't heard the VFX Town Hall on Pi Day is being held 3.14 (Tomorrow as I write this)
It's in Los Angles but there will groups in San Francisco area, Vancouver, New Zealand and elsewhere. There will also be a live stream over youtube.
I will be speaking along with Scott Ross (Trade Association), Steve Kaplan (Unions) , Mike Chambers (VES) and Mariana Acuna (http://davfxchick.blogspot.com). (inadvertently left off Mike Chambers originally)
The state of the industry will be discussed along with possible solutions. There will be an hour of questions and answers. The various town centers on the list will be able to send in questions and discuss amongst themselves. There will be an email or twitter hashmark I believe for others to ask questions. You can also submit or post questions ahead of time. We won't have all the answers but it's time we started to make some things happen. There are interesting meetings and discussions already in progress.
We are hoping to help reach out the global world of all visual effects professionals and hope to implement some concrete steps to solutions in the upcoming weeks and months.
Even though there is a real IA visual effects union effort starting up many have decided to continue to sit on the sidelines. They are waiting for the perfect solution for the visual effects industry. They are waiting for a global organization that can guarantee paid hours (including overtime), limit overtime, provide good working conditions, healthcare, end underbidding and provide solutions to other problems that the industry faces (including elimination of tax incentives for some). It's to be a hydrid of a union (but not really) and a trade association (but not really). They want something that all workers and companies immediately sign up for. Some don't want to pay dues so it must be free.
Unfortunately for those people, it will be a very long wait. No such organization exists and it can't materialize out of thin air. The VFX foundation was started with some of those goals but I'm not sure where it is now. To start up any large organization takes a lot of effort, time and money. To try to do something that meets all the legal requirements in all countries is a monumental task. Even for companies such as Apple they have to have special warranties and other adjustments depending on the country. In the U.S. there are specific laws regarding unions, non-profits and various types of businesses. There's differences even at the state level. And similar issues exist in other countries with specific regulations even in different regions of the same company.
Those of us who work in this industry should be happy when there are improvements to the artistry, technology and business of visual effects no matter where it occurs. If a group of workers and companies in the world make improvements for themselves without causing a reduction elsewhere, good for them. Improvements anywhere will hopefully become a guide and inspiration for others in the global view.
One does not scale a mountain in one leap, but by taking steps. Rather than waiting endlessly for the ultimate solution (which won't occur), the best approach would be to take the small steps that are possible now. The IA effort isn't worldwide but if it did occur in the U.S. it would likely cause an indirect benefit to other workers who wish to be paid fairly for all the hours they work. The union movement in U.S. and elsewhere elevated many of the working conditions even for non-union workers. (40 hr work, weekends off, vacation, etc) I suspect the same thing would happen in this case.
I urge visual effects workers to do some research, spread the word and discuss with your coworkers. What are the problems you're facing and what are -you- going to do about them? What is the solution? Rather than sit by the sidelines or heckling, how about providing a solution or lending a hand?
There is a meeting June 3 for those in the Los Angeles area. For more info on the meeting or the IA effort:
The IA Visual Effects Website
VES Visual Effects Handbook feedback
We are having meetings and starting to work on the revised VES handbook. Most of the feedback we have received has been very general. If you want to see additional information, improvements, changes, etc to the handbook please post here or email to the VES. Is it working for you? Is there anything lacking? How is the Kindle or other eBook version for you? Get in your feedback in NOW.
Townhall meetings
Today there was a VES townhall on the web where members and others were able to ask questions and hear Jeff Okun and Eric Roth discuss VES 2.0
There will be additional townhall meetings.
VES 2.0 feedback
As requested if anyone has something to say regarding VES 2.0, especially solutions and suggestions contact Jeff Okun at: jeffokun at aol.com
You can also contact: leadership at visualeffectssociety.com
VES Forums
The VES has expanded their online site with a beta version of VES Forums. Check your VES emails to get the info on it and some upcoming VES events.
IATSE is holding another Public VFX Meeting to try to answer questions about a potential visual effects union.
"we will be holding another picnic on Sunday March 13 at 1:00 pm at Johnny Carson Park in Burbank. The park is located on Bob Hope Drive; equidistant between Alameda and Riverside Drive; just to the east of NBC."
IBEW Local 40 will be hosting its’ 4th Informational Meeting for those working in the Motion Picture FX Industry.
We will be meeting again at the American Legion Post located @ 5309 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230
Sunday December 12th 1pm. has been selected to accommodate most Brothers’ & Sisters’ work and Holiday schedules.
Once again representatives from both the IBEW and Local 40 will be there to answer all of your questions and provide additional information on why the IBEW is …the Right Choice!
Everyone who has already signed cards and all the Brothers & Sisters who have attended past meetings are strongly encouraged to bring along as many co-workers that can fit into your cars.
From the IBEW
Attention All Visual Effects Practitioners in Southern California:
IBEW Local 40 will be holding its’ 3rd Informational Meeting for those working in the Visual Effects portion of the Motion Picture Industry.
This historic meeting will be held on Sunday November 7th 1pm. at The American Legion Hall located @ 5309 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City CA. 90230.
Representatives from both Local 40 and the IBEW will be there to answer questions and provide additional information on why the IBEW is …the right choice.
Everyone that has attended past meetings are encouraged to bring a co-worker with them to receive this relevant information.
In Solidarity,
Dave Grabowski
IBEW Local 40
Business & Membership Development Rep. ----------
Attention All Visual Effects Practitioners in Southern California:
IBEW Local 40 will be holding its’ 3rd Informational Meeting for those working in the Visual Effects portion of the Motion Picture Industry.
This historic meeting will be held on Sunday November 7th 1pm. at The American Legion Hall located @ 5309 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City CA. 90230.
Representatives from both Local 40 and the IBEW will be there to answer questions and provide additional information on why the IBEW is …the right choice.
Everyone that has attended past meetings are encouraged to bring a co-worker with them to receive this relevant information.
In Solidarity,
Dave Grabowski
IBEW Local 40
Business & Membership Development Rep.
Online Town Hall registration is open - totally free, Monday March 29th, amazing panel Link
Info from the site:
VFX Online Townhall
an open disccusion of a visual effects industry in transition
Effects driven films like Avatar are breaking box office records while visual effects facilities are forced to shut their doors and most VFX workers face long hours, no benefits and little credit.
It's time to start talking about the state of the visual effects industry -- where we are, how we got here and what can be done to move the industry forward in a way that's fair and thriving for artists, facilities and the studios.
We've assembled a world class panel with different perspectives and now we'd like to invite you to be part of the conversation. The discussion is open to everyone with an interest in the visual effects industry.
Panelists include
Chris deFaria -- Vice President, Warner Bros. Pictures
Jefferey A. Okun -- Visual Effects Society Chair and visual effects supoervisor
Scott Ross -- Co-Founder of Digital Domain & former CEO of Industrial, Light and Magic
The panel will be moderated by Lee Stranahan, a former visual effects artist and writer for The Huffington Post whose Open Letter To James Cameron: Fairness For VIsual Effects Artists started discussions all around the world.
The Visual Effects Society had it's annual meeting last Saturday. There was a live feed to Vancouver and San Francisco. It was also webcast throughout the world including the other sections of London and Australia.
The video of the meeting should be online in the next couple of weeks or so for all VES members.
As noted at the meeting the VES website is being totally re-written and is scheduled to be online in October. Lots of great stuff like forums, videos and user areas. Headed up by Carl Rosendahl
Mike Fink gave a talk called 2000 years of visual effects in 30 minutes. Discussed the history and art-form of imagery and how even early paintings are making an impact on cinema and visual effects. Helped to illustrate the artistry and advances in visual effects.
Bill Taylor was awarded the VES Board of Director's Founder's award. Bill talked about many things including: 1. Keeping production local 2. Having a visual effects trade organization for visual effects companies. 3. Having a visual effects union.
This was well recieved. These are some of the issues that the VES board has been discussing the last couple of years as we look to the future. As Bill mentioned Jim Danforth had brought up some of these same issues years ago.
The VES is an honorary society for Visual Effects Artists. It's been discussed that that these 3 things: Society, Union, Trade organization, make a fully rounded industry and each of those had different purposes.
The VES determined it was best to remain as it was designed to be - an honorary society, instead of changing into one of the other forms.
I think many members and VFX companies are interested in the future and want to avoid some of the issues that we currently have to deal with. A union and trade organization are possible ways to deal with those issues.
Doug Trumbull was the main speaker at the event.
Doug is always interested in getting the greatest experience and felt that many of the limitations have been based on decisions made years ago that aren't relevant now.
Doug felt that film will disappear (no time frame given) and that digital can equal the quality of film, even now.
FPS Doug had said that in early motion picture development approx 50 fps was determined to be needed to show continuous movement and avoid flicker. Soon there after multi-bladed shutters to minimize flicker issues. 16/18 fps were chosen for silent movies to use as little as film as possible. Sound went to 24fps not for the picture but to make it possible to do sync sound. He developed Showscan years ago which originally ran at 72fps and later at 60fps. 24fps results in a lot of blur. It requires the blur for your eye to read it as continuous motion instead of flicker still images. He and Kubrick found this out when trying to shoot stars without blur on an animation camera. Faster frame rates don't need as much blur and tend to produce sharper images. Even though 24fps is thought of as movies and 60fps is thought of now as video, the faster frame rates provide a more life like experience.
Projection The current standard for footlamberts on a movie screen is 16. This is much darker than your flat-screen at home. With stereo 3D projection now a polarizer is needed over the projector lens which results in 1 stop loss of light. Then the glasses the audience wears has polarizers which result in another stop loss. End result is the audience is watching an image at 4 footlamberts which reduces the color and quality of the image, especially compared to real life.
The current digital projection systems use a chip size that limits the amount of light that can be projected through it so there still remains a limit to how bright and real the screen is. Doug would like to avoid these limits and take the opportunity now that we're transitioning into digital projection to think in terms of the future and not just come up with standards that are barely good enough.
Worth checking out the video.
There were also reports from the various committees with a lot of progress being made in the last year.
