好萊塢的血汗工廠 ── VFX，繁華中的衰敗
Hollywood's VFX Shops: Trouble in Boom Times (3 of 3)
By Rebeccca Keegan / Hollywood Monday, May. 31, 2010
Hollywood's VFX Sweatshops
科技越來越便宜，這個產業的入門門檻也越來越低，一家小型的特效公司就能購買得起兩萬美元的硬體和軟體，也能輕鬆操作自如。另外，07持續到08年的編劇罷工，和09年一直芒刺在背的演員大罷工，讓能夠在新電影中使用的綠能節能 (Green-Lighting) 技術發展緩慢。這些困境讓某些特效公司一直難以從經濟海嘯中復甦。
「我們面臨更多激烈的競爭，而且越來越難以生存。」羅斯說。
As technology got cheaper, the barriers to entry fell: a small shop can get up and running with $20,000 worth of hardware and software. The 2007-08 Hollywood writers' strike and the threat of an actors' strike in 2009 slowed the green-lighting of new films — a blow from which some companies haven't recovered. "We're starting to see even more dire competition, and it's getting harder to keep shops open," says Ross.
VFX的購買商以及工作室面臨到最主要的困難點在於：「訂單任意更改。」
當導演定要修改他理想心目中的一幕時，這就代表了好幾個月的工作進度全都白費了。(這我也懂，堪「欲哭無淚」四字可比擬) 在現今的運作模式中，大部分的特效工作室只能自行吸收額外的花費，唯有如此，它們才能維持與電影公司、電影工作者的良好生意關係。
A major point of contention between VFX shops and studios is the issue of change orders. When a director revises what he wants to see in a shot, it can mean months of lost work. Under the current system, most VFX houses feel they have to eat the costs to maintain their relationships with studios and filmmakers.
特效公司只想要為最優渥的價錢工作。
「我們是那個唯一為電影花大錢、創意發想、甘冒這個風險的人。」華納兄弟電影公司的數位動畫特效製作部副執行總裁克里斯‧迪法拉，在三月舉行的VFX產業線上會議 ( online town hall) 這樣說道。
Studios are simply getting the best work for the best price. "We're the ones that spend the money, demand innovation, take the risk," said Chris deFaria, executive vice president of digital production, animation and visual effects at Warner Bros., at an online town hall in March for the VFX industry. "We're the ones deeply invested in a thriving VFX environment."
這個線上會議由曾當過編劇、特效動畫家的李‧史特納翰召開，李‧史特納翰可算是這個產業中的Norma Rae人物 (註：Norma Rae是1979年的美國電影，探討勞工權益問題，獲得當年奧斯卡最佳女主角及最佳原創歌曲等大獎。詳細內容可看Wiki百科介紹) 在他發表在Huffington Post (美國著名政治類部落格) 的一篇著名文章「一封給詹姆斯卡麥隆的公開信」，史特納翰稱這些特效公司為「地球上最有趣也最高科技的血汗工廠。」
The town hall was organized by writer and former effects artist Lee Stranahan, who has become something of a Norma Rae for the industry, thanks to the widely read "Open Letter to James Cameron" he wrote for the Huffington Post. In it, Stranahan called effects shops "the most fun and high-tech sweatshops on earth."
傳統的好萊塢外包像是動畫和佈景都有工會組織，但像VFX特效藝術家卻沒這麼容易做到。VFX成為全球化的產業之勢已不能改變。(作者使用被動語態暗示VFX的無奈，顯示現今潮流之勢銳不可擋) 各家公司能夠請到最便宜的勞工上工。在美國，VFX藝術家的薪水起薪在五萬美金(160萬台幣) 以上，並且還能輕易往上攀爬達到十萬位數。而其他海外的只能賺到美國人的一成零頭不到。(16萬台幣)
Traditional Hollywood trades such as animation and set building are unionized, a status VFX artists aren't likely to achieve, given that VFX is a global business. Companies will simply hire the cheapest labor force that can do the job. In the U.S., VFX artists' salaries start at $50,000 and can quickly reach the low six figures. Artists overseas earn as little as 10% of that.
對VFX族群來說，將來可能會是最具好萊塢戲劇性的結局。隨著蝙蝠俠系列第四集、魔戒前傳‧哈比人歷險記、Thor (雷神托爾)、Green Lantern (綠燈俠) 的出現，對於特效的需求將會強過這些特效產業的分歧。這些需求的自然力量也將會改變現今的權力平衡：例如，一個天才型的設計師比一個熟稔各種技巧的設計師來得重要。亞倫‧蘭斯基說。「當一部電影因為不足的特效技術而延後上映時間，你就會看到許多關於產業的有趣改變即將就此展開。搞不好哪天，特效藝術家將會取代電影明星，成為電影的宣傳強打喔！誰知道？」
(全文完，原文取自TIME雜誌，轉載歡迎，但註明出處，歡迎批評指教)
For VFX houses, there may be a dramatic Hollywood ending. With effects-heavy movies like the forthcoming Batman sequel, The Hobbit, Thor and Green Lantern coming down the pike, the demand for VFX may overwhelm the industry's diminished capacity. The changing nature of the work could alter the balance of power too: being a gifted designer is becoming more important than being a technical whiz. Says analyst Alan Lasky: "The minute you see one of these movies not make its release date due to this capacity crisis, then you'll start to see some interesting changes in the industry." Who knows? Maybe someday an effects artist will even get star billing.
The original site of TIME magazine
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