‘Overworked’ VFX Artists Call Out Marvel’s Working Conditions

Marvel's VFX artists share their stories.

Gargantos Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Marvel MCU

A series of VFX artists have taken to social media to share their experiences of stress and breakdowns while working on Marvel Studios projects.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe relies heavily on CGI and visual effects to bring the world of Marvel Comics to life on the big screen. However, this puts a lot of demand on the VFX artists who work hard to make those moments a reality.

Following a string of comments on Reddit from people who had supposedly worked on VFX for Marvel, former VFX artist Dhruv Govil opened up on Twitter about his experiences on Marvel Studios projects.

The Mighty Marvel Workload

In a Twitter post reacting to an article from The Gamer, Dhruv Govil revealed that it had been the work he had done with Marvel that had pushed him to leave the VFX industry. In the tweet, Govil cited seeing “too many colleagues break down after being overworked.”

A follow-up tweet from Govil clarified “this has been the case since the earliest days of the MCU,” in response to tweets attributing these conditions to the management of Disney’s new CEO Bob Chapek.

In the original Gamer article, supposed Marvel VFX artists took to Reddit with comments such as “Marvel has seen grown men punch walls and throw monitors from stress. I broke down a couple of times and have seen the strain it can put on marriages.”

As film and TV studios continue to grow in ambition, producing bigger projects with heavier VFX requirements, stories such as this may sadly become more commonplace. Recent Marvel projects have come under frequent criticism for the quality of their VFX; it may be time for Marvel Studios to reassess their approach to VFX work on their films and streaming output.

Here is the synopsis for Marvel’s latest film, Thor: Love and Thunder:

The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Directed by Taika Waititi and produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum, the Thor solo film stars Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.

Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters. Be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news on Marvel Studios, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: Twitter