Watch the replay of the World VFX Day’s round table discussion with Laurens Ehrmann, CEO and Senior VFX Supervisor at The Yard, discussing the return to normalcy for the VFX industry, following the resolution of strikes involving Hollywood screenwriters and actors.
Supported by more than 200 visual effects studios, organizations, and professionals, the first-ever World VFX Day was celebrated on December 8th, 2023.
On this occasion, more than 11 hours of tutorials, talks, interviews and showreels were streamed live on Hugo’s Desk YouTube channel. Laurens Ehrmann, CEO and Senior VFX Supervisor at The Yard, was invited to participate in the event-closing round table discussion with studio representatives from USA, UK, Belgium, India and specialized recruitment agency PXL Talent. They discussed the return to normalcy in the VFX industry, which was heavily impacted worldwide by the 2023 Hollywood screenwriters’ and actors’ strikes, leading to massive job losses.
With the conclusion of the strikes, all participants reached a consensus on the anticipated return to normal activity within the VFX industry at the beginning of the second semester of 2024. As emphasized by Laurens Ehrmann, while studios are keen to release content promptly, the availability of actors for live shooting will continue to influence production schedules, consequently impacting post-production.
VFX studios now find themselves in a challenging position, navigating the delicate balance of managing staff redundancy while preparing for an anticipated surge in demand, with a potential risk of lower budgets. Laurens Ehrmann underscored the imperative to maintain flexibility and agility, to allow smooth and efficient scale up and to attract top talent.
On the other hand, participants also emphasized that the mid-term activity slowdown provided an opportunity for studios to invest in technology research, artistic projects, and explore new markets. Specifically, they noted the continued vibrancy of the European film industry and other segments like advertising.
Furthermore, they concluded by expressing optimism for the industry’s future and the pool of potential talent seeking opportunities within it. In this regard, Sophie Maydon from PXL Talent offered valuable advice to prospective candidates.
Learn more by watching the replay below :
Don’t miss the Extended Hours of World VFX Day conference ! You’ll discover some more exclusive content including The Yard’s VFX showreel of ‘All The Light We Cannot See‘, Netflix’s limited series directed by Shawn Levy, starting 1:21:30 in the below video :