Impressive Growth in Jobs and Investment
The numbers reflect the industry’s success. According to CNC’s latest study, 77% of French fiction films featured VFX in 2023, with total domestic VFX spending reaching €21 million—an all-time high. FICAM‘s projections for 2024 are even more promising, with €33 million expected to be invested in French VFX projects.
This growth has also fueled job creation. While the number of active VFX companies dropped to 67 in 2023, the average workforce per studio reached a record 13 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The total payroll for the sector has doubled over the past decade, hitting €100 million in 2023.
The industry has also matured in its organizational structure. Permanent roles have increased by 50% in the last decade, and 38% of these positions are now held by senior executives. Additionally, a third of permanent employees have over 10 years of experience, signaling better retention and career longevity.
Diversity has also improved. Women now make up 41% of new hires in the VFX sector, compared to just 21% in 2019. Their representation in VFX-specific roles has risen to 31%. While a wage gap remains—women earn 5% less than men on average—this gap has halved since 2019, thanks to greater representation in senior roles.
A Highly Concentrated Industry
The French VFX sector, despite its impressive growth, remains highly concentrated. Over the past four years, more than 50% of the total payroll has been absorbed by just five companies, reflecting the dominance of a few key players.
In 2023, the industry consisted of 67 active companies spread across 83 establishments, but 71% of these were located in Île-de-France, slightly down from 79% a decade ago. While the Paris region remains the epicenter of activity, notable strides have been made to decentralize production and expand capacity into regional hubs.
This is exemplified by three flagship projects led or shared by studios outside Île-de-France: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (Light VFX – Nouvelle-Aquitaine), The Rings of Power – Season 2 (The Yard VFX – Occitanie), and Daryl Dixon (Mathematic – Occitanie). These regional successes highlight the growing ambition of French VFX companies to distribute talent and resources across the country, paving the way for broader geographic diversification within the industry.
Artificial Intelligence: A Tool for Innovation and Efficiency
The French VFX sector, despite its impressive growth, remains highly concentrated. Over the past four years, more than 50% of the total payroll has been absorbed by just five companies, reflecting the dominance of a few key players.
The rise of AI has added a new dimension to the VFX industry. According to the CNC’s AI Observatory, 94% of VFX studios in France now use AI tools, primarily for tasks like upscaling and idea generation. However, only 62.6% of respondents expressed satisfaction with these tools, citing inconsistent quality as a concern.
While AI offers efficiency gains, it also challenges traditional workflows. French studios view AI as an opportunity for upskilling rather than a threat to jobs, distinguishing their perspective from other sectors like animation and post-production.
Challenges, Opportunities, and the Road Ahead
Despite its remarkable growth, the French VFX industry faces both opportunities and challenges tied to global market dynamics. The 2024 Hollywood strikes and the reduction in content investments by streaming platforms have highlighted the sector’s dependence on international trends despite a dynamic national production. The rapid expansion of the workforce, supported by training initiatives and important network of digital art schools, has raised questions about maintaining sustainable employment levels in the face of fluctuating demand.
A key point raised during a roundtable discussion with Laurens Ehrmann (The Yard), Pauline Augrain (CNC), Renaud Jungmann (VFX Workshop) and Olivier Emery (Trimaran) was the globalized nature of the VFX market and the intense international competition. They stressed that competitiveness operates on a national scale, requiring robust fiscal policies, public support, and political stability. Recent advancements, like France’s enhanced tax incentives, have provided a strong foundation, but the industry cannot afford complacency.
At the same time, promising initiatives are emerging to bolster the industry’s future. The France 2030 « La Grande Fabrique de l’Image » Plan will enable more productions to be filmed and crafted domestically, reducing the need for outsourcing and expanding production capacity within France. These efforts, combined with the continued embrace of innovative technologies like AI, position the French VFX industry as a potential global leader. However, leaders agree that innovation alone will not suffice—success will also depend on the resilience of the domestic ecosystem and France’s ability to weather economic and political uncertainties.
From its humble beginnings catering primarily to advertising and small-scale projects, to its current stature as a major international player, the French VFX sector exemplifies how strategic public support, creative vision, and industry collaboration can drive extraordinary transformation. With continued investment in innovation and infrastructure, as well as a renewed focus on talent retention and competitiveness, the next decade promises even greater achievements for this dynamic and evolving industry.