I haven't written anything in a long time. I have been kinda down on visual effects.
I'm tired of being worried about my job. I'm tired of being worried how I will be screwed over next. I'm tired of hearing about how the visual effects business is hard and the only way is to pass that along to the people lower down. I'm tired of really good artists not being paid. I'm tired of hearing that this business can't turn a profit.
It's been 5 months since the world almost found out about all the dirty laundry that the visual effects industry has kept in the closet. From where I stand nothing has changed.
If your a business owner you should have thought of that before you jumped in. It's not my fault you didn't know. I don't care that there is language that maybe states that you don't have to pay overtime. You know how I know because California says so. I cannot agree to different terms. The only way I know of of giving up your California labor rights is to sign some paper work. I have never signed anything that says you don't have to pay me overtime.
It's not our(artists) problem. If your business is suffering its not because of the artists. You not turning a profit is your problem as the owner of the company. Soon there will be change all we have to do is follow the rules and do the right thing. This will work. We don't need a binding agreement to do the right thing. The world has shown that doing the right thing spreads fast. It's the smaller shops that will go first. Then the larger ones will follow. It just takes longer to turn a bigger ship.
Fight for your business. Don't let them push you around. They called you because you can do something they can't.