LIVING ON DEADLINE: FINDING A HEALTHY BALANCE

By CHRIS McGOWAN

“Our industry is not one of stability,” says Emma Clifton Perry, Co-Chair of the VES Health & Wellbeing Initiative. “Most of the workers in our global VFX community do not have retirement plans. Many are contractors responsible for their own healthcare and well-being. Our industry is also no longer one of purely fresh graduates with a passion to succeed. We have families, we have mortgages, we have [worries] for our future, and often we have no job security. This is all a lot for one person to manage, and that is why we were keen to try to offer some assistance in this area. It can be overwhelming for anyone, managing all that alone.”

Many VFX studios are trying to help artists navigate often heavy work demands and worries and achieve a work-life balance. Perry, with Philipp Wolf, established the VES Health & Wellbeing Initiative “to ensure that all VES members worldwide, and indeed the wider VFX industry, felt that there was someone out there who cared about them. We care about their physical health, mental health, financial well-being and general work-life balance. Our initiative has implemented a range of resources, not only for members but also for the wider VFX community.”

“Our industry is fast-paced, and driven by tight deadlines, tighter budgets and an insatiable appetite by consumers for entertainment content, be it games, TV shows, commercials or feature films,” Perry comments. “Despite all this, it is imperative [that] organizations of all types within the industry remember that those creating this content are people with families, with homes, with dreams, with desires and lives outside of work. There must be a balance.”

Perry adds, “If someone is working overtime for prolonged periods of time, their productivity actually drops [and] the quality of their work drops too. This is not financially beneficial to a company. Managing schedules, work hours and expectations is a recipe for a good outcome for organizations, both fiscally and in terms of crew retention. When [the] crew feels their company cares, the morale among the workers is higher. This in turn leads to more productivity, greater efficiency and a better fiscal and creative outcome for companies.”

Cinesite’s Chief HR Officer Sashka Jankovska says, “Usually, the biggest pressure in the VFX world is the fact that a lot of the work is project based, which requires a lot of planning and changing throughout the process, which can lead to job insecurity. Managing tight deadlines in VFX is another pressure that we are facing constantly. We do our best to alleviate pressures wherever possible; to act as a buffer easing the impact on the wider team, where we are able to do so.”

Jankovska continues, “We foster an open working environment where people are encouraged to share their concerns with their peers or our dedicated mental health first-aiders and to also make use of our employee assistance program, which provides access to clinical-based mental health and well-being solutions.”

Jankovska explains, “We continue to focus on social and team bonding events in the studios in order to bring the crew together. We encourage our team members to have outside interests, which often reduces their stress levels and feeds their creativity. A great example is the London VFX football league, which Cinesite participates in. It’s a great way to network, socialize and improve physical and mental health at the same time. We also encourage them to book their annual leave. Time out is very important for everyone. Time management is also a very useful skill that is important to develop.”

For Lux Aeterna CG Supervisor Timmy Willmott, while the obvious pressure is deadlines, “The most consistent pressure is to produce a standard of work that you, your team and the client are happy with. That’s not always easy. Communication and active listening are key to a supportive culture and assist in the mindful delegation of tasks. Know your artists and give them the work that’s going to light them up. You’ve got to recognize people’s passions and goals. Help them on their path to achieve them. Realistic bids and realistic deadlines are pretty key, too.”

Luz Aeterna Operations & Marketing Manager Laura Ashley notes, “Our staff is our biggest asset, so creating a workplace that they look forward to coming to is a real focus for us. I’m one of a few Mental Health First Aiders at Lux Aeterna. Having people in the workplace who have this training is a must for us. It’s so important that as a business we can see the early signs when others might need some extra support, then either offer a safe space for listening or be able to signpost to resources or organizations who can help further.”

“When it comes to workplace dynamics, at ILP we prioritize nurturing a positive culture and are steadfastly against bullying or any negative behavior,” says Måns Björklund, Important Looking Pirates Executive Producer. “Our company is proudly artist-driven, focusing on supporting and celebrating artistic talent.”

Björklund notes, “We at ILP have dedicated talent managers that artists can reach out to, and they also develop an individual development plan for each artist. VFX is a collaborative and team effort. Part of ILP culture is to put artists first and to give them the tools and resources to be able to do their best work.” He adds that VFX artists can achieve a better work-life balance by “setting boundaries and making sure to try to [take time] off work. It is a tough business with [artists] sometimes needing to put in more time, but I think the company should try their utmost to plan around that.”

Located in Sweden, ILP has some built-in national stress reduction. Bjorklund notes, “The Swedish general health system is based on the principle of universal healthcare for all residents. It is largely funded by taxes. So, anyone in Sweden who is working is covered by that. The same goes if you have kids in daycare and in school. Balance of life is also added through removing stress for not having enough funds to send your kids to a good school or to university. There is also a public pension system. In addition, ILP is providing private health care insurance for Swedish employees and a private pension, both paid by the studio.”

“The VFX industry is known for its intense pressures, like long hours during crunch time and job insecurity because of contract-based work,” says Laura Usaite, Vine FX Managing Director. At Vine FX, we really push back against this norm. We offer flexible hours and lots of opportunities for learning and growth. It’s important to emphasize open communication and teamwork, creating a space where artists can thrive creatively while maintaining a healthy work-life balance, whether they’re working remotely or in the studio. It’s also about providing resources for mental health and knowing who to reach out to with any questions, queries or concerns so everyone feels supported.”

Mike Ring is a Rigging Artist at Rising Sun Pictures’ Adelaide studio. He also leads RSP’s Social Crew, an employer-sponsored group of volunteers who run and support staff-led initiatives aimed at making RSP a fun and inclusive place to work. Ring comments, “I think it’s imperative to care about what we do, but don’t take it too seriously. Rigs will break, sims will be uncooperative, code will have bugs, human errors happen, and things will be kicked back. Learn to step back from it, don’t take it personally and, if you can, have a good laugh when something ridiculous happens   Finding a good support network of people to go for a lap of the block or a coffee when we need to debrief or have a laugh can be invaluable.”

The Social Crew’s initiatives have included “potlucks for Harmony Day, a Diwali feast run by our Indian community, fundraisers supporting important charities, gaming tournaments, a hiking club, screenings in the theater, supporting our LGBTQIA+ people and allies to march under an RSP banner at the Pride march, and our weekly tradition of Friday night Happy Hour,” Ring says.

“While remote working has been embraced and well-received by the majority of our crew, feeling isolated is something that some people experience,” Jankovska comments. “For the management teams, it can be harder to spot if someone is struggling at home so they can offer the necessary support.”

Living where you work can be a blessing and a curse. Willmott explains, “When the working day ends and you’re still in the environment where you work, it’s too easy to keep going and not give yourself proper down time. Burnout can creep up on you pretty fast in that scenario. It’s harder to supervise remote artists for that reason, too. When you’re all in a studio, it’s easy to see when someone’s struggling with something.”

Usaite remarks, “Vine FX consists of a majority of remote artists. For them, it can be tricky to communicate without face-to-face chats, so we’ve integrated all of our communications into Slack, which helps keep conversations organized, open and clear, with plenty of huddles throughout the day. We also understand that working alone can feel pretty isolating without the usual office vibe, so throughout the year we host some entertainment, such as games nights and quizzes, and invite everyone in the company to Cambridge for our Summer and Christmas parties. It’s such a pleasure to meet everyone in person; some of them fly in from all parts of the world and have a great time together!”

Ashley adds, “We have a broad mix of ages and people here at Lux Aeterna, so we recognize that one work-day might not suit all. We have a few core working hours each day, where we ask people to be in the studio or online, and we try to make sure all meetings happen within that time. Around that, each person can make up their remaining hours when it suits them best, which allows a late start for a night owl or an early start for someone doing the school run.”

Perry says, “I feel sometimes as artists we forget to pause and self-reflect. We jump from one shot to the next, ticking off the tasks in Shotgrid, skipping coffee breaks, skipping lunch, all to get that next task done. We put off that holiday, that appointment with the accountant or doctor, or that conversation with our partners till later because we’re tired when we get home.

“When we let the life tasks build up,” Perry continues, “it’s just as stressful and overwhelming as when we miss a shot deadline. It is imperative as VFX artists, or indeed any VFX professional, that we take a step back and say to ourselves, ‘What do I need in order to do my job better?’ [and] ‘What do I need in order to be happier in my day-to-day?’”

Perry observes, “Sometimes it is hard to find your voice and confidence. That’s where the VES Members Assistance Program can help. You can call and get a free session with a counselor or advisor to help you navigate your day-to-day stresses and help you formulate a plan.”