London Calling: Resilient VES London Section Revisited

By NAOMI GOLDMAN

The Visual Effects Society’s international presence gets stronger every year – and so much of that is because of our regional VFX communities and their work to advance the Society and bring people together. The VES London Section continues to be a vibrant international community of artists. It boasts upwards of 280 members, primarily working in film and television, with a significant representation of artists working in commercials and games.

“The VES London Section is both thriving and resilient amidst a host of successive large-scale challenges that have impacted our industry and our members,” said Nicolas Casanova, Chair of the VES London Section. “On the heels of Brexit, then the COVID pandemic and shifts to work-from-home and back to hybrid models, and most recently the production slowdown from the dual strikes, the London VFX community continues to adapt to new ways of working and prove itself immensely creative and strong.”

“There’s some fantastic work coming out of the U.K. – it’s world-leading,” said Helen Moody, Secretary of the VES London Section. “With films like Oppenheimer, Barbie, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and The Little Mermaid and episodic including The Witcher, Good Omens, The Crown and Loki, we have so much to be proud of. While many VFX companies in the region have been facing tough times amidst the economic uncertainties, I am confident that our market is positioned for growth and that we will bounce back stronger than ever once projects shift back into production.”

VES Sections stepped up during the pandemic and created a host of rich virtual programming to continue to provide members benefits and offer support and social connections, including a supportive wellness series featuring a whiskey-tasting session, cooking class and essential oils use demo – all online.

As restrictions opened up to allow for in-person events, the Section has hosted a strong lineup of screenings and panel conversations – with huge thanks to MPC for providing their screening room for many years, and to former VES London Board member Greg Keech for shepherding the robust screening program.

VES London created a series of well-attended educational events with CAVE Academy on topics including: an “Art and AI Panel” sponsored by DNEG London; “Shooting HDRIs for VFX,” also featuring CineArk: and “Playing with Polarisation” at Cinesite’s new studios. And the Section held a festive Summer Party at Birdies mini-golf in Angel, London, sponsored by Chaos (creators of V-Ray) – complete with the inaugural Chaos Cup competition.

“Our mini-golf party really felt like we came together as a very connected industry, a community convening of friends and colleagues,” said Casanova.

“About half the attendees were members and the other half senior representatives from visual effects companies, which we organized both to foster networking and enhance our relationships with potential supporters and sponsors. Since COVID, there’s still a high number of people who work remotely or hybrid, and this has affected the number of people who travel into London and attend in-person events. So, we’re working on fewer, better in-person events. Our Summer Party was a shining example.”

As part of the Section’s “Life in VFX” Series, VES London hosted a successful “Career Change in VFX” panel featuring artists who had both transitioned in and out of the visual effects field, highlighting the value of transferable skills and relationships. The Section is also investing in programs that touch on other life skills and experiences to benefit their members, such as navigating parenthood and the pursuit of work-life balance. This dovetails on the Section’s efforts to highlight the VES Member Assistance Program, which provides free round-the-clock resources to all VES members on a wide range of professional and personal issues.

In 2023, VES London held a well-attended online VES Awards nominating panel. As Moody pointed out, “The London Section was the first outside of the U.S. to host our own VES awards judging event about 20 years ago. That was important to us because so much of the award-winning work was coming out of the U.K. – we wanted to stand alongside our U.S. colleagues to participate in judging the world’s best work.” The Section is poised to host an in-person VES Awards panel in January to amp up opportunities for personal interaction and networking.

The Section Board of Managers is working on a number of goals and initiatives, including: developing events and educational sessions that appeal to its members’ needs; celebrating the work coming out of the U.K.; and providing more opportunities to foster relationships. The Board is also committed to diversifying its membership to keep the Section “evolving and fresh,” with a special focus on attracting younger artists and technicians at the cusp of VES eligibility (with five or six years of VFX experience), to provide a forum for intergenerational knowledge-sharing and a richer platform for diverse perspectives and skill sets.

VES London is a big source of pride for Section leaders Casanova and Moody. Said Casanova, “What I find in the VES is that the people you meet are all trying to improve the industry in one way or another. The quality of our members and the talent they possess are inspiring. Often people who become fellow members or friends, I discover that I already know their work as a fan – and VES closes the gap. I feel that the VES Awards is a crowning achievement that we produce year after year, and that our awards carry so much weight and meaning for the winners and nominees because of the knowledge of our craft that we bring to the process.”

Moody shared some closing thoughts, “It’s an honor to represent the talented VFX professionals who are VES members in the U.K. I’m proud to be a Board member because all of my colleagues give their time and talents and energy for free. We do it because we want to make a difference and, working together, I know that we are poised to bring about change that will benefit our members and our global community.”