In “Historic First,” Marvel Studios VFX Workers Vote Unanimously To Unionize With IATSE

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Visual effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures have voted unanimously in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The 13-0 vote comes just weeks after VFX workers at Marvel Studios voted to unionize with IATSE and comes amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, as the guilds continue to seek fair contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

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EXCLUSIVE: With a deal in place with the Writers Guild, studios have begun taking aim at setting writers for their open assignments. Marvel Studios is looking to set the bar with what will likely become one of the more sought-after jobs for any scribe.

Blue Beetle, it seems like Marvel has taken notes. This week, Marvel and Feid, shared a collaborative post on Instagram, revealing a collaboration is “coming soon.” “MOR, something is happening in the Marvel Universe! You didn’t expect this little sneak peek, but I’m sure you’re going to find it really cool,” they wrote in Spanish in the caption.A post shared by FERXXO (@feid)The post shows a comic book cover featuring the Colombian singer as an illustrated superhero persona.

WGA picket lines on the West Coast swelled Friday in response to the call from guild leaders for a strong turnout on the streets as labor and management negotiators gathered for a third consecutive day of talks aimed at ending the more than four-month-long strike. In Hollywood, Netflix and Paramount saw big crowds of WGA and SAG-AFTRA pickets gathered by 9 a.m. The past week has been chock full of rumors spread by social media and private online and text channels that a deal is in the offing.

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Jordan Moreau In a historic move, Marvel Studios’ visual effects worked unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in an election held bythe National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the company announced Wednesday. This marks the first time a unit of solely VFX workers has unionized with IATSE.

Angel Studios, the outfit behind one of summer’s biggest hits, Sound of Freedom, will release its next film and first original, The Shift, in theaters Dec. 1.

UPDATE: The votes are in and the National Labor Relations Board has confirmed that eight staffers on MTV’s Ridiculousness have voted to join WGA West. There are five days to raise objections, otherwise the unionization will be certified and the team can start bargaining a contract.

IATSE said Friday that it has chartered a new guild with national jurisdiction: Production Workers Guild Local 111. It becomes IATSE’s first-ever local specifically created to represent freelance production department workers.

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Ben Croll Montreal-based studio Felix & Paul Studios wants to send VR users to space, embedding users in the heart of the International Space Station with the three-part immersive series “Space Explorers: Blue Marble.” Giving users the opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring Overview Effect – the profound experience of witnessing our planet from a far, and in orbit – “Blue Marble – Orbit 1” is screening as part of the Best of VR showcase at this year’s Venice Immersive. Variety can now exclusively share a first-look at “Orbit 2” and “Orbit 3.” Rounding out the “Space Explorers: Blue Marble” trilogy, both new installments follow NASA astronaut Megan MacArthur as she mans the ISS Cupola Observational Module from inside the International Space Station, opening the shutters to reveal the sun rising over the Earth’s horizon, and offering a whole new perspective on our pale blue dot.

EXCLUSIVE: Sipur, the Israeli studio behind North Road-backed Bad Boy and award-winning doc series The Devil’s Confession, has struck a multi-year deal with local network Reshet13.