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Hi Lee

I Just wanted to thank you for writing “an open letter to James Cameron” which as a visual FX artist in London I found such an astute and necessary article.

I have been working in the top end of the VFX film industry for the past 10 years in Soho at companies such as “The Moving Picture Company, Double Negative, Framestore, Cinesite and The Mill” amongst others.

Due to tax incentives introduced by the government in the UK the VFX industry has thrived and grown rapidly in the past decade. Whilst this is a positive thing, and the fledgling VFX industry has grown into a huge industry, the rights of the workers within it have been largely ignored. Points you raised in your article about the long-term welfare, both financially and physically have been of a growing concern to me.

The industry in made up of about 80 percent contact artists such as myself. We work for these companies on long contracts often a year or longer with none of the security of a permanent job and none of the benefits of freelance work. Further to this there is a distinct lack of career progression available once you get to a senior level largely due to effemeral nature of the industry as a whole i.e. companies mushroom for big projects then shrink dramatically and shed everyone but the core staff.

Anyhow I hope something positive will happen in the wake of your article even if it starts a discourse which paves the way for a permanent change and healthier, happier conditions for workers in this industry

kind regards
Chris