‘It’s systemic’: Loki season 2 director speaks up for Marvel’s overworked VFX artists
Loki Season 2 director Dan DeLeeuw believes Marvel is starting to improve working conditions for its visual effects (VFX) artists, but adds that more needs to be done to address the industry-wide problem.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, DeLeeuw is well aware of the problem Marvel Studios is currently grappling with.
DeLeeuw joined the Disney subsidiary in 2012 as a second unit VFX supervisor Iron Man 3, and in the eleven years that followed, DeLeeuw has enjoyed a steady rise through the studio’s ranks. DeLeeuw helped lead the VFX production Avengers: Infinite Warwas installed as second unit director on scenes for Avengers: Endgame (one of the best Marvel films), and was primarily responsible for filmmaking in the second installment of Loki season 2.
While DeLeeuw is proud to have become an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) machine, he has witnessed firsthand the increasingly stressful work environment the VFX team has faced. Marvel’s move from a movie-only studio to one that also makes MCU Disney Plus shows has only increased concerns that VFX workers are overworked and underpaid.
In-depth reports will be published in mid-2022 Vulture And IGN, consisting of interviews with multiple former and current Marvel VFX employees, have highlighted the poor working conditions many have faced – and damaged Marvel’s reputation in the process. In the 12 months since these first allegations emerged, Marvel VFX employees have unanimously voted to unionize (per Variety), which allows them to fight for better wages and flexible working hours, among other things.
BREAKING: Marvel Studios Visual Effects (VFX) workers have voted unanimously in favor of unionizing with IATSE during the labor council elections. This is the first time a unit of all-VFX workers has joined IATSE since VFX was developed nearly half a century ago. pic.twitter.com/gqMx2dIQj3September 13, 2023
Given the pressure Marvel has been under, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask DeLeeuw about his own MCU experiences. While he was understandably hesitant to say anything that might anger his employers, DeLeeuw admitted that things need to improve – at Marvel and within the broader entertainment industry – when it comes to VFX workers.
“I think it (unionization) is something that should be supported,” DeLeeuw said. ‘Everyone should receive a fair wage and work reasonable hours.
“When I started doing visual effects, we had gotten so used to crunch time that it became systemic. There’s an old documentary that came out with (award-winning) VFX artist John Dykstra, who worked on Star Warsand he was talking about crunch at the time, so this is nothing new.
‘But I think so is What is new is the amount of time artists spend on a show and then don’t get a break. It used to be that you could work on one show and then take a few months off. Now, with the MCU, you have people going from one big visual effects-oriented production to another. If we can find a way to keep that under control, give our employees more family time and give them a chance to recharge their batteries between shows, I think that will be a huge help.”
Loki The first episode of season 2 debuted on Disney Plus on October 5 in the US (October 6 in the UK and Australia). Following the criticism of other Marvel Phase 5 productions, including Secret invasion And Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniafans were excited to see the next episode of Loki‘s TV show gets off to a great time-hopping start.
If you still need to watch Loki the opening salvo of season 2 or if you want to get a spoiler-free insight into future episodes, read our full thoughts on Loki the first four episodes of season 2. You can also read the list below for more information Loki season 2 coverage – and be sure to check back with us in the coming weeks for more exclusive content around one of the best Disney Plus shows.