Highlights
- The ongoing strike in the entertainment industry has led to a discussion about the quality of scripts and their impact on VFX artists.
- Marvel VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti called out writer Adam Conover for his comment about lousy scripts, highlighting the frustrations of VFX artists.
- While Conover apologized and clarified his comment, Ceretti still took issue with the way it was worded, emphasizing the importance of clear communication.
A Marvel Studios visual effects department member delivered scathing remarks about the writing offered to VFX artists.
The current double strike action, first initiated by the Writers Guild of America and subsequently joined by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, has predictably thrown a wrench in every ongoing production in the industry and has even affected projects like Critical Role and Dimension 20. In response to several issues, including the threat of AI, picket lines have been drawn, and personalities within the industry have gone on different platforms to express their pain points.
One such occasion led to a rather interesting comment from popular writer and media personality Adam Conover, best known for Adam Ruins Everything and the Obama-owned Higher Grounds produced The G Word. They inadvertently said something in the heat of the moment during a discussion that was viewed as insulting to VFX artists. In response to a clip of the discussion posted to Twitter, Marvel VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti wrote, “Hey @adamconover the hundreds of artists that work on movies and TV shows would like to have a word with you about the lousy scripts we spend our time fixing in post instead of doing the cool stuff. Thank you. My god we can’t get any respite these days can we? #VFX #CGI”
While Conover expressed his apologies, clarified his comment, and affirmed his solidarity with VFX workers to the acceptance of Ceretti, the VFX supervisor still took issue with how the statement was worded. Ceretti told another commenter on the thread, “I guess I can see he's saying it's the fault of the people who want faster cheaper, but he's a writer!! how can you explain yourself so poorly?” Ceretti has worked on Marvel Studios projects like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Eternals, and more, and is set to work on Superman: Legacy.
Less-than-stellar writing has always been present in some form at all levels of media, with Neil Gaiman once killing a movie adaptation by leaking the script and letting the bad writing speak for itself. While the comments were admittedly made in a fit of short temper, there is still some truth to the complaint, as many fans come away with similar feelings when engaging with some material. While issues like audience fatigue, delays, and market saturation could all be problematic for any production, a mediocre or bad script with errors that must be fixed in post likely plays a much bigger role in the failure of projects than anything else. As an insider, Ceretti's comments could potentially have the strength to be taken seriously.
CGI has been the lifeblood of the science fiction genre, and by extension superhero films, for as long as the technology has been applicable, and for a good reason. When well done, such as with the visual effects for Shang-Chi, VFX can be seen as the indispensable tool it has always been and still is. How well Marvel Studios, Disney, and other big companies take that importance to heart might improve in the wake of ongoing unionization talks.
Sources: Stephane Ceretti/Twitter
