Scott Ross recently went on a bit of a rant on Film Talk Radio while promoting his new book and honestly, He said what most people in the VFX industry already feel but don’t always say out loud
His exact words? “Clients are really interested in getting the work as cheaply as possible at the highest quality.” That’s the whole game, isn’t it?
He didn’t pull punches. He pointed out the brutal truth: the biggest cost in visual effects isn’t tech or hardware it’s the people. And the way the industry has always dealt with that is by cutting labor costs. This isn’t new.
He reminded us how, back in the early 2000s, studios started setting up shops in India, China, Brazil, and the Philippines not for the weather, but for the cheaper labor.
It’s outsourcing 101
Now AI is rolling in, and it’s following the same pattern but with less human involvement altogether. Ross warned that tools like generative video or AI-assisted animation lower the barriers to entry. Anyone can now generate something that looks like it took a team of 20, just by typing a prompt.
As Ross said, “AI don’t need parties, AI don’t need Aeron chairs” just workers grinding 24/7 without the “extras” many Western VFX workers fought hard for.
That sounds cool… until you realize studios may decide they don’t need the team of 20 anymore.
“The good news is they’re going to need some artists. The bad news is they’re not going to need all of those artists.” That’s the shift we’re in. AI won’t replace everyone, but it will replace enough to change the landscape.
If you’re among the few with AI pipeline skills, prompt wizardry, and some creative edge, you’ll probably get paid better than today. But for the rest? It’s a scary reality check.
So here’s the question I keep circling back to: in an industry that’s always looking to cut corners, how do we protect the craft and the people behind it? Can we shape AI to be a tool that supports artists, not replaces them? Or is it just another phase in a long line of devaluing the worker?
Curious what others think. Are we in a new golden age of solo creators, or just speeding toward the same old cliff with new tech behind the wheel?
here is the full video
