October 30, 2024 – In a landmark move, 16 visual effects (VFX) artists and leads from NBC’s Saturday Night Live have unionized, joining the Hollywood crew union, IATSE, after receiving voluntary recognition from their management. This decision marks another pivotal step for the labor group as it continues its push to unionize VFX professionals across the industry.
As SNL celebrates 50 years on air, the variety show’s VFX artists have chosen to unionize, following the unanimous signing of union cards to join IATSE. This union represents Hollywood’s crew members, including those working on SNL’s highly demanding pre-recorded sketches, like the viral “Papyrus” skit with Ryan Gosling and Adam Driver’s “Old Friends.”
While SNL is widely known for its live content, the show also features VFX-heavy “digital shorts” that require post-production teams to work at lightning speed. Fast Company reported in 2017 that these teams sometimes have as little as 12 hours to complete an entire segment. Recent examples of these intricate productions include the February 2023 Mario Kart trailer parody and the Ariana Grande-featured “My Best Friend’s House” music video, showcasing the complexity and fast-paced nature of VFX work.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Saturday Night Live’s visual effects unit makes magic happen every Saturday night.
IATSE has gained momentum this year, securing union representation for VFX artists at major companies like Marvel, Disney, Avatar, DNEG (Canada), and AppleTV. For the union, the SNL victory is one more example of growing support for labor protections in the VFX community—a profession often characterized by intense workloads and deadlines.
Read more here : https://iatse.net/saturday-night-live-visual-effects-workers-unionize-win-recognition-with-unanimous-support/
