The strike began in mid-July, on top of“But the industry has always been unstable, and there is a gold rush to countries willing to give the best tax benefits and cheaper rates,” the employee added, citing the closure of special effects company Double Negative’s Singapore production facility in 2016 after seven years.According to the employee, the news of the closure of ILM's Singapore studio was broken to them by management during a meeting at 2pm on Aug 15.
In 2013, Lucasfilm moved into the state-of-the-art Sandcrawler building, named after the classic Star Wars transport that inspired its design. , expanding its operations beyond its San Francisco headquarters. This studio was also based in the Sandcrawler building. The industry is labour-intensive and requires teams with specialised skill sets, said Mr Lynus Hee, manager and course chair at Singapore Polytechnic's School of Media, Arts & Design.
IGN reported last month that many VFX studios around the world have been laying off artists due to a lack of production work stemming from the strikes. VFX artists in the US are also not protected by a union, unlike writers and actors. American magazine GQ reported that while the boom in streaming services and VFX-heavy blockbusters have led to more demand for VFX workers, it has also resulted in studios not having enough time or resources to complete their work to a high standard before a film’s release.
While these were unlikely to have caused the studio’s closure, it “adds more questions to any studio considering investments in the area”, said Dr Theseira.WHAT ARE VFX ARTISTS' JOB PROSPECTS LIKE NOW? Those trained in VFX should be"agile and learn new skills”, which will significantly enhance their employability and job prospects, Mr Foo said.