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I don't think you've root caused this yet. There are other areas where studios do not/ cannot behave this way. Take something like electricity or catering, both
by yafbum 3y ago
I don't think you've root caused this yet. There are other areas where studios do not/ cannot behave this way. Take something like electricity or catering, both of which are typically critical to production (even if unglamorous). No electricity company is going to let studios pay on a flat fee basis no matter how much they draw from the grid. No catering company is going to bid on a fixed cost basis letting the studio double the number of days that they have to feed people. So why is it that VFX companies keep bidding themselves into trouble with overstretched goals?
IMO this is an industry with chronically over-optimistic bidding practices, fueled by a consistent influx of wannabe low-cost entrants motivated by the "cool factor" of working for the movies. If you have other insights, very curious to know.
- cududa 3y agoThe reason people usually only work at VFX companies for 9-16 months is because they have to underbid, bidding higher means no contracts, lays them off, then another studio springs up that them and their coworkers all go to and the cycle repeats. Somebody is always going to bid lower, go bankrupt/ skeleton crew, and another studio springs up with idealism that there’s will be different.
- lotsofpulp 3y agoThe question is why is another studio springing up, if even a lay commenter on HN knows it is bound to fail?
- _jal 3y agoSame reason you see so many never-gonna-happen startups in the Valley. There are two rules to remember in markets like this: (1) If things keep happening, someone is getting paid. (2) If you look around the table can't can't spot the sucker...
- lotsofpulp 3y agoThen it sounds like the previous comments claiming no one is getting paid are incorrect.
- yafbum 3y agoExcept that the never gonna happen startups aren't really putting any bidding pressure on Cisco or Intel or whatever...
- yafbum 3y agoWhy do they have to underbid? Why is somebody is always going to bid lower? This does not really happen in most other industries, which know their cost structures and don't underbid themselves into the ground.