SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.-The visual effects industry may be driven by creative people, but, according to Tom Atkin, executive director of the Sherman Oaks-based Visual Effects Society (VES), it still must operate as a business. So as part of VES’ 1999 agenda, Atkin said the group would explore ways to simplify some business steps in order to help the industry work more efficiently. One of the areas the group is exploring is the creation of a standard visual effects bid form for features, commercials and/or episodic TV.
"We don’t have finite answers," emphasized Atkin. "We are trying to [see] if there are enough common reference points to determine if we can propose a standard bid form." The aim would be to simplify the bidding process for both the client and effects company.
As models of success in this area, he cited the spot production bid form created by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers and the editorial bid form penned by the Association of Independent Commercial Editors. In fact, the AICE recently altered its bid form to reflect changes in technology and the post process (SHOOT, 11/6/98, p. 1). That revised form went into use in the commercial community last month.
A visual effects bid form, Atkin suggested, may "help clients compare bids with some form of standardization. … They are so varied, so different. Sometimes you can’t tell if it is for the same job."
Atkin explained that in visual effects circles he has heard chatter about the bidding process and how the budgets for effects-intensive projects could range in the millions [for features]. He added that, not unlike other businesses, some companies are said to bid low to get the job, then up the budget as the job goes into production. Budgets can also vary greatly because different companies may suggest different effects production techniques (e.g., CGI, models and miniatures).
Atkin said VES aims to determine if a more standard bid form might provide a "more common frame of reference," making it easier for clients to identify budget disparities. "It doesn’t mean the [production] solution will be the same. [But] the clients should be able to look at the different bids and understand them."
"Visual effects is one of the more complex production disciplines," Atkin noted. "The
challenge is to analyze if we can come up with a proper solution."
VES also intends to determine if it could suggest a standard method of gaining clearance to use clips for applications such as trade show demonstration reels. With no standard procedure in place, this tends to be a complex and time-consuming process. Atkin said VES furthermore wishes to look closely at the way feature film credits get compiled to see if it would be beneficial to try to standardize that process. "We see nothing but benefits. It would eliminate the series of negotiations that go on [with each project]," Atkin explained.
Atkin acknowledged that any of these potential efforts could take years to bring to fruition, but that VES feels they are worth exploring because, as he commented, "the relation between business, profitability and creative is more on [the effects community’s] mind than it used to be."
