THE WAY OF WATER VFX’s Weta Workshop Team Face Allegations of Low Pay and Poor Working Conditions

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Avatar: The Way of Water promises to be one of the most expensive movies ever made, so we’ll be paying close attention to those top box office numbers next weekend. Much of that supposed $400 million budget has, understandably, been spent on visual effects, an inevitable sequel with a sequel that’s mostly set on an alien planet with non-human characters!

This year, we’ve heard a lot about the challenges that come with working in the visual effects industry, especially in the wake of the pandemic and all those release date delays.

Now an artist, Logan Preshaw, who was enlisted by Weta Workshop to contribute to Avatar: The Way of Water, has slammed the company for poor pay, disrespectful working conditions, and more. (via SFFGazette.com). However, he’s also quick to point out that this is a problem with Weta, not James Cameron or Disney’s 20th Century Studios.

Considering that Marvel Studios has come under fire for the way it runs its VFX teams, we’re sure the House of Mouse, if nothing else, will be pleased.

As for Weta, they are perhaps best known for working on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises, as they are based in New Zealand. Other recent projects, however, include Dune and Thor: Love and Thunder, and this isn’t the first time they’ve been criticized for behind-the-scenes issues. They have yet to comment on these allegations.

Take a look at Preshaw’s thread of tweets below.

I worked on Avatar 2. I’m proud of it. I’m not proud of how little Weta Workshop pays its artists. As a concept artist, I was paid the current minimum wage. A $10/hr pay cut since I was in charge of cartoon shows. Many practical artists were paid in the same way. https://t.co/zI1CBYjtSv

Logan Preshaw (@wickedinsignia) December 6, 2022

I was working 10 hours a day for $21 NZD/hr, which works out to just over $13 USD. 1 hour was deducted for lunch. When I asked for more salary about 8 months later, citing salary and experience from my previous job, it was increased to $23.3 months later I left. pic.twitter.com/8o9XKNCKpq

Logan Preshaw (@wickedinsignia) December 6, 2022

Workshop is not a small studio, it is a world-renowned company that regularly receives help from the New Zealand government to keep blockbuster production on its shores. During my time there they had major contracts for Mulan, MIB4, World Expo 2020, the Avatar sequels and more.

Logan Preshaw (@wickedinsignia) December 7, 2022

Workshops have had many red flags over the years and have chosen to do very little to improve. This is reflected both in my experience and in the experiences of the artists I know there. If you are in Australia or New Zealand, look for other opportunities. The prestige of their name is not worth it.

Logan Preshaw (@wickedinsignia) December 9, 2022

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