MPC Vancouver (studio behind the sonic redesign) Shutdown effective immediately

[Arika]

Well this came out of literally nowhere. Moving Picture Company has just announced it is shutting down it's vancouver studio effective immediately. It's unclear how many staff where employed by MPC Vancouver.

 

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/breaking-mpc-studio-behind-the-lion-king-shuts-down-vancouver-studio-183671.html

 

Quote

MPC Vancouver’s employees were told of the shutdown during a meeting this morning. A letter was also allegedly sent out that cited “increasing external market pressures in Vancouver and more attractive opportunities in other locations” as the reason for the shutdown. The full text of the letter was posted online by an anonymous person

 

MPC, which is owned by Technicolor, will continue to operate studios in Montreal, Paris, Adelaide, LA, and Toronto. MPC’s various studios have been collectively responsible for films like The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Justice League, Blade Runner 2049, X-Men, Prometheus, Dumbo, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

So, they have had a hand in some big movies, so they're not exactly a small unknown animation studio

 

Quote

The MPC Vancouver team most recently played a significant role in the much talked about redesign of the main character in Paramount’s upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog. The studio also contributed to Universal’s upcoming Cats. Sources tell Cartoon Brew that Cats was not slated for MPC Vancouver, but the studio stepped in to help Technicolor sister company Mill Film finish up the production. The Vancouver unit also made major contributions to two other films this year, delivering shots for Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and producing the majority of the vfx shots on Warner Bros.’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

i didn't personally like detective pikachu, but the vfx were aboslutely amazing, sad to see a studio with this quality of work shut down.

 

Quote

UPDATE: A message from an ex-MPC Vancouver employee has been posted on Reddit. We are not able to verify its authenticity, but it sounds about right:

 

We’ve all put in extreme hours wrapping two infamous projects in the last couple of months. We’ve done multiple weeks without a day off, regular 17+ hour shifts to the point that most of us are seriously sleep deprived and are suffering still. We’ve worked really fucking hard to get this work out the door for MPC, and I’m genuinely ashamed that they are happier prioritising their profit margins and tax incentives over the insane talent and commitment of hundreds of dedicated VFX artists in Vancouver. I honestly feel insulted, like I’ve given MPC my all and in return they gave me the finger.

Good luck to all other insanely talented artists that MPC currently employs in other locations, because the second another location becomes more ‘attractive’, you could be next on the chopping block.

 

Quote

The individual also posted a follow-up response to another user’s question about their working hours:

 

Apologies, to clarify I didn’t mean everyone was doing 17+ hour days every day for weeks straight, but that we were working with no days off for weeks straight with plenty of 17+ shifts thrown in the mix. Sometimes three or four in a row, though.

Very rarely were people doing less than 10 hours in a day. If you wanted to leave after your eight hours, you had to ask permission to go home. Didn’t want to work OT at the weekend? You had to give a satisfactory reason as to why you couldn’t do it or they’d label it an unauthorized absence.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I obliged with requests because I felt if I didn’t, I’d be quickly replaced by someone who is willing to do the hours, be that for the experience or IMDb credit or whatever. That happened to two or three people while I was there.

Unfortunately it sounds like another example of animators being abused during crunch time and them immediately thrown to the wolves after the work was done.

 

As the article states, it's not uncommon for animation studios to reducen on staff numbers during this tme of year, the closure of an entire studio is very out of the ordinary. Seems to be a reaction to the incentives for remaining in vancounver compared to other cities, which is sad.

 

The fact that the staff were given absolutely no notice is sure to catch the eye of the film and animation industry. I can't imagine this will be the end of this story.

[vanished]

This is bad for the country, bad for the employees, and bad for the company doing it because who is going to want to work for them knowing that this is how they'll be treated?

 

Sort of as a separate issue, it sounds like they were being seriously abused and overworked and should probably have banded together to put an end to that.  Hopefully they can now since the threat of being fired and the impact it would have on deadlines is no longer an issue.

[Brooksie359]

1 hour ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

This is bad for the country, bad for the employees, and bad for the company doing it because who is going to want to work for them knowing that this is how they'll be treated?

 

Sort of as a separate issue, it sounds like they were being seriously abused and overworked and should probably have banded together to put an end to that.  Hopefully they can now since the threat of being fired and the impact it would have on deadlines is no longer an issue.

Its definitely sad to see. That being said if the working conditions were that crap then they might be able to find a better place to work that treats them better. 

[The Benjamins]

Everyone inters ted in why this happens should watch this short documentary 

9 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Its definitely sad to see. That being said if the working conditions were that crap then they might be able to find a better place to work that treats them better. 

There are BIG issues in the VFX industry

[Suika]

8 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Its definitely sad to see. That being said if the working conditions were that crap then they might be able to find a better place to work that treats them better. 

That's a big 'might.' I wouldn't believe there are enough visual effects studios in the Vancouver area to cover hundreds of suddenly unemployed citizens.

 

This is shit behavior on MPC's part.

[dizmo]

Unfortunate, especially given it's close proximity to the holidays, but one has to wonder a lot of things. For example, maybe they just finished up their projects and they want the office cleared out for the end of the month. Makes sense to have to start it now. Unfortunate, yes, but you still have to look at the bigger picture. Most people get severance if they're fired like this, though I imagine most of these people are on some kind of contract based work. Which, again, unfortunate, but that's just the name of the game when you work contract to contract (I'm assuming that's what it is, since it's similar with EA).

 

I was curious where there office was; haha, Yaletown. I lived just down the block from their office for a couple years, and it was not cheap. I can only imagine what their running costs were like. Could they have relocated their office somewhere more affordable? Probably, but maybe the amount of work they're getting doesn't warrant it.

 

It's so easy to point the blame at the big company labeling them evil, but unless you know all the ins and outs, it's a pretty uneducated stance to take.

 

1 hour ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

This is bad for the country, bad for the employees, and bad for the company doing it because who is going to want to work for them knowing that this is how they'll be treated?

 

Sort of as a separate issue, it sounds like they were being seriously abused and overworked and should probably have banded together to put an end to that.  Hopefully they can now since the threat of being fired and the impact it would have on deadlines is no longer an issue.

I think saying it's bad for the country is a bit of a stretch. It's not like we lose the industry entirely.

 

I think it's hard to band together, when you'll simply not be given another contract and there's so many people that will.

[mr moose]

What I don't really understand is why these people don't publicly make these claims, they all seem to be anonymously on reddit.  Here in Australia if you are being mistreated then fired unfairly people are not afraid to speak on camera.  We have laws against that sort of thing and companies have a hard time fighting it.  Maybe the issue is these countries don't have strict enough regulations on workers rights.

[dizmo]

5 minutes ago, mr moose said:

What I don't really understand is why these people don't publicly make these claims, they all seem to be anonymously on reddit.  Here in Australia if you are being mistreated then fired unfairly people are not afraid to speak on camera.  We have laws against that sort of thing and companies have a hard time fighting it.  Maybe the issue is these countries don't have strict enough regulations on workers rights.

That's why I think it's contract based work. Therefore they're not really entitled to anything, as contract workers don't have as many rights as a regular worker; however, the people going into those fields understand that's part of the business, so I really don't feel that bad for them. They chose to enter that profession knowing that's the case, and unfortunately sometimes that happens.

[PlayStation 2]

6 minutes ago, mr moose said:

What I don't really understand is why these people don't publicly make these claims, they all seem to be anonymously on reddit.  Here in Australia if you are being mistreated then fired unfairly people are not afraid to speak on camera.  We have laws against that sort of thing and companies have a hard time fighting it.  Maybe the issue is these countries don't have strict enough regulations on workers rights.

Your life can effectively be ruined entirely if you chose to speak out without anonymity if you didn't have any connections to fall back on.

Money buys you a lot in North America, including the ability to silence anyone you choose.

[Serin]

Actually friggen terrified of finally graduating uni and heading into the vfx workforce.
None of this ever sounds like a good way to spend a life.

[mr moose]

7 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

Your life can effectively be ruined entirely if you chose to speak out without anonymity if you didn't have any connections to fall back on.

Money buys you a lot in North America, including the ability to silence anyone you choose.

Then I was right, the countries laws allow this to happen.  Money cannot buy you a win in an unfair dismissal claim in Australia, even a contractual one.  

[mr moose]

11 minutes ago, dizmo said:

That's why I think it's contract based work. Therefore they're not really entitled to anything, as contract workers don't have as many rights as a regular worker; however, the people going into those fields understand that's part of the business, so I really don't feel that bad for them. They chose to enter that profession knowing that's the case, and unfortunately sometimes that happens.

It's interesting that there seems to be this lack of workers rights just because they are under a contract.   It's like the country is owned by big business.

[CarlBar]

Yeah those anonymous comments rang great big screaming warning bells. Even here in the UK an Employer cannot just go "you will work X extra hours or else". hey can insist yu work however many hours are specified as the minimum in your contract, but there's some strict limits on that too.

[ADM-Ntek]

not this first time something like this happen. like Rhythm & Hues they did the tiger in life of pi got an Oscar for it and it ruined them.

[Brooksie359]

10 hours ago, mr moose said:

Then I was right, the countries laws allow this to happen.  Money cannot buy you a win in an unfair dismissal claim in Australia, even a contractual one.  

I dont think it would even be about winning a court case but rather their career that would be the issue. You go and public air your former employers dirty laundry and you are going to have a hard time finding another place to hire you. Who wants to hire someone who would potentially do something similar to them of they ended up having to let them go for some reason or another. 

[Taf the Ghost]

12 hours ago, mr moose said:

Then I was right, the countries laws allow this to happen.  Money cannot buy you a win in an unfair dismissal claim in Australia, even a contractual one.  

The Reddit post seems rather odd. This is Canada we're talking about, so if those types of hours are being enforced, either the post is fake or there is another layer that isn't being presented.  MPC has offices all over the place, from a quick look at them, so even the closure of the office seems odd, on its own.

 

Though it seems like MPC is a terribly run company, so that might have a bit more to do with it.

[mr moose]

6 hours ago, Brooksie359 said:

I dont think it would even be about winning a court case but rather their career that would be the issue. You go and public air your former employers dirty laundry and you are going to have a hard time finding another place to hire you. Who wants to hire someone who would potentially do something similar to them of they ended up having to let them go for some reason or another. 

It never seems to stop people getting work here.   Honest people always find work as it's hard to hide the truth in open circles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brooksie359]

4 minutes ago, mr moose said:

It never seems to stop people getting work here.   Honest people always find work as it's hard to hide the truth in open circles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talking badly about your past employer is not necessarily indicative of being honest tbh. I mean it isn't hard to hide the fact that your past employer was kinda crappy so I am unsure what you mean when you say it's hardto hide the truth. All I am saying is that talking crap about your past employer has only ever hurt someone's chances of finding their next job in my experience. 

[mr moose]

1 minute ago, Brooksie359 said:

Talking badly about your past employer is not necessarily indicative of being honest tbh. I mean it isn't hard to hide the fact that your past employer was kinda crappy so I am unsure what you mean when you say it's hardto hide the truth. All I am saying is that talking crap about your past employer has only ever hurt someone's chances of finding their next job in my experience. 

I never said talking badly about your ex employer was a sign of honesty,  I said honest people always find work.  The difference being if you are honest when you shit can your ex employee it makes no difference to your employ ability.  however if you are making it all up and shit canning your ex employer because you are a prick, well that might effect your chances of gaining work depending on the job type, your skill level and how much demand there is, but that is fair enough.

 

In Australia (because I can't speak for other countries) businesses are well informed inside each industry,  they know what their competitors are doing, they all know the low down and they know a shitty employee when they see one. 

[Brooksie359]

2 hours ago, mr moose said:

I never said talking badly about your ex employer was a sign of honesty,  I said honest people always find work.  The difference being if you are honest when you shit can your ex employee it makes no difference to your employ ability.  however if you are making it all up and shit canning your ex employer because you are a prick, well that might effect your chances of gaining work depending on the job type, your skill level and how much demand there is, but that is fair enough.

 

In Australia (because I can't speak for other countries) businesses are well informed inside each industry,  they know what their competitors are doing, they all know the low down and they know a shitty employee when they see one. 

In my line of work people talk and if you talk crap about a former employer most places will steer clear because they take it as more of a liability than anything else. I mean yeah they could be being truthful but no company wants someone who is going to tell everyone all their faults as soon as they leave. I am fairly certain that most of them are not going public and staying anonymous for a reason similar to this.

[amdorintel]

the economic downturn is hitting hard

 

bring back $100 oil!

[leadeater]

12 hours ago, Brooksie359 said:

In my line of work people talk and if you talk crap about a former employer most places will steer clear because they take it as more of a liability than anything else. I mean yeah they could be being truthful but no company wants someone who is going to tell everyone all their faults as soon as they leave. I am fairly certain that most of them are not going public and staying anonymous for a reason similar to this.

I think the main difference here that was more being pointed to is that in Aus and NZ contract workers have the same employee protections under the law as a payroll employee. I don't remember when this changed but it would be likely over 10 years ago now. What that means for us is that if a company is breaking employment law you can, not in public, take them through employment court and you don't need to wait for be made redundant.

 

Companies shouldn't need to be detracted from breaching employment law because employees might do something about it, likewise employees should not refrain from reporting breaches through fear of employment prospects. Reporting breaches of law isn't a detractor for an employer unless it's a place you don't likely want to work for anyway.

 

Basically you don't go public because you don't need to, in Aus & NZ. The only time going public is a justified move is when the law has legitimately failed you and a legal professional or employment disputes adviser is in agreement that is it a good option. Because you can be completely in the right, the law has failed you and you can as you pointed to hurt your employment prospects because not everything is clear cut nor can actually be disclosed in public.

 

Basically contract workers are not loopholes here.

[wanderingfool2]

On 12/12/2019 at 7:48 PM, mr moose said:

It's interesting that there seems to be this lack of workers rights just because they are under a contract.   It's like the country is owned by big business.

The only time that they really would have less rights would be if they were an independent contractor (which they wouldn't be, as they fit the definition of an employee so even if there was a contract saying they are independent contractors it is unlikely it would be upheld; and they would be classified as employees).  While I can't speak for this industry itself, I would suspect that as a deadline comes this becomes common in most working environments (and at least in other industries usually has employees receiving extra paid time off after the project is done, see my comment below about banked overtime)

3 hours ago, leadeater said:

I think the main difference here that was more being pointed to is that in Aus and NZ contract workers have the same employee protections under the law as a payroll employee. I don't remember when this changed but it would be likely over 10 years ago now. What that means for us is that if a company is breaking employment law you can, not in public, take them through employment court and you don't need to wait for be made redundant.

 

Companies shouldn't need to be detracted from breaching employment law because employees might do something about it, likewise employees should not refrain from reporting breaches through fear of employment prospects. Reporting breaches of law isn't a detractor for an employer unless it's a place you don't likely want to work for anyway.

 

Basically you don't go public because you don't need to, in Aus & NZ. The only time going public is a justified move is when the law has legitimately failed you and a legal professional or employment disputes adviser is in agreement that is it a good option. Because you can be completely in the right, the law has failed you and you can as you pointed to hurt your employment prospects because not everything is clear cut nor can actually be disclosed in public.

 

Basically contract workers are not loopholes here.

You don't really need to in Canada either, but it is more I think about venting (rather than going through the courts).  There is a certain stigma that if you do things like suing an employer or similar that you will be less appealing to the next employer (if you were an employer and had two similar candidates, who would you pick one that sued their previous employer).

 

In general, contract workers aren't a loophole really here either.  You can say you are a contract worker, but ultimately the rules still do apply if the tasks/job fit an employee type of model.  So after an 8 hour shift, they would be paid 1.5x and at the 12 hour mark it becomes 2x.

 

What might be the case here is that they were on a banked overtime kind of approach, which would mean they could take that time off or get paid out.

 

A condensed set of overtime rules

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/wages/overtime-pay

[CarlBar]

12 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

There is a certain stigma that if you do things like suing an employer or similar that you will be less appealing to the next employer (if you were an employer and had two similar candidates, who would you pick one that sued their previous employer).

 

 

AFAIK a prospective employer would have no way of finding such information out here in the UK. And discriminating against hiring someone on that basis could get you into trouble.

 

13 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

What might be the case here is that they were on a banked overtime kind of approach, which would mean they could take that time off or get paid out.

 

 

The thing that stuck out for me was the whole "do X hours or else" thing and the sheer number of hours they where being expected to work. Both of those just wouldn't fly here in the UK, (and i assume Aus/NZ from what has been said).

[TetraSky]

Good old terrible crunch time... I wouldn't be surprised if management left at their normal hours and didn't give two shit about the employees doing all the work for such insane hours.

This is why people get together to create a union, to prevent abuse like this from an employer, regardless of how "normal" it is in that industry.

All the overtime racked up during that period probably amounted to too much money in the eyes of the company so they decided it wasn't worth operating in Vancouver anymore afterward compared to getting some incentives elsewhere.