As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, a group of its visual effects workers have organized to join one of Hollywood’s most established unions.
After sixteen VFX artists and VFX leads unanimously signed union cards to join IATSE, their union was voluntarily recognized by management, the labor group said on Monday. These staffers are responsible for visual effects work on the variety show’s pre-recorded sketches, such as the Ryan Gosling “Papyrus” short or the Adam Driver “Old Friends” sketch.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to SNL for comment.
In statements, current SNL VFX workers described the work environment as time-intensive and demanding. SNL VFX artist Richard Lampasone said that the show’s visual effects operation has transformed into a “tightly integrated, highly organized operation capable of delivering hundreds of demanding shots over a 24-hour period.” He called the work “intense, collaborative, and extremely fun.”
VFX artist Danny Behar added that the group typically works 15 hour-days every Saturday. He said, “We deserve to have a seat at the table. We are the only department that currently does not have one. If we’re going to continue working on the show, it is necessary for us to receive the basic entitlements offered to other units like pay equity and stable healthcare.”
In 2022, postproduction workers who also help shape the show’s pre-recorded segments unionized with the Motion Picture Editors Guild, a national union under the IATSE umbrella.
More to come.