ACCESS: VFX

For the first time in our history the VFX community has joined forces to create ACCESS: VFX, an industry movement with one common goal: to increase diversity and promote better inclusion within the creative sector. That’s 8 world renowned VFX studios, 7 industry institutions and 2 government bodies. As a collective we have recognised that to create real change we need to stop acting as individual studio’s and come together as one voice so that the inclusion priority cannot be ignored. ACCESS: VFX launched during National Inclusion Week 2017 with a host of inspiring workshops, networking mixers, panel events and screenings all taking place across the London VFX community to create and sustain a conversation on real inclusion. In addition to creating a space for this dialogue, we hosted a careers day for 15 to 18 year old students from underrepresented schools and connected them to mentors from the 8 participating VFX houses; we also asked our current apprentices to design and deliver a full day workshop raising awareness of routes into industry. The team includes representatives from VFX studios including Framestore, Double Negative, The Mill, Industrial Light & Magic, Union VFX, Blue Zoo, MPC and Jellyfish Pictures, training bodies Escape Studios, Escape Technology and FX Digital and institutions such as The UK Screen Alliance, Into Film, Creative Skillset and the Greater London Authority. ACCESS: VFX is about taking action, challenging and calling out both our creative community and educational establishments. We firmly believe that working as a collective whole is the missing link to creating real change.