Industrial Light & Magic Reviews

Pros

Work with some of the most talented and creative people you've ever met

Cons

Salary a little on the low side. Hard to get a full time position these days

Pros

The people who actual do the Visual Effects work are incredibly talented and fun to collaborate with.

Cons

Executive Production leadership corrupted by a few, key, Class A talentless harpies who know more about Sex In The City than the history of Cinema. Work day interrupted on more than one occasion by production women literally crying to me about their treatment working under this tight group of Executive Mean Girls. Everyone: go where you’re creatively valued and can make way more $.

Pros

I've been around the block and I like ILM a lot because it is much more well-oiled in process. You have to learn a bit quick the processes, but this place has been good to me and building up my career. Senior leadership trained me well, and now I feel more than prepared to do anything and capable as an artist. Benefits are really nice and they pay for OT. All the medical, 401K is good, when you first receive vacation it might seem like accrual is slow but you work OT often that it accumulates very fast. Take that as you will! I've been lucky to work with projects that are very flexible with OT, but some producers are not as flexible so it's more luck of the draw. Sometimes it's worrying because Canada is cheaper and I've wondered if San Francisco's office would lose its spot, but now I'm more than confident that San Francisco is here to stay. I feel secure more than ever and assured that if I ever left this company I can do anything.

Cons

I'm a bit concerned with the studios in Vancouver, London, and Singapore. I don't think they get the same standard of training as San Francisco. Sometimes jobs are so bad, they always come back to San Francisco. Training and leadership (maybe incentive for SF members to move to other places?) I think is definitely needed. I got hired at the cusp of Disney buying Lucasfilm. I know this place was ran a little differently before. You can see some Disney decisions bleed. It does feel like projects now revolve around them and approval, and not as many original projects are coming to our studio anymore because Disney vetos it. My bottom line comes down to this. I've never been to a VFX studio that was perfect, that didn't require OT and all that jazz. As sad as it's a bit of an industry standard. Hours reflect other places I've worked. If you don't like it here because of OT, it's more or less the same everywhere.

Pros

Working on the biggest/best projects in the entertainment industry, all of the time.

Cons

Chose to leave after seeing layoffs, at the same time we were hearing we'd made record earnings on films. All of the work is being outsourced.

Pros

The story of this place and the people that started everything is so inspiring.

Cons

No morale No culture anymore, it's turning into a production line Long hours You will get emails about how the company is thriving, how successful the projects are thanks to you, but you will no get bonuses anymore. A promotion is just impossible, Managers don't really pay attention to who is who, they usually promote the whiners and not the most talented or hard workers. If you are not a supervisor nobody will pay attention to your suggestions or feedback. Salaries are awful no work-life balance in San Francisco, the most expensive city in the world. The work is now done in Vancouver mostly, San Francisco only gets the left-overs Not a healthy competition environment. Trying to save money they turned the work areas into a homeless camp.

Pros

good benefits for employees, used to be better pre disney

Cons

Managers who truly have no idea what the persons they manage actually do. if you not buddy buddy with them you won't go anywhere and will have actively thrown hurdles in your way.