I've watched a lot of VFX companies go under in the last decade and it's a shame. Some were run by friends of mine, pretty much all of them did fine work, too. Others, even some of the principle houses, have run up striking losses, while still others remain mildly profitable even in LA., Vancouver, UK, India and points East.

Who's to blame for the crashes? I think blame is the wrong word. In the lead up to SIGGRAPH and during and after the show, I'm going to try to figure out where the responsibilities lie. And to do it I have to get input from VFX houses, Studios and, of course, Scott Ross, whose famous VFX Business blog enthralls some while annoying the crap out of others. I'll be in LA next week attending the show and talking to a number of people on all sides of this issue.

Lots of people and VFX houses blame the studios for their financial problems, but it's way more complicated than that. Every time I think I have the situation figured out, new information pops up to confound things. Wish me luck trying to navigate through this quagmire of complex interdependencies, egos, greed, naivté, and good people, bad people and people who talk a good game but don't know what the hell they're doing. I venture forward with great trepidation.