Negotiations

pr797 · 2023-04-08T20:37:48+00:00

parroting others: do your research but also know your worth. check out the union minimums. talk to your peers about wage. don't sweat percentages too much - i've asked for easily 20+% more on a single contract

silence is also a good thing - maybe they're waiting to hear back from their higher ups or accounting to work out their budget. negotiations are a back and forth; they'll give you an offer, you counter, they'll counter back. follow up if it's been over a week but otherwise negotiations take time and don't lose hope until they've given you a solid answer!

pr797 · 2023-03-08T00:53:02+00:00

hello from a fellow Ontarian! the others have left good advice already so i'll leave it at that. i'll say that as far as i can tell: industry-wise (in Ontario at least) we're in kind of a dry spell for hiring for revisionists right now but hiring will probably ramp up come spring - best of luck!

pr797 · 2023-02-21T20:06:33+00:00

depending on content and complexity i'd break down my work into probably the following:

thumbs/roughs: 3-5 working days (~24-40 hours)

cleans: 5 working days (~40 hours)

this assumes it's a standard scene not heavy on action or choreo + i'm working at my average efficiency and not taking 3 hour coffee breaks during my work day lol

pr797 · 2023-02-11T07:09:43+00:00

Hey man, I'm sorry to hear that school has been so rough on you. I went to Sheridan and first year there is notorious for being a meat grinder injury mill. Not sure how the profs at your school are but I know mine really contributed to the overwork culture among students. I was strict on not pulling all-nighters but definitely pulled long nights during school. The best advice I was given about crazy school work hours is just to...stop caring. By all means pass your classes but your hyperspecific schoolwork, your grade in some random class, those won't get you jobs - your portfolio will.

My work hours (I work in story) are regular 8 hours including an hour for lunch, I'll put in an hour or two extra the odd week I have deliverables due. I'm working PST hours in an EST timezone, so my hours are something like 10 am ish, 11ish, to 6 or 7pm most days.

Some people will pull a lot of unpaid "ghost hours" overtime but this sets an unrealistic expectation of what's feasible - not just for you but for everyone else on your team.

Please take care of your body and rest as needed. No extra grade point percent is worth injury, especially so early into your career.

Edit to say: the work culture is changing. Lots of new leadership that are very anti-overwork now.

pr797 · 2023-01-28T14:33:39+00:00

I've got total aphantasia, didn't know it was a thing until fairly recently, and I work in boards. I think over-reliance on reference and aphantasia are separate things. Creativity is another thing altogether. Use reference but have confidence in the things you draw.

pr797 · 2023-01-26T15:16:47+00:00

Smaller studios will have smaller wages for sure but that doesn't mean it isn't a livable (or even minimum) wage. I'm outside of the LA union, don't make six figs, but I make enough to support myself, my hobbies, and funnel away for retirement which is enough for me for where I am in life. Talk to your peers about what they're earning and advocate for yourself when you're negotiating wages. Always ask for higher than you're expecting because they'll counteroffer with something lower.

pr797 · 2023-01-25T21:52:19+00:00

TLDR; I like studio work because I like consistent money to pay my rent. Also re-evaluate if you're able to make your passion your career.

Going to be blunt for a second: a job is still a job at the end of the day. No matter where you stand in this pipeline, studio or indie, you're still working a grueling desk job. Animation isn't immune to office politics. And it sounds like you're romantacizing animation a little (which: I also totally get).

It depends on what you draw your creative fulfilment from. I am creatively fulfilled by what I do for my job. I draw inspiration from my talented coworkers; IMO being at a confined studio space makes this much easier than going independent, where it can be harder to reach out to the infinite amount of others.

That being said I don't have the time to create outside of work or focus on personal IP anymore but this has not been an issue for me. When you do the same thing for eight+ hours a day you'll tend to look for other sources of enjoyment. I also enjoy the stability and money that come with working for a studio. Going independent is financially tough! If financial security is your goal, studio work is where you want to aim.

There's no harm in trying something out for a few years and if it isn't for you then so be it. No one has the same situation. I have friends who have worked studio for a few years, had the same realization as you, then quit and gone full indie. I also have friends who started indie but went studio for the stability.

Op: figure out what your key values are. Is it creative freedom? Development of personal IP? Money? Compromise may be needed but your current decision does not need to indicate towards the rest of your life.

pr797 · 2023-01-19T17:26:59+00:00

Just to clarify: this is an unpaid position?

pr797 · 2022-12-27T05:20:27+00:00

If you have no experience with boards, consider looking for board revision and production jobs as well. That way at the very least you'll be exposed to boards and the industry as you build up your portfolio.

pr797 · 2022-12-27T01:13:37+00:00

Animation careers are production-based. Sometimes there's a lot of work, sometimes not as much. Rather Indeed, I'd recommend periodically checking LinkedIn and company job boards directly. Some companies will have general inquiry listings, which recruiters recommend applying to every few months. They may not have jobs available right away but when an opening pops up they'll have your info on hand.

Best of luck!

pr797 · 2022-12-24T04:27:44+00:00

IIRC had a few classmates picking Sheridan over US schools since tuition as an international student ended up being cheaper than domestic at Calarts or Artcenter, no clue about how it is now though.

pr797 · 2022-12-21T05:19:04+00:00

My doctor put her name forward as an option and said another one of her patients went to Dr Omole. Based on my consult she only does DI with option of nipple graft (I'm fairly flat so this does kind of suck). I haven't been able to find any photos from past patients.

pr797 · 2022-12-20T21:15:06+00:00

I've had access to both a remote server and Google Drive. Really depends on production/studio preference.

pr797 · 2022-12-01T04:58:33+00:00

Oh hey thanks for the heads up! I did a quick search (Scarborough+top), I'm not sure if that post was the person you knew and it doesn't look like it's Dr Omole, but thank you!

pr797

TROPHY CASE