Your Formulae Wastes my Time and Energy

In my experience there is simply never enough money or experienced people put onto a project. And it's that simple. It is always trying to do more with less. They want to put as little money into it as they can, while still hiring enough people to get the job done at SOME level of quality and comfort to the employees. With this mentality it's a fine line, and a crunch at the same time. But would it be a bad thing if there was money left over??? Why? You can just use it elsewhere... Reinvest it. Making sure the project is properly funded, maybe even over funded can't hurt can it? I think when we calculate things to the exact it is impossible not to be wrong... I think the best thing to do is EXPECT TO BE WRONG... Have a big buffer and a couple extra staff members to help out with the various problems that will arrive in the first month or two of the production. There should always be a money buffer in the budget. Likewise, there should always be extra people on at the beginning... Give them a limited contract, a trial of a month or so? If the project goes smoothly, if things are getting done well, and it is apparent it would be better for them to stay, extend their contract! If work is getting done WAY ahead of time, don't extend the contract. Imagine if your employees actually smiled once in a while other than to laugh at your lame jokes or in an effort to hide their contempt they have for you. You can have this if you stop being a cheap asshole. No harm can come to the project if things are getting done well due to being correctly staffed. Measure twice, cut once.... Harm will come when there is not enough money in it, when workers are understaffed. If your project is under funded and understaffed you might as well just accept the fact that it will be a waste of money to go ahead with it in the first place. It's pointless to churn out low quality material and burn out your employees. That is how we fuck up in this industry. No one has a fucking backbone. We have rubber spines. I find Projects are very rigid these days, we try to work with the staff we have and just keep pushing them when it's VERY obvious that another member of the team might be just what is needed to make the project flow smoothly. I find it's hardly ever a case of a project being over staffed anymore, and maybe that is the problem. If you had these extra people on board, perhaps all the problems that seem to come up would be alleviated to some degree. I hate to be the voice of negativity, but it simply comes down to higher ups not putting enough money or staff into a project, but "just enough to get it done." They are scared to spend money, scared to take risks, and who can blame them these days? But business is risk. Animation is a risky business... If you are not taking risks to get it done, you are not giving the project the respect or chance it deserves. Under funding a project is risk, but it is the wrong type of risk, and I'd rather call it "stupidity" or "cowardice" than risk. Risk is putting the proper amount that is needed to make a project succeed, knowing you are risking a lot if it doesn't pay off. That is good risk that is a necessary risk to ANY business or project. Again, I am a negative jerk and I'm not interested in theories or shit that never actually pans out, I'm interested in results and what will get something done FOR SURE without question. And that means not dicking around, but putting the money and then some into the project AND hiring the right amount of people. It is much better to be over staffed than under staffed. Period.

Gloves off Assholes.

Here is a nice article about being paid fairly in the animation industry.

http://www.canadiananimationresources.ca/?p=1056

Go read it.

Now... Read the comment below. Doesn't it seem somewhat deflationary? As if to distract from the real issue? Doesn't take long to find out that this guy is an HR manager and has never done any actual animation work. Boy his life must be great.

I always enjoy watching executives and other types who have never worked on the floor try and down play this issue or rationalize it.

I wonder why they do that...? Let's cut the bullshit shall we? Because if things were put right it would probably come out of their PERSONAL salary, and then they wouldn't be able to buy that new souped up SUV and a bunch of stupid fucking sweaters with a company logo on it.

Jesus christ, most businessmen in animation have no business sense! They don't want a long lasting company... They want brief fame and success, doesn't matter who they fuck to get there!

This article resonates with me in ways you cannot imagine. I dislike this current trend. In fact it angers me so much I sometimes think about starting a union here in Canada... I once mentioned that to my boss and watched his eyes bug out. Of course he had many reasons for why that was a bad idea... But that's cause he's the fucking enemy. Time to learn that those above us, like controlling us, because they benefit from it.

The more we suffer, the more hours we work, they more those fuckers get paid. It's no secret that most animators are spineless nerds and will willingly get fucked up the ass. Actually we'll do it because this company "is like family" and... we want to "impress them" with our dedication.

Stop sucking corporate dick.

Time to cut the bullshit, seriously. Stop working for those assholes and let their companies sink into hell where they belong. USE THEM for experience? Sure, USE THEM, don't let them USE YOU. Get in, get the experience, and then go work somewhere that will respect you.

In closing... Stop acting like fucking cattle, the wolves are just going to eat you up and spit your ass out... Time for an Animation Union in certain parts of Canada? Yeah, I think SO.

You want in on this Union, you want on the board, you want to help get this thing started? Want a voice? Tired of being used and then cast out? angry.animator@gmail.com. Email me, this will all be anonymous.

Let's talk, we'll start something and we'll get even more people in on it. The more Animators we have in our union, the less these dicks can use us? I have 45 Animators who already want to join, please join in, let's make them respect us.

angry.animator@gmail.com ....A canadian animation union. Just email me and let's take a risk and start to change our industry.