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NEWS: Study: New Entry-Level Animators Earn US$9,200 a Year in Japan


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kazenoyume



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 425
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 6:42 am Reply with quote
Assuming eleven hours five days a week, even with a few weeks a year off that's less than five dollars an hour day. How is that even legal?
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Blazingluke



Joined: 15 Dec 2006
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:09 am Reply with quote
This is happening because people aren't buying enough full-price anime releases from Bandai, Aniplex, or Pony Canyon. Very Happy
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:25 am Reply with quote
One interview states that it's customary practice for animators to freelance for more than one studio at once. I wonder if the study included that or if this is per-contract. But maybe entry-levels are not experienced enough for that yet.

Quote:
JAniCA conducted a similar 2009 study with nearly identical results. Yamasaki cautioned people to not jump to conclusions on that study. He said that the salaries rise as animators are promoted to higher positions such as key animators and animation directors.

Has there ever been a study on the pay scales above entry-level?

kazenoyume wrote:
Assuming eleven hours five days a week, even with a few weeks a year off that's less than five dollars an hour day. How is that even legal?

They're paid by the drawing instead of the hour as contractors and not permanent salaried staff. You can take 11 hours or you can take 1 hour for the same contracted deliveries. Newbies tend to take longer understandably, but people improve their income in this system by becoming more proficient and improving time management (i.e. cut / scene management) by choosing what order to do things in, as you're being paid the same amount regardless of difficulty.


Last edited by configspace on Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:33 am; edited 1 time in total
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scchan



Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 143
Location: Exeter, UK
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:27 am Reply with quote
Blazingluke wrote:
This is happening because people aren't buying enough full-price anime releases from Bandai, Aniplex, or Pony Canyon. Very Happy


Or other merchandises x_X

Anyway, the way money works in anime industry is really quite ugly. Thin margins, different involving parties take out money at different stages, and not much is left for the studios and not to say its employees.

Really, even Walmart is touting that they are going to raise pay to at least 15 dollars per hour. Animators can use a pay rise, but I am not sure that is feasible unless folks upstream are doing better.


Last edited by scchan on Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:36 am; edited 1 time in total
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Lemonchest



Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 1771
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:28 am Reply with quote
One gets the impression that at this point the choice is either pay kids out of college a shit wage on the promise that "some" of them might get promoted (or, lets be honest, just hired by an actual company rather than freelancing or working for a $1 a cell sweatshop), or just bite the bullet & fully outsource all non-key animation work to South Korea or Indonesia.
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Ushio



Joined: 31 Jul 2005
Posts: 629
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:30 am Reply with quote
I earn 50% more than that doing a 2 day a week part time minimum wage job.

Glad I don't live in Japan.
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rizuchan
Collector Extraordinaire



Joined: 11 Mar 2007
Posts: 974
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:32 am Reply with quote
I suppose ANN isn't the place to suggest an anime boycott...

But seriously, what else can fans do to communicate that this is unacceptable? When the workers are severely underpaid and the product is severely overpriced, something's gotta give.
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scchan



Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 143
Location: Exeter, UK
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:40 am Reply with quote
rizuchan wrote:
I suppose ANN isn't the place to suggest an anime boycott...

But seriously, what else can fans do to communicate that this is unacceptable? When the workers are severely underpaid and the product is severely overpriced, something's gotta give.


Yet, most anime studios and publishers are not profitable business; many gets into it (either as owners or even animators) because of personal hobby and interest. (This is the reason why so many people go into airline business; 100% coolness, zero - actually worse - negative profit)

If you want the folks down there to get paid more, fans to need consume and pay more anime-related products. This is one place that "trickle-down economics" may actually work. At the same time, there should some mandate to raise pay, old school Fordism at work, you want your employees to be able to buy the products that they make. Both of the above need to move together, so stop pointing fingers and start doing. :3


Last edited by scchan on Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:41 am; edited 1 time in total
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4352
Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:40 am Reply with quote
This is Wal-Mart employee level of abuse. My God, do people willingly sign up for this?
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kazenoyume



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 425
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:41 am Reply with quote
Blazingluke wrote:
This is happening because people aren't buying enough full-price anime releases from Bandai, Aniplex, or Pony Canyon. Very Happy


Yeah I'm sue that the US market not buying enough overpriced anime is just a huge, huge factor in this. Rolling Eyes

Beatdigga wrote:
This is Wal-Mart employee level of abuse. My God, do people willingly sign up for this?


Even Walmart pays a lot better than this.
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scchan



Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 143
Location: Exeter, UK
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:44 am Reply with quote
kazenoyume wrote:
Blazingluke wrote:
This is happening because people aren't buying enough full-price anime releases from Bandai, Aniplex, or Pony Canyon. Very Happy


Yeah I'm sue that the US market not buying enough overpriced anime is just a huge, huge factor in this. Rolling Eyes


I guess in some way selling anime is akin to selling airplane seats. Consumers want dead cheap products and refuse to pay more. Many folks get into opening new airlines and studios because it is cool. Margins and profit are non-existent.

Perfect scenario for financial Kabooooooooooooooooom!
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:46 am Reply with quote
A boycott will simply shut down smaller studios. It's a tough situation because animation, especially quality animation is already extremely damn expensive as it is at these low rates. Remember most studios (with few exceptions that produce original work) are currently being paid a fixed, negotiated amount.

What I think is needed is internal competition for animators. Another committee or studio financing their own work needs to startup and attract animators by offering them royalties (the % could vary by position or experience too) on all of the licensing and merchandise. This way, even if they have low starting pay, they'll still have a continuous income stream, and multiple income streams trickling in over time.

When other studios/investors see high turnover, being drawn by this new competition at their place that is disruptive enough, they too will need to do some pay or bonus incentive to retain animators. Everyone is already short on manpower as it is, leading to mistakes and the calls to hire more during broadcast.


Last edited by configspace on Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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Hameyadea



Joined: 23 Jun 2014
Posts: 3679
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:48 am Reply with quote
As someone who isn't well-versed on the pay wages of Japan, how much does the average blue-collar salaryman earn in the same time frame? For reference.
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kazenoyume



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 425
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:49 am Reply with quote
scchan wrote:

I guess in some way selling anime is akin to selling airplane seats. Consumers want dead cheap products and refuse to pay more. Many folks get into opening new airlines and studios because it is cool. Margins and profit are non-existent.

Perfect scenario for financial Kabooooooooooooooooom!


I just expect to pay comparable prices as I would any other tv show I'm buying. I'm willing to shell out a fair chunk more since it's a specialty product as opposed to like, something that airs every week on NBC, but there is a limit (though for a few favorite shows, I'm willing to surpass that).

I do feel like I contribute enough to the anime industry because I'm a big collector of figures and certainly spend more than about 1k a year on them, but I just can't justify those disk prices unless it's a show I HAVE TO HAVE.
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residentgrigo



Joined: 23 Dec 2007
Posts: 2404
Location: Germany
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:50 am Reply with quote
I posted this link https://washiblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/shirobako-its-the-people-dammit/ in the in the Shirobako editorial (i a not it´s biggest fan but that is besides the point) where identical figures show up and there are further links at the very end which "do the math" too.
The pay discrepancy between the people involved is severe and even the chief director/animator aren´t walking home rich in the end.

This is all pretty depressing and they animators probably work more then 55 hours a week (and surely at least 6 days a week with no holidays) but the people who assembly the new Apple products and whatnot else aren't paid more. Maybe less?
Such studies are very important but a lot of industries (all over the world) will probably show similar result so i would just blame japan or foreign animation houses and accept this as the reality of what capitalism does to us. The lesson is: Don´t follow your dreams... or work below minimum wage to only be replaced by cheaper CGI very soon. Or do manga and work youself to death too.

Japan Average Salaries & Expenditures:
http://www.worldsalaries.org/japan.shtml
Office Clerk average income - Net Monthly Income $ 2,371
All Sectors average income - Net Monthly Income $ 2,500

Have fun playing with this - Cost of Living in Tokyo Sad :
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Japan&city=Tokyo


Last edited by residentgrigo on Tue Apr 28, 2015 8:14 am; edited 2 times in total
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