Forum - View topicINTEREST: Foreign Animators in Japan Weigh in on Industry Conditions Part 2: Scott MacDonald
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13558 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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The downside of every animator in the world getting paid a lot better is that it can hinder the output of how many animated titles are made a year.
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Saffire
 Posts: 1256 Location: Iowa, USA |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16935 |
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I would agree. Right now we're currently in another big anime boom if you will. There is more anime being produced now than there has been for years. There is no shortage of shows to watch. If making living easier for animators, in Japan anyways, meant that we get fewer shows I could easily live with that. To me it's the old idea of everything in moderation. Having a bit fewer shows might also have the affect of helping some appreciate the ones that are produced a bit more as well. |
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Juno016
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But how would that affect sales? The more they put out, the more they sell, and the more they can invest in new shows. If they had less shows, they'd have to be picky about what they release, which does not mean that they'd put higher quality into it. Possibly the opposite for a good chunk of stuff unless they really wanted to test the murky waters of the industry. The animation industry is what it is right now due to an adapting market and going backward on that isn't the greatest idea. In fact, having less shows could possibly cut down on how much the people involved make or the number of people they need to complete a show. The market would be a less-viable work place than it already is right now. In other words, it's not as simple as just cutting shows to cut costs and pay workers better for less. The only thing that can help workers are policy changes made to improve working conditions. And maybe a good environment with a caring management group. Those last two go a long way in providing workers a good incentive to work and a good income worth taking home. Either way, costs have to be juggled with profits. |
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maximilianjenus
Posts: 2863 |
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you talk as if the bottom (quality wise) shows are going ot be cut, but in fact the top ones are the ones getting the axe, we will be left with the shounen series, the (few) ghiblis and the generic harems that are guaranteeed to sell. |
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MajinAkuma
 Posts: 1199 |
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I wounder how much ufotable pays its animators.
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Selipse
Posts: 216 |
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Harems are hardly the big sellers nowadays, but I agree on the fact that cutting down the number of shows would just kill the great variety we've been getting recently and we'll end up with only the safe bets.
I sometimes just wish anime would become "mainstream" outside of Japan, if only just so animation in general can be actually recognized as an art form and not just for kids. Maybe some really good anime making it big overseas would make western companies consider expanding their horizons. The animation industry is not only suffering in Japan, it's suffering worldwide, although i'd have to say in quite opposite ways. I don't think I've heard much about american animators not getting paid well, and the franchises certainly make a lot of money, but it's all for kids or families (or "adult comedies"). There's not much variety. There's not much even being made in the first place. Meanwhile, in Japan, we have over 30 different shows being made every season, with all kinds of audiences in mind. But the animators are having a hard time making a living. It's all really messed up. Also, I really would like to see an interview with a KyoAni employee. I've read somewhere that they're treated really well there and that it's pretty much the best studio to work for. |
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luisedgarf
Posts: 657 Location: Guadalajara, Mexico |
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Except almost all the animation in the U.S., Canada and Europe is now CG-based stuff, so many Western animators has to find work in Asia or Latin America, the only places when CG animation has not displaced traditional animation yet. |
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Madoka...AYUKAWA!
 Posts: 158 |
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Good to know but Let me know when ANN actually has interviews with the japanese animators having hell (or no), not foreign ones that seem to have passed the test.
Let me know when ANN manages to get hold of a newbie animator currently experience things bad or good to know how things really are for them. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5836 Location: Virginia, United States |
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Fewer shows mean fewer jobs, and more unemployed animators.
It is alright to wish for higher wages. But fewer jobs is never good. |
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TehDarkPrince
Posts: 67 |
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It's really a shame how talented many of these people are relative to the wages in the industry. I'm a Canadian animator with about one year's experience, and entry level positions pay $750-1000 CAD per week. I was very fortunate and had my first gig freelancing for a NY based studio (Titmouse), which paid even higher, and in yankeedollars.
Scott Macdonald makes roughly what my peers and I make-- and he's in a supervising position. Granted he's probably more satisfied artistically than many of us in NA. luisedgarf:
2D is still the standard medium in North American productions, albeit these are generally symbol-based shows like Fosters/Samurai Jack/Star and the Forces of Evil that are produced with Flash and Toon Boom. For anyone competent with computers in general, the principles of animation are the same across all styles and the process translates easily for any animator who takes a couple weeks to learn the software. There are some shows with more drawing than others, but they almost all use symbols. I think it's more to do with passion for the medium than lack of skills for those who seek out traditional projects. |
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reanimator
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I agree. It's the policy change is a must for Japanese animators to make decent living and attract talented young people. Current policy for most entry level animation workers in Japan is that they are not recognized as employees even though they put long hours for work and spend years honing their skills at production studios where they work. Professional animation production is not some school art project which doesn't require full time commitment. Animation production studios do employee Animation Director/Supervisor-level (Sakuga Kantoku) animators so that animation remain pretty. However, it takes years of practice to reach that level. Even reaching that AD/S level, it's not guaranteed decent income unless he or she can juggle 2 to 3 shows per month. And not too many can pull that off either. Personally I think that policy change should be higher budget and better distribution of investment capital for production instead of lion's share that winds up in "useless" middlemen. Also there should be a policy that recognizes animators as employee, whether full or contract. Recognition allows entry-level animators to collect welfare from government so that they can support themselves. Lastly they need consistent improvements, especially from smaller subcontract studios, so that more talented people can join and remain in the industry. One of the the biggest problem with anime industry is that there are so many mediocre people working in field who are not particularly talented or creative. |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7580 Location: Wales |
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What, you think he Gaijin Smashed his way in and they don't dare treat him the same as the lowly Japanese? |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5120 |
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^
Thank you for the comment; I really appreciate it. |
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sukochi
 Posts: 37 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
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hahaha this made me laugh! yeah, i totally gaijin smashed my way up the company ladder!! I was asked to do this interview as a way to show a small insight into the industry that I am a part of. I had exactly the same interview process as every other staff member here (that there are 60 of). I went through exactly all the same hard times of working 12 or more hours a day, sometimes not being able to go home, having to sleep for an hour or 2 under my desk (before rule changes stopped this)....and I was given contant retakes for my work when it wasnt up to scratch for the other directors, of which still happens as I work under other directors too. So to be assumed that because Im foreign and possibly get given exceptions to the other japanese staff, is kinda sad. That just isnt how it works. We work hard, if not more so under other stresses that the Japanese staff dont have to worry about (such as language barriers, cultural differences, financial concerns - we cant just quit and run back home due to our homes being half way round the world). To be honest, its not about being foreign or japanese at all, it all comes down to whether or not you have the skills, work hard at what you do, and strive to meet your goals and dreams without backing down. Being able to take criticsm from fellow workers and directors and being able to meet or go above their expectations. And when one person happens to mention on twitter or other reviews sights that the background art was great, it makes all the stress and hard work seem all the more worthwhile. its the same with any job....dedication and a willing to work hard and grow (be it a cafe barista, a teacher or an artist) we all have things to learn. There is no golden ticket to the top positions. I just hope by doing this interview, it helps to inspire someone else to pick up a pen or brush or pen-tablet and follow their dreams. Because at the end of the day, no one is going to give you a career on a plate - you've got to do it yourself. There are no easy shortcuts to where Cedric Herole, Yann Le Gall and myself are today. We worked hard for it. |
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