Short Q&A Break

The last few posts has been a lot of info just coming at you. Some of it might have felt like it was dry saltine cracker going down.

As a side note, this blog will be somethings I get asked alot so its easy for me to talk about. This week at the studio has been non-stop busy. More so than usual ( I haven't killed anyone yet is my usual joke)
I thought I would try to lighten the mood a bit by doing a mini Q&A.  Below are questions I get asked over and over. And so I will put my answers to those questions on the blog today.

If you could ask a producer anything, what would you ask them? Would you really take advantage of the opportunity or would you let it pass you by out of fear. If you have a question just leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

First, let's go over some student questions that I get asked

Q: How did you get into the industry. You are old so it must have been way back in the paleolithic age when you started? Ok, no they didn't word it quite that way.

A: I graduated in 2001 and had my first full time studio job in 2007. The gap for me was so I could have my family. I got pregnant and had my son in 2004. So when he was three I saw a local (same province) Studio was hiring. I had happened to graduate with someone who worked there. I did an animation test. Was it super good...nope. Was I determined to get better and put the work in? Absolutely.

This image is pretty close to how I felt starting at a studio as a mom in a long term relationship amongst all the young fresh out of college artists.

Q: What is the best way in 2018 to get into the industry?

A: Always keep an eye on studios. Follow their Facebook, their blogs, their websites. If they are posting about upcoming projects, maybe they will need some help ;) Even if they are not actively posting for artists they might still be hiring. Or they will come to you when they do need an artist. The best way to get into a studio is to be well informed. What have they done in the past? What kind of programs do they use? Knowledge is power.

Fresh young artists looking for work.

Q: How should you approach a studio?

A: Well, now that you have done your research what do you do next? Best way is to look on their website and see if they have a contact us page. If not usually its fairly easy to find a Human resource person. Or if its a small studio reach out to the owner or director. What do you have to lose. Well, that all depends on how you approach them. PLEASE, start off with an introduction. Hello, my name is Princess Consuala banana hammock. Then you can drop off a fact you learned about the company. You could say " First, I want to say congratulations on your recent project, I really like insert what you liked" Mentioned because you love what the company is up to you that you could see yourself working for them. Make sure you list your skills and experience. Clearly list links to your artwork or demo reel. I really prefer to have links directly in the email. Makes it very fast for me to see if you are a fit.
SIDE NOTE: Its probably not wise to reach out to a studio and say "I always wanted to work in animation" But have no practical knowledge, or have gone to school. Its not a studio's job to train you from scratch. Learn on your own then apply. Don't waste a person's time. They will remember that. Also true story PLEASE don't share your personal problems with a potential boss. I have learned too much about too many people. And I don't know what to do with you if you cry.

This is my computer for real with I get emails that don't make any sense. 

Q: What skills should I have?

A: Now every studio will be different. This is really based off what programs they use, how much training they will give. For us it all depends on the project. Loogaroo likes to says "Hire for attitude train for skill" I think if you are driven and KNOW you will have to put the time in to learn then you will go far. Research what studios are using and watch tutorials and get familiar with the tools. The basics of animation are far more important than the tools you will be using. Study the old classics. Draw...draw everyday.

Look how amazing you can get. Just practice practice practice. 

Q:What advice would I give new artists?

A: Approach everything with the best attitude that you can. I think out of everything, attitude is the most important. Second comes drive and passion to improve. Study everything! Be helpful. Be open to criticism. Criticism isn't personal, its all growth.

Artists with ego and bad attitude's have given me all the gray hair...yes that is my real hair.

Q:Big no no's

A: Lose the ego. Doesn't matter who you are, there is always going to be someone better than you. But, you can bring the best attitude. Learn to be organized. I know artists like to go with the wind. But plan out your artistic/life goals. Learn how to budget. Learn how to schedule your time.


I hope you have learned at least one thing from this post. And if you have any questions comment below!

I put on headphones so people won't bother me. OR sometimes I have them on with the intention of listening to some jams and then I get so busy and forget.

#thisismylife

Pre-Production Part 3 - Schedules

I wish I could write a book all about schedules. If only the days had 35 hours in it. This post is just going to touch on the subject. I might do another post so you can watch me create a schedule from start to finish. 

Without further ado, here are some ways you can create a project schedule. Now I need to get something off my chest. I LOVE google docs. Why do I love it? Because multiple people can edit and view easily. And, if something gets messed up (oh no) you can revert your history to a previous version.

 Now, there are lots of programs out their to help you create a schedule. Just find something you feel comfortable with.  

If you want to watch the video in a larger more glorious size click the youtube button to watch on their website. Trust me seeing is believing. And the quality is MUCH better.

Some points to take from my video. 

You might be saying "It's only 10 minutes you taught me nothing!" Well my good sir or madam, creating schedules is a lengthy process. I hope I gave you the bare bones to go out and start thinking about how you want your schedule to run.

1. It is important to know "why" you are choosing the deadlines that you are.
2. Calculate how much work one person or a team can complete so you can probably budget out their time.
3. You can have your budget below your schedule to make sure you can afford to have the project running for the amount of time you have scheduled. They are something that should be planned in tandem. So you need to take into account:

Work per day

Pay per day

Can you make them balance so they are not overloaded with work and still earn a fair wage?

 If its a short schedule you can break it down by day. Longer you might be able to do a per week schedule or even monthly. Monthly is hard to work with but it really depends on the project. I like to have more internal schedule items. But you should still break down your daily cost in your budget to make sure it will all work.

Here are a few samples of schedules that have been created in google docs.

Monthly Schedule

Weekly Schedule

Daily Schedule

I hope that this quick little schedule overview helped you get the juices flowing. Now, remember this is just HOW I do my schedules. No one way is wrong if you account for deadlines and your budget.

BUDGETS=SCHEDULES

Its all connected. 

Pre-Production Part 2.5 - Tips for Freelancers

I know, I know. I was going to jump to the next step. But I had so much to talk about with Client contracts that I feel I should touch a little bit from the freelancer point of view. A lot of the points about contracts from producer/client point of view will be the same, so I hope you don't get bored.

 I have been on the freelancer side, and I know the things that I like to have in my contracts with a client. So lets get real here. If as a freelancer you get a project, and they don't have a contract for you. You will have to make your own. That can sound daunting. Don't worry it doesn't have to be.

You might say "Oh I don't need a contract I know this client" OR " Its such a small project no point to having a contract" OR " It will make the client mad to give them a contract if they don't have one"

No, no, no You might just want to jump right in and skip the "formalities" and get to work. Or you know the person, or the client says they are busy.

Do not skip this step even though you might want to. There are so many quick and easy contract templates out there for a nice small contract. Not having a contract with your client can have long reaching consequences. A contract sets expectations for both of you and helps steer clear of any potential misunderstandings. And this way no one can say "well I didn't know" And it can help you get paid. You like being paid right?

So sit back...grab that coffee and lets talk about being a freelance artist.

YUM

Some important points are:

Now, lets talk about important things if you are a freelancer to think about:

• Outline of the project, the terms, conditions and contract price. These are your basic project details. Whether they're tasks you're expected to do, or items you expect to receive from the client (that help you accomplish your job).
• Start and end date is important, make sure you start date is the date you can start. Having a delay after you made the agreement will look bad on you. Don't over commit on projects, biting off more than you can chew will end up with a disappointed client. Your client may have a schedule they can share with you. Make sure you can hit their schedule. If they don't you will need to create a schedule to attach to the client. I will have a post on creating schedules coming up soon if you are looking for help.
• Deliverable items, you need to outline exactly the product you will be giving to the client. Format, footage etc. All of it. This section needs to be your most clear section. You can also put the appendix to see the schedule on a specific page so you can tie your deliverable's into that schedule. 
• Make sure you rate or project amount is clearly listed. If its a per second rate make sure its clear WHEN you get that rate paid out. Do you invoice upon End Client approval? Or upon internal approval? Because they can drag out your payment. So make it very clear. 
• List the amount of changes and revisions your clients will receive and your turnaround on them.
• In your termination clause make sure you do note you will get paid for all approved work up to your termination date. 
• Copyright. You can make sure to mention about delivering all source files during milestones or upon full payment. Also clarify if you can share you work. To other clients or on your demo reel.
• Taxes, they have to be paid. Now if you have a GST# (in Canada) you can charge GST to your project. If not you have to make sure during any contract to account for whatever your tax rate per province is. BUT, if you have an American client you cannot charge them tax. But you will still have to pay taxes. So keep that in mind.
• This is the same as my other post. There needs to be mutual respect on both sides in order to make a successful project.

Clients will get wary if you give them a 30 page contract. Make everything clear and simple. The more you try to put legalese the more confusing a contract can get. 

Keep it simple

Pre-Production Part 2 - Contracts

Well if you made it through to Part 2, congrats! If you thought quotes were boring, well then, I don't have better news for you. We talk about CONTRACTS today. I know you are thinking "oh, contracts, I get them and I sign them" Oh honey, no. Don't ever just sign a contract without reading it.

 So lets talk about both sides of the contract. So this is going to be a lot of info just coming at you. I wish I could make this funny or light-hearted. But, its going to be a lot of my opinion. If you know me...you know I am full of opinions.

First: Drafting a contract for someone, like a client or freelancer.

So, if you are in charge of drafting the contract you have a few things to consider. I make a template that always has the most important things to the company I am working for. Then I tweak to match the project and client needs.

What I consider the most important issues to consider in any contract you share with a client or even one they share with you.

• Very clearly lay out the tasks you will complete and what the client will complete. I make sure to lay out each process Loogaroo will be doing. And then what task I expect from the client could be things like "Client will provide by this date: Final audio, Any logos etc etc" This way everyone is crystal on what everyone is responsible for. 
• A clear milestone schedule: Make sure its agreed upon by all so they don't get surprised seeing it in the schedule. You never want to surprise a client. Always ease them into a situation. 
• A clear payment schedule. Now you both want to talk about what works best for both of you. Sometimes a client will want you to base payments on delivery of milestones. That is usually ok with me. Make sure the smallest amount owing is on final delivery. That way you don't get into an awkward situation of being owed %75 of money.
• That being said. If its a small quick project you may want to suggest %50 up front and %50 upon delivery. Especially if you have good word of mouth they will trust you. Now they may balk at %50 up front. But to make them feel better about it....check the next bullet point. Go ahead...do it.
• SO, you think they might not want to pay %50 up front for a smaller project. Make sure you both feel good about this. Explain the %50 will be the payment to pay for labor until project completion so no one works for free.  
• Put in a termination clause "If this contract requires termination by either party it must be requested in writing. Any work completed and approved will be paid pro-rated to the completed work. Upon agreement by both parties" Its really important that you note how you both will handle project termination. Its sad. But it happens. Sometimes its beyond either parties control. But let the client leave feeling as good as they can. You can make them feel even better by added a clause that states "Upon termination and pro-rated fee is agreed and paid no other fee's will be required now or in the future by the CLIENT" so they feel safe you won't come back randomly and try to enforce something different than what was agreed upon.
• You can put wording in your contract to limit revisions this protects your team. And also protects the client. They may not see it at the moment as protecting them. But keeping the schedule to two revision passes per process will keep the schedule on track and you explain it just like that. 
• Reviews, I like to ask for 48 hour turn around. But sometimes they need to have at least 5 business days for some broadcasters. Make sure you have all review days in your schedule and you agree and have these days noted in the contract. 
• Make sure you limit the scope with the revision passes. But also make sure you its clear what happens AFTER all revision passes are complete. I think this wording is fair: PAYMENT: Loogaroo agrees to complete the project by September 1, 2018 within the estimated budget of $XXXX.XX, Project name. Unless CLIENT requires additional work or services, or if CLIENT requires multiple drafts or changes/edits which would significantly increase the work required of Loogaroo. Then an agreed upon overage will be discussed and agreed upon before proceeding. 

Ok so this looks like ALOT. But believe me contracts can be pages and pages and pages. This is what I consider to be very important things to consider. 

Now if you are getting a contract from a client. Make sure you really read it over. If lawyer speak is too much for you to understand. Just google meanings. If its a large project or you maybe have a bit of reservation about that client. Then it might be worth it to just pay a lawyer to have a look at that particular contract. 

Also, if something makes you uncomfortable ask that client about it. It might be in there for a good reason. But if the wording makes you uncomfortable ask to tweak or change it. A good client will be willing to negotiate meeting in the middle. Open communication is very important.

Skeptical women says "Just read the contract"