Speaking of Animation Industry, Check out this article!!
They pretty much talk about the problems in Vancouver Animation Industry.
It is 6 pages of texts. Yes, I'm sure most of you will read couple paragraphs (or sentences) and close the window but honestly, if you got some time and patience and are in animation biz, it might be interesting to read.
These are the quotes that I find it very interesting.
"And this past spring, two big U.S. studios, Pixar Animation Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc., opened satellite offices in downtown Vancouver, which combined are expected to introduce more than 100 new jobs to the city.
This growth is no doubt a testament to the skill of Vancouver’s animators, talent either developed in local schools or attracted to the city by Vancouver’s reputation as a mecca for the creative class. But the industry’s success is also based on something far less glamorous than brilliant artists – namely, massive government subsidy in the form of provincial tax credits worth roughly 50 per cent of a production’s labour costs."
"This side of the business, the art, is the company’s biggest challenge. Without success here, no business plan in the world will succeed. And none of it is easy. “It takes a long time to gestate, develop and find the character, find their arc, put the structure of a story together and find a look that works with it,” says Winder. “All those things can’t be rushed . . . and not everyone can do it.” "
"animators are attracted to companies that are producing their own titles because they offer a chance for artists to play a bigger role in the creative process."
It is 6 pages of texts. Yes, I'm sure most of you will read couple paragraphs (or sentences) and close the window but honestly, if you got some time and patience and are in animation biz, it might be interesting to read.
These are the quotes that I find it very interesting.
"And this past spring, two big U.S. studios, Pixar Animation Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc., opened satellite offices in downtown Vancouver, which combined are expected to introduce more than 100 new jobs to the city.
This growth is no doubt a testament to the skill of Vancouver’s animators, talent either developed in local schools or attracted to the city by Vancouver’s reputation as a mecca for the creative class. But the industry’s success is also based on something far less glamorous than brilliant artists – namely, massive government subsidy in the form of provincial tax credits worth roughly 50 per cent of a production’s labour costs."
"This side of the business, the art, is the company’s biggest challenge. Without success here, no business plan in the world will succeed. And none of it is easy. “It takes a long time to gestate, develop and find the character, find their arc, put the structure of a story together and find a look that works with it,” says Winder. “All those things can’t be rushed . . . and not everyone can do it.” "
"animators are attracted to companies that are producing their own titles because they offer a chance for artists to play a bigger role in the creative process."
"At first glance, it would seem strange that there should be a skills shortage in Vancouver at all, considering the number of B.C. schools churning out animators every year (Capilano University, Vancouver Film School and the Centre for Digital Media, to name the key ones). But Ernst Young’s Clarance says he’s heard of companies that bring in 20 to 40 employees every year from outside Canada for lack of local talent. That’s because a swarm of fresh grads isn’t what a company such as Rainmaker needs, explains Winder. “Not everybody’s good,” she says bluntly. “There’s a lot of junior talent, but it’s that higher-level specialty talent that everybody wants.”
However, there’s also a strong case to be made that the studios themselves are partly to blame for the shortage of experienced talent. “It’s cause and effect,” says Rosenpigs creator Aaron White. “If you have a skills shortage, look at the lifestyle of the people in your industry.” A culture of long hours and tight deadlines prevails in the local sector, he says, and it’s damaging: “It’s not sustainable. What you wind up with is an industry with very few experienced older people to teach the younger people, because they burn out.”
The tough conditions are compounded by uncertainty, he adds. An animator finishing up one contract often doesn’t know when the next one is coming. It makes it difficult to, say, put down money on a mortgage and start a family, things experienced animators in their 30s are likely to be interested in. “It’s incredibly hard to stay put when you can’t get steady, full-time work,” White says. “The most talented peers I have, they’ve moved out of animation.”
"
What do you think about this article? I feel relieved that someone said this out loud and it's been published online as an article. This is something everyone talks about without a doubt. And I am aware that this is no one's fault or to be blamed since this is how it's been and it is what it is but can this be changed? I can only hope. I got to say that I've only been in this industry for 3 years and I'm already feeling burnt out. Am I weak? Maybe. But I think this article says a lot about being in Animation Industry in Vancouver. Don't you think?
