...he would be "blacklisted" as a troublemaker.
BUT...
it wouldn't be a blacklist by the studios.
It'd be by the animation artists.
Yes, blacklisting is around, but is it generally started by the studios when an artist rightfully complains about being taken advantage of, or is it started by their fellow artists who don't want to "rock the boat" no matter how many unpaid hours are put in to meet unreasonable schedules?
I've not talked to an artist that wasn't hired by the studios for standing up for themselves, but I've certainly met artists who don't get recommended by other artists for their loudmouths.
Read this and try to tell me that some of the parallels between then and now aren't happening.
Fast
Good
Cheap
PICK TWO OUT OF THREE
and...
DON'T PUNISH YOUR FELLOW ARTISTS WHEN THEY LIVE BY THE ABOVE.
Rolling over and being dead for the studios hasn't helped us before, why do you think it'd help now?
Where will your unpaid hours away from your family and life see you in 5,000 years? 500 years? 50 years? 5 years? 5 months? Unless you're a show creator, the most likely result you're gonna get is a lot of physical and mental anguish and the studios will keep right on going with unreasonable schedules and whispers of you "causing trouble" if you want what the law allows you to have.
If you don't stand up for what's right, it'll be GONE.
Showing posts with label union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label union. Show all posts
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
My View on the Union
Here's Anibator's rant on TAG.My view on TAG is that it's as strong as its members allow it to be.
The union can't do a damned thing for you if you quiver in fear, saying nothing. You've been stepped on by the studios. So have your coworkers. You kvetch to each other about it. But what do you do to stop it?
You want the abuse to stop? Then make a stand.
I'm not saying be all Norma Rae, but there are little things you can do.
When real abuse happens, call the union. Your dues pay for its existence, make 'em worthwhile.
Stop taking tests.
Stop the unpaid overtime. The schedules are completely unreasonable, what do you get when you kowtow to them? A break? A bonus? Respect? NO. You get crapped on even more.
SO STOP IT.
One time I tried to write in the real hours I worked on my timesheet. I was told to redo my timesheet. That's illegal. I kowtowed. What did that get me? Not a damned thing other than a shorter schedule the next season. I sold out. YOU SHOULDN'T.
THE STUDIOS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU OR ANY OTHER ARTIST.
YOU GET WHAT YOU SETTLE FOR.
IF YOU SAY NOTHING, THE UNION CAN'T HELP YOU.
What do you truly have to lose these days? Come on, we're as screwed as screwed can get. We get NO respect, NO time to do our job effectively, NO budget, NO studio loyalty for doing our job, and NO joy in doing something we used to love to do.
Look at your fellow artists. Are they as miserable as you? Then get together and quietly start changing our reality. We can't strike, but we can stop the insults.
What Got Me Started
The following recent posts on the TAG blog have given me hope that the artists in the animation industry are ready to stand up to the rampant idiocy that's destroying what's left of the industry:
Meritocracy
Studio Loyalty
Tests
Goddam, it's taken forever for the artists to get angry enough to not just say something, but possibly do something, don't you think?
The big one that everyone's complaining about are the tests.
An experienced industry professional has no business taking a goddam test unless it's for a position that they've not held before.
To take a test for a position that is reflected on your resume and in your portfolio is degrading. Why?
Because if you're asked to do a test for a job you already know how to do, then you're not going to get the job. So why waste your time? No, really, why waste your time for people who are making you jump through hoops for their own amusement? SCREW THAT. You have better things to do. Like, try for a job at another studio that won't make you take a stupid test.
The next time someone asks you to take a test, politely refer them to your portfolio and resume. If they can't tell that you can do the job based on the content of your portfolio and calling previous employers, then you probably don't want to work for them anyway, as the production will be a clusterf*ck. MAYBE THEY SHOULD BE THE ONES TAKING A DAMN TEST IF THEY CAN'T LOOK AT A PORTFOLIO?!
Meritocracy
Studio Loyalty
Tests
Goddam, it's taken forever for the artists to get angry enough to not just say something, but possibly do something, don't you think?
The big one that everyone's complaining about are the tests.
An experienced industry professional has no business taking a goddam test unless it's for a position that they've not held before.
To take a test for a position that is reflected on your resume and in your portfolio is degrading. Why?
Because if you're asked to do a test for a job you already know how to do, then you're not going to get the job. So why waste your time? No, really, why waste your time for people who are making you jump through hoops for their own amusement? SCREW THAT. You have better things to do. Like, try for a job at another studio that won't make you take a stupid test.
The next time someone asks you to take a test, politely refer them to your portfolio and resume. If they can't tell that you can do the job based on the content of your portfolio and calling previous employers, then you probably don't want to work for them anyway, as the production will be a clusterf*ck. MAYBE THEY SHOULD BE THE ONES TAKING A DAMN TEST IF THEY CAN'T LOOK AT A PORTFOLIO?!
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