... (The condensed version.)
We have now compiled the 2010 Wage Survey, which will shortly appear in all its full-length glory in the Peg-Board and on the TAG website. But we wanted to preview a few highlights for you while the figures dance brightly in our heads. (Please note that the first dollar figures are wages for 2010, while the second sums are 2009's salaries.) ...
** Wage Survey **
2010 wkly earnings -- 2009 wkly earnings
Stry Edtrs (weekly) -- $2500 -- $2312.50
Writers (weekly) -- $2500 -- $2,572.50
Directors (f) -- $3,054.55 -- $3,284.14
Directors (tv) -- $2,500 -- $2,500
Timng Dirctrs -- $1,830 -- $1,900
Stry Artst (f) -- $2,273.68 -- $2,500
Prdctn Brd (tv) -- $1,900 -- $1,800
Revsnsts -- $1,575.09 -- $1,600
Chrctr Layout -- $1,677 -- $1,811
Bckgrnd layout -- $1,900 -- $1,750
Viz Dvlpmnt -- $2,115.38 -- $1,818.18
Chrctr Dsgnrs -- $1,790.14 -- $1,737
Tech Drctrs -- $2,000 -- $1,790
Riggers -- $2,120 -- $1,642
Lighters -- $1,672.73 -- $1,649.09
Viz Effcts -- $2,152 -- $2,500
3D Cmpstrs -- $1,936.84 -- $2,000
3D Anmtrs -- $1,565.82 -- $1,700
Effx Anmntrs -- $1,818.18 -- $1,640.05
For those of you new to the party, we initiated the TAG wage survey back in the 1990s after a background artist suggested it, and have mailed out yearly survey forms to members ever since.
A few notes re the above: Response rates range from 14% (errgh) to 40% (much better.) Although the survey mostly takes in signator studios, there are a number of non-union shops included because a number of members work for those places.
Last point: We will be putting up the complete survey results in a few days, including unit rates for board artists and writers. So stay tuned.
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17 comments:
Somewhat amazing that animators make the least money of any category.
Somewhat amazing that animators make the least money of any category.
There could be a lot of competition in that specific category. I once worked at a VFX house that had 150+ applicants for an animator position before the job was even announced.
In contrast, the same studio had to scour the ends of the Earth to find RealFlow artists.
Looks like its time to get out of the animation department.
ahh steve? You know what blog you're on.. right?
$3k a week for an animator? Come on. Be realistic. That ain't happening anymore.
pretty awesome how completely wrong the numbers are.
I have to echo the reactions to these base numbers. Perhaps the survey sample is not representative or the respondents experience level is on the beginning end? I will be interested in a breakout based on experience, geographic location and subset within the industry (i.e. 3d in film, commercial, corporation, architecture, etc.) before making any assumption on these numbers. However, I feel that almost all of these are anywhere from 20 - 40% lower than the true average.
I have to echo the reactions to these base numbers. Perhaps the survey sample is not representative or the respondents experience level is on the beginning end?
It could be a sampling issue. Steve Hulett stated in his original post that "Response rates range from 14% (errgh) to 40% (much better.)"
If the higher-paid artists chose not to respond to this anonymous wage survey, that could have skewed the results.
yeah 3D animator rates are totally inaccurately low... 3k a week for an animator is not low.
I've always had a problem with the way these numbers are reported. As I understand it, the "Minimum" and the "Maximum" per week amounts are only representative of the one person who made the least, and the one person who made the most. Although it is interesting to know what the top hotshot artist makes, I would find it much more informative to know what the average of the top 10% of wage earners make and likewise the bottom 10%.
Also, these numbers are skewed by the fact that many salary amounts are adjusted down due to guaranteed overtime and don't reflect the true take home pay.
the quote for animators rates is what I made in 1999... what a joke.
We report the data we get. If you go to the website and look at older surveys, you'll see the trend lines over time.
You will note that we publish the high and low salaries we receive from survey forms.
I like the "top 10% and bottom 10%" idea. One year, I submitted my survey sheet and I was shocked to see that my pay was the highest amount submitted for my category! Not trying to brag, because I know for a fact that there were people around that were making more than me. But it was unsettling to see it-- I felt like the tall blade of grass, if you know what I mean.
It all seems pretty low. I really think a lot of this must be based on entry-level. As for Directors, often they are paid a fee as well, is that included in this? It's a very misleading chart, I would hope that a producer wouldn't base there bidding on something like this, they would be in for shock I think.
I'm a litle confused with the categories "Viz Effcts" and "Effx anmtrs".
It should be pointed out that to avoid apples-and-oranges comparisons, all the wage numbers on the final survey report are calculated based on a forty-hour week -- the same basis they are listed in our CBA.
Many people in our business -- particularly in higher-paying categories -- have personal contracts that calculate their pay on an "on-call" basis, otherwise sometimes called a "weekly guarantee" or "pre-paid overtime". In these cases the weekly pay is calculated on a workweek longer than forty hours ... typically 45, 50 or as high as 56 hours.
So let's say you're making $3,000 per week, but it's based on a fifty-six-hour week -- forty hours of straight time and sixteen hours of time-and-a-half OT per week, paid per week whether or not you actually worked the 56 hours. At the same rate of pay, for a forty-hour week you would only be making $1,666 per week -- which is how your pay would be calculated for the survey.
So to compare the numbers on the survey with what you're making, you have to look at your hourly rate times forty.
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