It's not just Disney that's handing out pink slips.
Warner Bros Lays Off 50 In Home Entertainment & Consumer Products
That's about 1% of the Warner Bros' total domestic work force. ... “As part of the continual review of our business operations, Warner Bros. Entertainment will be undertaking limited staff reductions in our home entertainment and consumer products divisions."
Happily, Warner Bros. Animation has been expanding for the past year and a half, but as an artist at another (large) studio said to me on the phone today:
"We just got told there's not going to be anymore authorization for overtime. So what are we supposed to do? We can't get the work done in forty hours. Our unit doesn't want to do uncompensated o.t., but the guys across the building our willing to do it. What are we supposed to do?"
I told him I would file grievances if he wanted. He said nobody was up for something like that. I allowed how it was kind of impractical for me to sit at the studio for ten hours, chair tilted against a wall, making sure nobody was working unpaid o.t.
He got my point.
The reality is, studios will do whatever they can to keep expenses down. Another artist complained recently that an exec said to him: "You know how lucky you are to be working here?" And the artist resented it. I let him know that Disney manager Ed Hansen told me the same thing in 1977.
Tried and true techniques seldom change. The overarching goal is to keep employees uncertain ... and willing to work without complaining or asking for a raise. Which is why the strategy is used, over and over. It's about squeezing costs until they all bleed out.
Belt tightening.
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13 comments:
Thank you so much for this post. I have been working in the tv animation industry in Canada for small animation companies since I graduated College a few years ago. When I was in College, my Prof's would preach job scarcity and would insist that we grads should be grateful for whatever job we got, no matter what the working conditions. For the graduates of my class, this was a grave disservice. The constant drilling of: "animation is not an industry to make money in", and "Be thankful that you have a job and the work has not gone overseas" - had groomed us for studios here who insisted we work evenings and weekends with no OT pay in order to reach tight deadlines and high standards of quality. They convinced us it was the norm.
At my first job, my animation supervisor told me: "Artists who complain about the hours and wadges are not REAL artist and should not be in animation because animation is not a 9-5 job". Preaching scarcity and evoking fear has kept most of the graduates from my class working, but for wages close to or barely above poverty levels. It also closed our minds to looking for other jobs in different cities. Threats of rising digital animation industries in third world countries are now keeping all of us in line. When will the abuse end?.
I'm surprised Warner Bros hasn't grabbed up a hot new director and greenlit a CG Animated feature.
Threats of rising digital animation industries in third world countries are now keeping all of us in line. When will the abuse end?
The abuses (mind games?) never end. My mentor, Larry Clemmons, told me of the same stuff going on at Disney during the 1930s, at Hyperion.
There are always threats, always intimidation. Your best route is to be the best you can be, continue to learn, and map out a game plan for yourself. If that means going to another city, then fine. Do it.
Everybody knuckles under from time to time. It's called survival. But nobody has to make a life practice of it.
I would gladly put up with the politics of a large studio in order to do some excellent work and earn a solid title on my resume.
At the first studio I worked at people were living out of their cars and campers in the studio parking lot because they could not make enough to afford rent. I know what it's like to earn $4.75/hr - peace - and have to work double shifts to reach high quality expectations. I am not a slow animator and it was survival. I did it for three years at great personal cost. Now, I can say with confidence that I would prefer to wait tables then go through that again.
This past Friday I met up with a friend of mine who worked at said studio with me. He's been in this industry for almost 30 years. He so wisely stated, "(said studio) is a great litmus test for anyone new to this industry. It doesn't get much worse than how we had it. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere".
No one should have to survive like we did. That's why if a new grad now asks me about said studio I reply: "Save $3000, don't touch it, work your butt off for a year and make your demo. Then, get the hell out". As you so wisely mentioned in your response - no one should ever make a habit of survival. Three years is a habit and practically masochistic. Most don't survive past one year there now. So, when employers who know about where I worked see three years, they know I'm worth my salt. Was it worth it for that? - I'll tell you when I reach my destination.
Anonymous 5:32, can you mention the name of the studio?
I allowed how it was kind of impractical for me to sit at the studio for ten hours, chair tilted against a wall, making sure nobody was working unpaid o.t.
It might be impractical for you to sit in a chair for 10 hours, but of course that's not what anyone would expect. What you COULD do is go to said big studio anywhere between 7-10pm and do one of your walk-arounds, where presumably you have the right to do so, and ask people "yes or no-are you getting OT right now?"
If "caught" in the act of working late with no "authorized" OT, you know the managers would piss about it, but they'd be a little more leery of doing/"allowing" it. Because it's an actual labor law issue, right?
You are given this power as BM by the IATSE.
^ Anyone who has been reading this blog regularly knows that Steve has done this many times, and has advertised that whenever a TAG member calls him and suggests he do such an after-hours visit, he will. I called on him to do it once, he did it, some people admitted what was going on, and a bunch of people got some OT paid (and no one got laid off).
Steve has also mentioned times when he did the after-hour visits, and no one would cop to doing unpaid OT. He therefore had no grounds to talk to management. If people are willing to lie to Steve's face for the privilege of working for free, there is nothing TAG or anyone can do about it.
The limiting factor here is not Steve's willingness to do his duty, it's our willingness to admit what's going on.
If Steve did that in your case and it worked out so well, then I guess my suggestion is a good one.
But he didn't write about that option in his post.
I'm responding to what Steve wrote right here, right now. He heard what the artist said, and he added it wasn't practical for him to sit there "for 10 hours"(which nobody suggested, so it's being a bit sarcasti, isnt it). He DIDNT offer to call Studio X later, as you're saying he has done. Why not?
If the artists "won't cop to doing unpaid OT" you know & I
know why that would be, don't we? Perhaps Steve could, if
he suspects unpaid OT, call the supervisors directly and
put it to THEM--let THEM lie & say "oh, were people here
after hours? We're paying them".
I dont understand why seeing union people working late hours isn't "grounds" enough for him to call management. And you & I know it would probably have something of an effect on abuses in many circumstances.
I dont understand why seeing union people working late hours isn't "grounds" enough for him to call management. And you & I know it would probably have something of an effect on abuses in many circumstances.
Here's why it's not grounds:
I go into a studio at 8:30 at night. I find a few people at their desks. I go up to each one and ask: "Are you working unpaid overtime?"
All three say "No."
This has happened, multiple times. Maybe these folks are lying through their teeth; maybe they're not. Maybe they took a long lunch ... or went to the dentist ... or came in at noon.
Only way I have of knowing is by what they tell me. There are no grounds for a grievance if I'm informed that no contract violations are occurring.
Late studio visits have also occurred as described above. And I'll say here as I've said before: You want me to come to the studio late because there are abuses, I will come. That night. I've been in studios late, on weekends, whenever. It's not a problem. (I've even visited studios on weekends checking for violations and found all the doors locked.)
So again, here's the standing offer to working members of TAG:
You want me to come by the studio late because there are violations of the contract. Call the office. I'll come over. I always do.
"At my first job, my animation supervisor told me: "Artists who complain about the hours and wadges are not REAL artist and should not be in animation because animation is not a 9-5 job"
Can you see the red herring made by the supervisor?...Would any person go to any establishment and ask to get some service done for free?(a gas station for ex.) Would you ask a lawyer to do some service for free? No? then why in the world is it ok to ask artists to perform any service for free!?!
Not real artists? Michelangelo himself left some projects undone because of lack of payment from customers. He was an artist. A REAL artist.
People who do free OT have no self respect. And the offense is not confined to just them, but to the rest of the art community.
Amen, brother.
When I was in College, my Prof's would preach job scarcity and would insist that we grads should be grateful for whatever job we got, no matter what the working conditions.
At my first job, my animation supervisor told me: "Artists who complain about the hours and wadges are not REAL artist and should not be in animation because animation is not a 9-5 job".
I think this is ridiculous. I had the exact opposite experience. I went to SCAD and my first job was at Rhythm and Hues. At both places I was told never to work for free. My supervisor warned us that we'd often be asked to stay late and work without OT. He said it was up to us to decide but that we'd be much better off refusing. So far it's worked out pretty well. Now, I think that supervisor is right in saying animation (vfx work in general) isn't a 9-5 job. But employers should be willing to pay for the hours they ask you to work.
The unpaid OT dilemma is fairly widespread I think. I have a friend at The Mill in LA who's on a day rate and they do payroll through Yurcor. The promised 10 hours/day turned into 12 hours+ on his first day. No extra pay for those hours, plus the taxation issues with Yurcor that most people are aware of. So unfortunately it's not just the small, unknown studios that are doing this.
For those of you who still might care or even check this (said studio) is none other than:
Mercury Filworks Inc.
Your support has been touching. Thank you.
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