tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post8604515409007546003..comments2024-03-26T22:42:06.412-07:00Comments on TAG Blog: The January Studio RoundaboutSteve Huletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-66679927567146993632009-01-15T17:17:00.000-08:002009-01-15T17:17:00.000-08:00I'm sorry this upset you, Jeffrey.I'm sorry this upset you, Jeffrey.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-24714621489547123902009-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:002009-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:00You guys are just monumentally puerile.You guys are just monumentally puerile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-34076189996720945832009-01-15T14:42:00.000-08:002009-01-15T14:42:00.000-08:00Hmmm...seems to me Dreamworks has just had the mos...Hmmm...seems to me Dreamworks has just had the most successful year in its history. And regardless of the economy, with the Shrek franchise, they might just as well print the money themselves.<BR/><BR/>But oh! Look over there! Bad economy elsewhere! Well, sorry folks, no raises for you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-10168159989014333882009-01-15T09:03:00.000-08:002009-01-15T09:03:00.000-08:00Of course big businness is going to use the curren...Of course big businness is going to use the current finacial crisis as an excuse to further cut wages, in the meantime, ceo's and executives will still enjoy stratostpheric bonuses and salaries...not just in this industry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-16048863463503588632009-01-14T12:52:00.000-08:002009-01-14T12:52:00.000-08:00I can understand Disney's problems--Bolt cost a fo...<I>I can understand Disney's problems--Bolt cost a fortune, and didn't do great at the boxoffice. But Dreamworks had a gangbuster year with both Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 2. If that's not enough to allow for reasonable increases in employee pay, what the hell is??!</I><BR/><BR/>"Reasonable [pay] increases"?! These are not people who are paid rock bottom to begin with. <BR/>I never thought I'd argue for management but this is ridiculous. <BR/><BR/>Have you read the news lately? There's been a kind of horrific financial situation going on. As a matter of fact, it still is. Unemplyment is at its highest in 14 years and California's ecomony is near meltdown. <BR/><BR/>Dreamworks has had a great year. As a result, the GOOD news is that they are going to <B>avoid layoffs and pay cuts</B>(which other places have not managed to avoid). How is that strange? They can't carry a studio with 1000 people (an independent studio by the way) with last year's profits forever. Everything has to always be projected into the future, and every projection is that 2009-10 is going to REALLY HARD for all americans and in fact the entire planet. It's likely many fewer people will do repeat business at movies, or buy as many DVDs.<BR/>It's a bleak time, but they're still committed to the business and to keeping as much of the staff as they can put to work. <BR/>Don't bite the hand that's trying to manage it as best they can.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-89710843919299276152009-01-14T12:42:00.000-08:002009-01-14T12:42:00.000-08:00Re: "Dragon": No panic. New director does retool,...Re: "Dragon": No panic. New director does retool, which is why they brought on a new director.No irony there at all, just what was required and expected. Hear only good things about it, which is a relief.<BR/><BR/>Sorry there's not some meltdown drama to report, but there's not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-16393277507109228862009-01-14T10:27:00.000-08:002009-01-14T10:27:00.000-08:00From what I've heard, Blue Sky's wages have been g...<I>From what I've heard, Blue Sky's wages have been going up (to try and keep people from going to the competition)</I><BR/><BR/>If true, that would at least be a glimmer of good news. The point of the aforementioned studio study was for the studios to ensure that they all were paying essentially the same rates. And if they all basically agreed to slowly reduce them over the next few years...?<BR/><BR/>Paranoid? Maybe. We'll see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-78909181998530325282009-01-14T10:06:00.000-08:002009-01-14T10:06:00.000-08:00From what I've heard, Blue Sky's wages have been g...From what I've heard, Blue Sky's wages have been going up (to try and keep people from going to the competition)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-72556482800404456852009-01-14T10:05:00.000-08:002009-01-14T10:05:00.000-08:00Any word on "How to Train Your Dragon" is doing? ...Any word on "How to Train Your Dragon" is doing? I heard Chris Sanders did a huge retooling of the script, which caused a bit of a panic at the studio. A bit ironic, methinks. Im very curious to see how it turns out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-81175789471565111042009-01-14T09:51:00.000-08:002009-01-14T09:51:00.000-08:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSZZGD3VppY1998 lec...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSZZGD3VppY<BR/><BR/>1998 lecture, still relevant today!<BR/><BR/>rufus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-47722381210781318362009-01-14T09:36:00.000-08:002009-01-14T09:36:00.000-08:00First Disney Feature introduces 45-hour weeks (at ...First Disney Feature introduces 45-hour weeks (at the same 40-hr payrate) to hold down costs, and now Dreamworks is moving to hold down salaries.<BR/><BR/>I can understand Disney's problems--Bolt cost a fortune, and didn't do great at the boxoffice. But Dreamworks had a gangbuster year with both Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 2. If <I>that's</I> not enough to allow for reasonable increases in employee pay, what the hell is??!<BR/><BR/>The reports are also that Sony is no longer the "high-paying" studio it once was. And Pixar has always been not particularly generous with pay.<BR/><BR/>There have been mentions of a particular study all the major animation studios in the country have participated in, wherein they share with each other, in minute detail, what they are paying their employees. This, to me, smacks of borderline collusion, as it is clear there is a concerted, anti-competitive, united effort in bring down the wages of animation employees. <BR/><BR/>With all the massive success these various companies (Pixar, Blue Sky, Dreamworks, etc.) have been enjoying lately, we see wages going <I>down</I>! It defies normal market economics, and whenever that happens, there is usually some corruption going on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com